Tri-Indy Race Report

2010-08-01
Indianapolis, Indiana
United States
75F / 24C Overcast

Triathlon - Olympic
Total Time = 2h 53m 6s
Overall Rank = 295/447
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 35



Pre-race routine:

Had trouble sleeping the night before, finally dozed off at about 2AM. Back up at 5:15 AM. Coffee pot started, quick shower and 1oz Sunflower Butter on a Corn Thin. We stayed right on the Canal so it was pretty easy to get to the transition area.

Grabbed bag and hopped on bike for about a 1/2 mile ride. My air pump malfunctioned so I made sure to arrive early to avoid the rush to air up tires from one of the Vendors. Also paid off because I was able to nab a end spot on the rack that was assigned to me.

Setup transition then back the hotel to meet up with the family. Final restroom break and another bottle of water and I was off to the swim start which is roughly another 1/2 mile in the opposite direction of transition.


Swim
Time 34:06 | 1640 yards | 02m 05s / 100yards
Overall: 298/447
Performance: Good
Suit: No
Course: In a canal running through downtown Indy. Roughly 40 feet wide other than some occasional wider and narrower parts.
Start type: Dive Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: NA

Comments:

Water was much colder than I expected, glad I jumped in for a quick warm-up. I think this helped alleviate the shock had I just gone right on in. Family there to encourage me and root me on was awesome and I got really excited when I saw them at the start.

Forgot to put my goggles on when I dove in. Thank goodness they did not fall into the murky abyss. Quick roll over to my back, goggles on and off I go. Got carried away with pace for about 100M or so trying to find space to swim.

Once I found room I slowed up a bit and tried hard to work on that 2:10 pace I had been working on. Even at this slower pace I was very surprised at how many people I passed during the swim.

Spotting was great and my Wife and Kids were able to walk the Canal along side me. I gave them a big goofy smile every couple of minutes to let them know I was doing good. Tried telling them I love them but typically just drank water when I yelled out on the breath. Still was the highlight of the race seeing them each time I came up for air.



What would you do differently?:

Nothing...I worked on pacing at 2:10 and finished at 2:08. My practice spotting to the front and side worked out and I am very happy with the swim.

T1
Time: 02:30
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good
Helmet on: Good
Run with bike: Yes

Comments:

I put my Garmin in a ziplock and wrapped with a little tape at the base then shoved it in my cap. This worked great, I just ripped the plastic open on the run to the bike and clipped it on.

The family made up a couple of signs for me but it was really long and I struggled to read it all on my way out of transition. Gave me something to think about while I was out on the course. I love those guys.

What would you do differently?:

Put my sock on right side up the first time. :)


Bike

01:12:12 | 24.85 miles | 20.65 mile/hr
Overall: 253/447
Performance: Good
HR jumped a little high due to stress rather than effort. Settled in at about 155 for the duration of the ride.
Wind: Headwind
Course: Parts of the course were miserably rough with huge potholes. 1 railroad crossing that was filled with 2X4's in the gaps to try and smooth it out. Slight head wind for about 5 miles on the out and mostly flat.
Road: Potholes Dry
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right

Comments:

I had a goal of 18MPH and averaged 20.7. I knew I was pacing pretty high and debated on slowing up a bit but felt really good so held steady. I am ecstatic about this pace and the bike. Had no idea I would be able to finish it up like that.

Had an equipment malfunction because of the rough roads. Sat up in the hoods to climb hill. Hit a bump and the right brake hood slid down the bar about 2 inches. Made for interesting shifting and braking. Most of my time was spent on the aero bars so not that big of a deal, just a little weird feeling the position.

Rounding the corner from loop one, I spotted my wife first and then my daughter noticed me. Pointed at her and made sure I had her attention. Very cool.


What would you do differently? Nothing

T2
Time: 01:52
Overall: Good
Jumping off bike: Average
Running with bike: Average
Racking bike: Good
Shoe and helmet removal: Below average

Comments:

Legs were a little wobbly on the dismount but started working again after about 100 yards.

Run
01:02:29 | 06.21 miles | 10m 04s min/mile
Overall: 366/447
Performance: Average
HR Goal was 160 and I had to work pretty hard to keep it there. Creep set in around the 4 mile mark but I was almost done so I let it climb up to around 166. This would not allow me to run at a 8:30 pace but 10 was OK as long as I kept moving forward.
Course: Along the White River crossing over the bridge and down the other side on the way back. Mostly flat.
Keeping cool: Good
Drinking: Just right

Comments:

Had to pee something terrible coming off the bike at the first opportunity on the run I found a spot to go. Wasted about 2 minutes, ughh, could not get it to stop.

Right thigh cramped about 2 miles in, quick stop and stretch and it worked itself out. Also thanks to the dude that passed by offering some encouragement, it helped. Also the lady with the Cowbell App on her iPhone at the turnaround was pretty funny. Gotta have more cowbell.

Cardio was great and never really felt winded but my legs were feeling like lead weights by about the 3rd mile. It took allot to keep them swinging and I opted to walk through the water stations at mile 4 and 5. This seemed to help and I felt pretty good towards the end.


What would you do differently?:

Run more!

Post race

Warm down:

Walked around for a bit and finally grabbed a seat to relax. Ate a blueberry muffin and chugged a water. Although muffins are not typically part of my nutrition plan, they looked good and I was hungry. Could only finish about half of it and started to feel a little sick, it was really, really good though and I struggled with the decision to chuck it or finish it. Ended up throwing it out.


What limited your ability to perform faster: Lack of training.


Event comments:

Great race and cool venue. If I don't do Steelhead Half Ironman next year I will back in Indy for this race.


Official - Sortable - Tri-Indy 2010 Olympic Distance Results

Morgan, You are an IronKid!

IronKids Race Report

My daughter who likes to accompany me to the gym and typically enjoys a swim along side me decided she wanted to do a Triathlon. Other than lessons 4 or 5 years ago she really has no formal training as a swimmer but does pretty well considering. Most of what she knows she picked up watching other swimmers at the pool and occasionally asking me a question, although rare. You know us parents really don’t know anything anyway. We did a little research and found an IronKids branded event in Carmel Indiana. After a brief discussion she decided to she wanted to sign up. I probably pushed a little, dunno, but she seemed excited and I know I was.

Obviously with on 300 or so participants the setup was not quite as fancy as what you would see at an IronMan event but still better than most local tri’s. A couple of vendors selling their wares along with “Team Winter” who, as we later found out, the ambassador for IronKids. Very nice young girl who had lost her Dad to Prostate Cancer formed a team and raised roughly 250K through her foundation. She also took a few minutes to speak about both her foundation and the event to come. Well spoken young lady and I am sure that her Dad is smiling down on her, as a Dad I know I was. For more information on Team Winter and her Foundation visit: http://www.teamwinter.org




Pre-Race Routine:

Up at 5AM. She had a couple of spoonfuls of Peanut butter from the jar, as did I. Washed down with a few sips of Gatorade. Packed up the bike and off to the race venue. We were still unsure of the bike route so decided we would drive it once that morning. It was still dark and we never could find one of the turns which began to create some undue stress in the car. Opted to just head on to the race and plan on the course marshals helping guide her.

It was raining off and on when we arrived so we setup transition and then covered her stuff with an extra towel that was in the back of the car. Just like any other triathlon, no outside assistance is allowed once the starting gun fires. Spent some time with her going over her plan and making sure she was comfortable with how it was laid out. I think at this point I was getting way to detailed about instructions and advice, settled myself down and we headed over to the swim start.

The Senior division was to start prior to Morgan’s event. We were instructed that the Intermediate’s would not be able to start until the last Sr. has left transition on the run. This meant roughly another hour before she would get her turn, however, she would get about 10 minutes in transition to make any changes, adjustments or whatever. We used this time to walk through her transitions without many distractions so she had a mental image of what to do and where to go when she came in from the swim and bike. The rain had also cleared up and the sun was out so we opted to remove towel that was covering her gear which might help minimize clutter and fuss.

Swim:

Each age group was broken out into 9, 10 and 11 year old Girls and Boys. Starting with the 11 year old boys first they were instructed to do a staggered start entering the lazy river and exiting at the same point. While we were all a nervous wreck Morgan seemed to be pretty relaxed and just ready to get started. Great start for her and she seemed to quickly find her pace although this was her first time swimming in a crowd so I think she was little surprised by the splashing about that took place. At one point she seemed to have taken a nice drink of water from a swimmer that was running up next to her. The lazy river does what most do and it waves and meanders around about a 200 meter loop. The jets were turned off so there was no help from the current, in fact at a couple of points the jets, possibly filters, were still running and several kids struggled to get past them as they slowed to a crawl over them.

Bike:

New bike and she is not used to shifting gears. We practiced prior to her race and found a gear that she was comfortable in on flat ground and the plan was to just not worry about shifting for now. The return from the first loop she was looking pretty good. There was a course marshal that was helping guide the participants on which way to go depending on whether they were finishing or heading out on their second lap. I really only had one complaint about the race and perhaps I am biased but the course marshal was standing at the base of the fork in the road. Kids were coming up a slight incline and it allowed for very little warning on what to do next. My daughter was one of the ones that got confused by the instructions and went right instead of left. As did the young man behind her. Realizing her error she braked and tried to make the turn which also caused the kid behind her to run her over.

While this was a low speed crash it was still quite frightening and I was looking around for my wife to see if she had also seen it. One of the course marshals ran to their aid and had her up and talking to him in a few moments. I also arrived and went through the typical questions trying to remain calm so as to not upset her further. After a minute or two she gathered herself together, wiped her tears and got back on the bike heading out for lap two. I have never been more proud of her than I was at that very moment. Leg is bleeding a bit, hip is hurting but she insisted she was OK and wanted to continue.

It was a much longer time on this second lap and I was starting to worry about how she was feeling. After what seemed like an eternity she rounded the corner and her legs were going about 110 RPM’s. During the wreck the chain was knocked down the little ring and she was working her tail off to go about 5 or 6 MPH. Should have spent more time learning to shift, my fault. Ughh. Either way she was still moving forward and looked to be having fun again.

Run

I was able to run up next to her along the chute and out onto the run course. She said her knee and hip were still hurting but she wanted to finish. I told her it was OK if she bowed out but she insisted.  I told her to walk if she needed to and just get through it. This is supposed to be fun so enjoy it and don’t worry about your time. She slowed to a walk shortly after the turn onto the course and was quickly down the hill and out of site.

My son decided he would run to another vantage point and watch for her. Once she was spotted he ran to her side to provide encouragement. I don’t know what he was saying to her but you could see his arms swinging and clapping. Watching from afar it almost brought me to tears to see how my kids have grown from these little tiny babies to independent souls. When they are at home they fight like cats and dogs but at that moment it was clear how he really feels. This was now proud papa moment number 2 in the span of less that 20 minutes.

Once she caught site of the finish her pace picked up and she began to run again. I could see the pain diminish and the smile was starting to return. Into the chute and across the finish she was awarded her medal and it was announced that she was an IronKid. I am not sure that she heard it announced across the PA so we all made sure to remind her for the next several hours and now days.


















Post Race:

She slept like a baby on the trip home and knee and hip pain is gone. We just realized that next year she will be moving up to Seniors since her Birthday is in Dec so even though she is only 11 she will be racing with the 12 year olds. When asked how she feels about it she just shrugs her shoulders, perhaps it’s too soon to discuss.

On On

Exploring the City’s Greenway’s

When I began running last year one of my favorite things about it was seeing the city from a new perspective. When your in a car or even on a bike your focus is on the road ahead and it’s easy to miss all of beauty around you. Running had become a means of discovery as I was able to increase my mileage it continued to open new opportunities for viewing the city at 6 mph vs. 45.

After my last race in April I had more or less lost my passion for it and was finding it more and more challenging to get myself motivated for anything about 3 miles or so. Arriving at the park last night I had a planned 3 or 4 mile easy recovery run. Rounding the corner from the trail I was on I was reminded that there was a 2 mile nature loop that had just opened in a neighborhood nearby. The weather was perfect in the mid 80’s and humidity was at a manageable level. If you are from the south you know how humidity can be a complete game changer in relation to outside temperatures.

My decision went from turning left down the typical path of monotony times 3, it’s a 1 mile loop or straight ahead and out of the park boundary to see if I can figure out how to get to the new place. I debated with myself briefly before determining that a 6 or 7 mile adventure run would be much more fun than 3 miles of the same’ol.

My wife and I had walked this trail a week or so prior but I had no idea how to get there from here. The wildflowers were in bloom, there was a small vegetable garden at one point and a small decking overlook that took you out into some wetlands that was full of fish, turtles and likely other wildlife that I did not stick around long enough to see. Many varieties of birds were seen either jumping from the brush or just flying overhead. Truly a paradise and a gem of the city that likely many people are completely unaware of.

The return back I found a new entrance to the park and realized it used to be the grounds of Central Kentucky Lunatic Asylum. The adjacent property has Central State Hospital but I had no idea there used to be something other than the park here. Apparently a grand complex with 2 signature 60 foot towers built in 1874 and later demolished in 1996. I got lost in the woods nearby trying to find my way back to the main trail, which as it turned out I was about 50 feet away the entire time but could not figure out how to get there. There is also a cave that runs under the park I have spent the last year running in. What the heck, it’s a shame that the entrance is defaced with graffiti and rubbish but perhaps when I have more time I am going to have to explore this area of the park more.

In the end I made the right decision in breaking the routine and finding a new path. At the expense of sounding hokey I was also reminded that life in general is no different. I have always been one to go right or left when everyone else says to go straight. While it will often leads to a dead end or may even circle back to the beginning it sometimes leads to new adventures that had I continued down the same path I would have missed. Life is about the journey not the destination and I will get there eventually but not without running into a few walls, getting lost in the wilderness or circling back to the start to get my bearings again. Besides had it not been for all my wrong turns I would have never met my Wife or had my two wonderful kids. Life is Good!

BTW…

This new trail was funded by one of our local businessmen and founder of Papa Johns pizza, John Schnatter. Among his many contributions to the pizza industry he is also a philanthropist, outdoor enthusiast and cyclist. “John Schnatter and his Evergreen Real Estate team have created a priceless legacy for Louisville and an inspiring model for other landowners and companies nationwide. He chose to preserve priceless land, create a first-class, state-of-the-art trail and offer these amenities for the benefit of the public.” ~ American Trails

So thanks Papa for providing the city with such a beautiful venue in which to enjoy the nature around us. If you have not visited this park you can drive there and park in the Anchorage lot at Evergreen and Lagrange.

I also worked for Papa Johns for a couple of years while in a career transistion. Had it not been for that Pizza delivery job I may not be where I am today. So the next time the family ask for Pizza I will have to insist on Papa John’s.

More info…
American Trails Anchorage Greenway

ETA: If your listening Papa, where can a guy get one of those slick Papa Johns cycling kits?

Final Push - Diet Mountain Dew

OK, so it’s now week 2 of getting serious and still no real progress. Probably did not help that I ate everything in site over the weekend and chugged a gallon of Diet Mountain Dew.

Trying to begin working out during lunch this week. I am not sure that I can keep it up without working out an arrangement with my Boss. The last 2 days it has taken me 1:15 to get a quick workout in and I am left feeling rushed and did not really get as much done as I would like. Need closer to 1:45 to finish everything. Will be discussing with him this week and hopefully I can come in early or leave later and take a longer lunch.

Weight was at 177 on Monday, hopefully I can drop off some this week as I am really going to try and up my workouts and keep away from nuts as much as possible. Although it’s difficult as those little buggers are so freaking good.

I do have some good news, since beginning strength training about a month ago I noticed the pull on the swim is much better. This is from doing pushups, dips and sometimes fooling around with weights. Roughly 20 minutes at the end of each run is all I have been doing but it is paying off big time. Typically towards the end of a hard 800 my hand will begin to wave and wobble a little through the water but it was pulling straight and strong with every stroke. Now I just need to work on my form a bit and perhaps I might actually get back down to my 1:50 X 100 Meter time instead of the 2:05 mark that I have been hovering at for the last couple of months.

OK, need to go fill up on some more water and flush out that mountain dew poison that I so love.

On On

Weds June 23rd Check-In

Worked out again with the kids and was glad that Amy came along as well. We did it indoors this time with the same amount of running time just around the gym instead. Also had to make a few modifications to the plan because of lack of resources. Ended up adding in many, many more crunches which I have a feeling is going to hurt at some point today. Also played about 45 minutes of basketball first and followed it up with a slow 30 minute recovery swim for 1400 Meters.

I also stubbed my index finger which is swollen to about 2 times it’s normal size. It is throbbing to my heart beat which is blows but on the plus side I had to take my ring off prior to swimming before so it would not slide off. No chance my ring is coming off now.

Weight: 175

Breakfast: Skipped
Lunch: Chicken Roulade w/Bacon & Swiss, Steamed Broccoli & Cauliflower
Snack: Carbmaster Strawberry Yogurt
Dinner: Turkey, Pepperoni w/American in a Crepe
Snack: 2 oz peanuts

Tuesday 6-17 Check - In

Weight: 176

Breakfast: No
Lunch: Crepe filled with 2 eggs, 2 bacon and 1 slice of cheese
Snack: Atkins Bar
Dinner: Crepe filled with grilled chicken, 1 bacon, 1 oz swiss
Snack: 1 oz peanuts
No greens today, I just completely skipped them. Need to make up for that today.

Was not feeling good on Monday so I called work and slept in. Ended up sleeping until around 11:30 which is what I needed I guess as I have not been sleeping well lately. Headache eventually cleared up as well which allowed me to get my workout in.

Very proud of both of my kids and my nephew. I pushed them pretty hard last night and they all responded. The plan I put in place I was hoping would cover roughly an hour and we finished up in 1:01 with a total distance covered according to my GPS of 3.29 miles. It was pretty hot out though so we did make sure to take a short 2-3 minute water break between each interval. We plan to do 4 workouts per week alternating between the two. I have posted the plan below and please feel free to critique it. We used a soccer field at a school near my house so the laps are around the field.

Day One Arms-Shoulders-Core

1. Warm-up:
a. 10 Minute Slow Jog
b. Stretch
c. Break
2. First Interval
a. Bands
i. Forward Band
ii. Pushups Military
iii. Back Band
iv. Pushups Std
v. Side Band
vi. Side Plank
vii. Side Band
viii. Side Plank
ix. Lap
3. Second Interval
a. Legs and Shoulders
i. High Knees
ii. Farmers Carry
iii. Butt Kicks
iv. Overhead Carry
v. Sprint Forward/Back
vi. Farmers Carry
vii. Karaoke
viii. Overhead Carry
ix. Lap
x. Dips
xi. Lap
4. Third Interval
a. Alternate Sprint/Core
i. Sprint Up/Back
ii. Crunch’s until the other returns
iii. Sprint Up/Back
iv. Leg Lifts until the other returns
v. Repeat each 1X
vi. Easy Recovery Jog
5. Stretch/Cool-down


Day 2 Legs-Core

1. Warm-up:
a. 10 Minute Slow Jog
b. Stretch
c. Break
2. First Interval
a. Bands
i. Forward Band
ii. Pushups Military
iii. Back Band
iv. Pushups Std
v. Side Band
vi. Side Plank
vii. Side Band
viii. Side Plank
ix. Lap
3. Second Interval
a. Legs and Core
i. Bear Crawl
ii. Step Ups on Bench
iii. Crab Crawl
iv. Calf Raises
v. Wheel Barrel (1 Person up and back)
vi. Step Ups
vii. Wheel Barrel (1 Person up and back)
viii. Frog Jumps
ix. Lap
x. Forward Leg Dips
xi. Lap
xii. Reverse Leg Dips
xiii. Lap
4. Third Interval
a. Alternate Sprint/Core
i. Sprint Up/Back
ii. Crunch’s until the other returns
iii. Sprint Up/Back
iv. Leg Lifts until the other returns
v. Repeat each 1X
vi. Easy Recovery Jog 5 Minutes
5. Stretch/Cool-down

Final Push - Monday 6-21 Check-In

Hope all of you other Fathers had a great weekend and spent some time with your family. With 2 kids I am still learning as I go and it does not seem to get easier as they get older. It’s a good thing I had such a good Dad to teach me the basics. Although I don’t always follow right in his footsteps I strive to and perhaps one day I will figure it all out.

Went to the lake on Friday night and had a pretty good time. Ate too many peanuts as usual and sipped a couple of beers around the camp fire Saturday. All-in-all a great trip and had lots of fun. Thanks Bro and Sis for the invite and we will surely come back anytime you will have us. I was pretty excited to try wakeboarding for the first time. Turns out all I did was boat dragging. Could not figure out the timing on turning the nose of the board up to get me out of the water. Still fun though and I there was no doubt that I was properly hydrated after several attempts.

I was also a little disappointed that I did not bring my goggles to the lake for some open water swimming practice. Woke up this morning in serious pain in my thigh and head from the board hitting me as I fell. Opted to stay home for the first part of the day from work to heal up a bit. However, my head still feels like it’s in a vice and I am more or less planning to just try and get through the day.

My Nephew comes in this week and I am planning to work both him and my Son out. They are both planning to try out for sports in their Freshman year of High School and practice starts soon. Figured this might help them get a leg up. Plus I will do the workout right along with them so I kill two birds with one stone.

Weight: 176

Diet -- Did not log it all but it came down to lots of chicken some greens and snacking on some peanuts.

That’s all for now.

On On