Recently returned from a great trip fishing with my youngest up in NE Saskatchewan (372 fish caught in 4 days--mostly big pike) and then a nice visit with my rents in Minnesota. didn't do much training over the 9 days.
Tried to race last weekend in a LC event but torrential rain, wind etc convenced me to bag it. Trained a little bit this week--was quite busy .
Back in DE and hopefully racing a sprint in PA tomorrow.....I'll do another one next weekend and then Anders and I are off to take a shot at Mount Shasta....
stay tuned!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Sunset Sprint Race Report
Sunset Sprint Triathlon
Race Report #10: 7/18/09
Background
Tenth race of the season and my second shot at this 18-year old Jersey Classic. This sprint is comprised of a half-mile swim, 16-mile bike and 5k run. The other time I did this race was in 2005, shortly after my bike accident/separated shoulder—I thought it would be a reasonable indicator of my fitness as I was in pretty decent shape in 2005.
I thought that my main competitor would be John Krick. I had finished ahead of John at Parvin a few weeks ago. However, with the longer swim, I calculated that I was likely to finish around 16 seconds behind him for this race. I knew it would be close and probably a fun, competitive race.
The weather was relatively nice for the middle of July in New Jersey with a race start temp of 72 degrees. The water was 82 degrees so it was a no-wetsuit swim.
The Swim
I chatted with John and some of the other guys in my AG before the race. I learned that John was a varsity swimmer in college so I knew I would be facing a big deficit after the swim today. Based on Parvin, I calculated that I should exit the water 1:52 behind John. However, since this is a non-wetsuit swim (and Parvin wasn’t), John’s advantage, as a stronger swimmer, would likely be greater than the calculation indicates. I guessed I would be down by 2:30 after the swim.
We were in the last wave and I started to the right, away from the buoy line on this out-and-back swim course. I got off to a good start and avoided any hand-to-hand conflicts. I was focused on controlling my HR given this was a no-wetsuit swim and as a consequence I started pretty conservatively. I felt pretty good throughout the swim and began to pick up the pace a bit as we headed back towards the shore. I could tell I was in the top half of the pack but I could see the leaders were quite a bit ahead of me.
I exited the water in 16:12 with an average HR of 153bpm which is a typical swim average for me. My initial reaction to this time was quite positive. I knew in 2005 that my time was 18:46 (bad shoulder) so as I ran up the hill to transition I felt pretty good about my performance. I looked at our AG’s rack and did not see Krick—no surprise there—but I did see quite a few guys from my AG, so this put a bit of doubt in my mind. As it turned out, I was 56th OA (out of 170) in the swim, 67.6 %-tile, and 6th (out of 10) in my AG. The bad news, which I wouldn’t know until after the race, was that Krick had out swum me by 3:07! I was in a deep hole. Here is where we stood after the swim:
1. Krick --------
2. Strauss + 1:18
3. Kozialia + 1:19
4. Clinger + 2:28
5. Berland + 2:51
6. Christofferson + 3:07
Transition One
I felt like I flew through transition and I was able to pass 3 guys in my AG who beat me in the swim. My total transition time was 1:26 and my average HR crept up to 162 bpm. At Parvin, I had picked up over a minute on Krick in T1 but he told me he was using a wetsuit for the first time at that race and had trouble getting out of it. I knew my advantage would be less at this race. As it turns out, I had the second fastest transition time in our AG and picked up 17 seconds on Krick. Here is where we stood as we started the bike:
1. Krick --------
2. Strauss + 0:58
3. Christofferson + 2:50
The Bike
The bike at Sunset is a rolling 16.54 miles in length. It has quite a few hills (for NJ) and with the wind today was a little tougher than the typical NJ triathlon bike leg. I figured I needed to catch Krick by around 12 miles or so if I was to build a big enough buffer for the run. I felt very good on the bike and was comfortably around 260 watts. In my mind, I thought this would be good enough to do the job. The calculations indicated I should be able to pick-up 2:25 or so on Krick (about 9 seconds per mile). I noticed my HR was relatively low but for some reason I didn’t decide to go harder as I was pleased with the power numbers I was seeing.
I kept hammering away passing many folks from the waves in front of me. About 4-5 miles in I blew by Strauss and eagerly looked forward to doing the same with Krick. However, when 12 and then 13 and 14 miles clicked by I began to think that I was in trouble. By 15 I concluded that I wasn’t going to catch him. Then at 15.5 miles I saw him and put the hammer down passing him at 15.8 miles. Fortunately for me, the bike leg was a half mile long and I was able to jump off the bike 8 seconds in front of Krick.
My bike split was 44:05 (22.5 mph). However, my HR only averaged 157 bpm and my cadence 79 rpm, which indicates that I did not push nearly as hard as I could have. My power averaged 260 watts and I as I analyze this data I realize I made the mistake of seeing reasonable power numbers and not listening to my body telling me I was in better shape than I expected.
I did several analyses (comparing to 2005 and looking at historical correlations between my HR and average watts) and determined that I probably should have been able to average 270-275 watts for this race. If I had done this I would have caught Krick at 12.8 miles vs. 15.8 miles. And more importantly, I would have had around a 50 second lead vs. the 8 that I had. It’s clear in retrospect that I made a rookie tactical error in letting my power meter dictate my intensity as opposed to using it as one of several collaborating data sources to how my body felt.
I was the fastest in our AG on the bike but only 14th OA (92.4 %-tile). Here is where we stood after the bike:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Krick + 0:08
3. Strauss + 2:43
Transition Two
I knew Krick would be hot on my heels and I really pushed hard through transition. I did everything very quickly and dashed away with a total transition time of 1:14. This was tops in the AG and was also 7 seconds faster than Krick. I knew he was very close and that the cards were stacked against me. None-the-less, I was determined to not go down without a fight. Here are the standings after T2:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Krick + 0:15
3. Strauss + 3:06
The Run
I knew that John had outrun me by 49 seconds at Parvin and that my lead was considerably less than that. I also felt I was running better now than mid-June and maybe, just maybe I could hold him off. I really thought I pushed hard on the dirt trail that follows a stream in the early part of the course.
I hit the one-mile marker in 7:57 (165 bpm HR), which was a bit deflating—I figured that I needed to run 7:30s. Yet, John had not caught me. Shortly after one mile there was a bit of a u-turn and I was able to get a look at where he was. I saw that I probably had at least a 10 second lead. I could tell he was hanging with me but he didn’t seem to be really gaining on me.
I kept trying to push harder, to perhaps open up a gap but my lack of run training/speed work was clearly in evidence. I hit the 2-mile marker after climbing a short but steep hill with a split of 7:51. I stole a glance at John and he seemed no more than 30-40 yards behind me. Yikes, this was going to be very painful.
We pushed across a big field and then back down a steep hill (which I ran very hard) and on to the final stretch of road to the finish. We were at about 2.5 miles and I became aware of John’s breathing as he was sitting on my shoulder. I tried to throw a surge at him but he stayed glued to my shoulder. I slowed way down hoping he would go by but he refused to do so. I could see the three-mile mark ahead and put a final desperate surge in to try to break free. We passed 3 miles and I could see the finish line just about 150 yards ahead. For a second I thought I might be able to hold him off.
Then with 100 yards to go reality set in and John sprinted past me and it was immediately clear I would not be able to respond. I deflated like a balloon and almost came to a complete halt. I had been running at my limit and now the game was over. I stumbled across the line a full 14 seconds behind John with a run split of 24:07. My final 1.1 miles were covered in 8:13 (7:28/mile) and my HR averaged 168bpm. Strauss came in 2:45 later. I had the third fastest run in my AG and 54th OA (68.8 %-tile). For the race I finished 29th OA (83.5%-tile).
It would be easy to say I lost this race in the swim or maybe even the run—certainly my current fitness in those two disciplines would support that view. But in the final analysis, I think I talked myself out of going as hard as I could on the bike and as a result lost the race through poor tactical execution. C’est la vie! It was a lot of fun and John won fair and square in an exciting race—you really can’t ask for more than that!
Race Report #10: 7/18/09
Background
Tenth race of the season and my second shot at this 18-year old Jersey Classic. This sprint is comprised of a half-mile swim, 16-mile bike and 5k run. The other time I did this race was in 2005, shortly after my bike accident/separated shoulder—I thought it would be a reasonable indicator of my fitness as I was in pretty decent shape in 2005.
I thought that my main competitor would be John Krick. I had finished ahead of John at Parvin a few weeks ago. However, with the longer swim, I calculated that I was likely to finish around 16 seconds behind him for this race. I knew it would be close and probably a fun, competitive race.
The weather was relatively nice for the middle of July in New Jersey with a race start temp of 72 degrees. The water was 82 degrees so it was a no-wetsuit swim.
The Swim
I chatted with John and some of the other guys in my AG before the race. I learned that John was a varsity swimmer in college so I knew I would be facing a big deficit after the swim today. Based on Parvin, I calculated that I should exit the water 1:52 behind John. However, since this is a non-wetsuit swim (and Parvin wasn’t), John’s advantage, as a stronger swimmer, would likely be greater than the calculation indicates. I guessed I would be down by 2:30 after the swim.
We were in the last wave and I started to the right, away from the buoy line on this out-and-back swim course. I got off to a good start and avoided any hand-to-hand conflicts. I was focused on controlling my HR given this was a no-wetsuit swim and as a consequence I started pretty conservatively. I felt pretty good throughout the swim and began to pick up the pace a bit as we headed back towards the shore. I could tell I was in the top half of the pack but I could see the leaders were quite a bit ahead of me.
I exited the water in 16:12 with an average HR of 153bpm which is a typical swim average for me. My initial reaction to this time was quite positive. I knew in 2005 that my time was 18:46 (bad shoulder) so as I ran up the hill to transition I felt pretty good about my performance. I looked at our AG’s rack and did not see Krick—no surprise there—but I did see quite a few guys from my AG, so this put a bit of doubt in my mind. As it turned out, I was 56th OA (out of 170) in the swim, 67.6 %-tile, and 6th (out of 10) in my AG. The bad news, which I wouldn’t know until after the race, was that Krick had out swum me by 3:07! I was in a deep hole. Here is where we stood after the swim:
1. Krick --------
2. Strauss + 1:18
3. Kozialia + 1:19
4. Clinger + 2:28
5. Berland + 2:51
6. Christofferson + 3:07
Transition One
I felt like I flew through transition and I was able to pass 3 guys in my AG who beat me in the swim. My total transition time was 1:26 and my average HR crept up to 162 bpm. At Parvin, I had picked up over a minute on Krick in T1 but he told me he was using a wetsuit for the first time at that race and had trouble getting out of it. I knew my advantage would be less at this race. As it turns out, I had the second fastest transition time in our AG and picked up 17 seconds on Krick. Here is where we stood as we started the bike:
1. Krick --------
2. Strauss + 0:58
3. Christofferson + 2:50
The Bike
The bike at Sunset is a rolling 16.54 miles in length. It has quite a few hills (for NJ) and with the wind today was a little tougher than the typical NJ triathlon bike leg. I figured I needed to catch Krick by around 12 miles or so if I was to build a big enough buffer for the run. I felt very good on the bike and was comfortably around 260 watts. In my mind, I thought this would be good enough to do the job. The calculations indicated I should be able to pick-up 2:25 or so on Krick (about 9 seconds per mile). I noticed my HR was relatively low but for some reason I didn’t decide to go harder as I was pleased with the power numbers I was seeing.
I kept hammering away passing many folks from the waves in front of me. About 4-5 miles in I blew by Strauss and eagerly looked forward to doing the same with Krick. However, when 12 and then 13 and 14 miles clicked by I began to think that I was in trouble. By 15 I concluded that I wasn’t going to catch him. Then at 15.5 miles I saw him and put the hammer down passing him at 15.8 miles. Fortunately for me, the bike leg was a half mile long and I was able to jump off the bike 8 seconds in front of Krick.
My bike split was 44:05 (22.5 mph). However, my HR only averaged 157 bpm and my cadence 79 rpm, which indicates that I did not push nearly as hard as I could have. My power averaged 260 watts and I as I analyze this data I realize I made the mistake of seeing reasonable power numbers and not listening to my body telling me I was in better shape than I expected.
I did several analyses (comparing to 2005 and looking at historical correlations between my HR and average watts) and determined that I probably should have been able to average 270-275 watts for this race. If I had done this I would have caught Krick at 12.8 miles vs. 15.8 miles. And more importantly, I would have had around a 50 second lead vs. the 8 that I had. It’s clear in retrospect that I made a rookie tactical error in letting my power meter dictate my intensity as opposed to using it as one of several collaborating data sources to how my body felt.
I was the fastest in our AG on the bike but only 14th OA (92.4 %-tile). Here is where we stood after the bike:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Krick + 0:08
3. Strauss + 2:43
Transition Two
I knew Krick would be hot on my heels and I really pushed hard through transition. I did everything very quickly and dashed away with a total transition time of 1:14. This was tops in the AG and was also 7 seconds faster than Krick. I knew he was very close and that the cards were stacked against me. None-the-less, I was determined to not go down without a fight. Here are the standings after T2:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Krick + 0:15
3. Strauss + 3:06
The Run
I knew that John had outrun me by 49 seconds at Parvin and that my lead was considerably less than that. I also felt I was running better now than mid-June and maybe, just maybe I could hold him off. I really thought I pushed hard on the dirt trail that follows a stream in the early part of the course.
I hit the one-mile marker in 7:57 (165 bpm HR), which was a bit deflating—I figured that I needed to run 7:30s. Yet, John had not caught me. Shortly after one mile there was a bit of a u-turn and I was able to get a look at where he was. I saw that I probably had at least a 10 second lead. I could tell he was hanging with me but he didn’t seem to be really gaining on me.
I kept trying to push harder, to perhaps open up a gap but my lack of run training/speed work was clearly in evidence. I hit the 2-mile marker after climbing a short but steep hill with a split of 7:51. I stole a glance at John and he seemed no more than 30-40 yards behind me. Yikes, this was going to be very painful.
We pushed across a big field and then back down a steep hill (which I ran very hard) and on to the final stretch of road to the finish. We were at about 2.5 miles and I became aware of John’s breathing as he was sitting on my shoulder. I tried to throw a surge at him but he stayed glued to my shoulder. I slowed way down hoping he would go by but he refused to do so. I could see the three-mile mark ahead and put a final desperate surge in to try to break free. We passed 3 miles and I could see the finish line just about 150 yards ahead. For a second I thought I might be able to hold him off.
Then with 100 yards to go reality set in and John sprinted past me and it was immediately clear I would not be able to respond. I deflated like a balloon and almost came to a complete halt. I had been running at my limit and now the game was over. I stumbled across the line a full 14 seconds behind John with a run split of 24:07. My final 1.1 miles were covered in 8:13 (7:28/mile) and my HR averaged 168bpm. Strauss came in 2:45 later. I had the third fastest run in my AG and 54th OA (68.8 %-tile). For the race I finished 29th OA (83.5%-tile).
It would be easy to say I lost this race in the swim or maybe even the run—certainly my current fitness in those two disciplines would support that view. But in the final analysis, I think I talked myself out of going as hard as I could on the bike and as a result lost the race through poor tactical execution. C’est la vie! It was a lot of fun and John won fair and square in an exciting race—you really can’t ask for more than that!
Friday, July 17, 2009
signs of progress
2009 Vincentown Sprint Triathlon
Race Report #9: 7/11/09
Background
My first time racing at this DQ run event. The triathlon involves a quarter-mile swim in a very muddy, shallow pond, which really seems to be part of a river. The two-loop bike course turned out to be 14.5 miles in length and that was followed by a mostly loop course 5k run. Race day dawned cool (60s and 70s) and calm. A great day to race.
My expectations were to bike and run much stronger than recent races due to my strong two-week training block leading into this race. I thought my swim might be a little off as I deemphasized it to focus on the bike/run. There were 12 guys entered in my age group—only two, Tom Dillon and Mickey Syrop appeared to pose a competitive challenge and there were 204 entered in the triathlon overall.
Swim
We went in the last wave as is customary in Chuck’s events. The swim course was an out and back with just three minutes between waves; as we started there were many slower swimmers spread out before us. I started right, away from the buoy line and felt like I did a reasonably good job. I avoided most of the congestion and after the turn buoy swam what I thought was a truer line to the swim exit than most were swimming. I had mostly calm water.
I felt good but sensed that maybe the lack of recent water time had clamped down on my top-end swim speed. I exited the water in 7:31 with an average HR of 151 bpm—definitely a lower quality effort than my normal swim HR of 153-154 bpm. As I ran into the transition zone I did not see either Tom or Mickey, which indicated that I was probably about a minute behind them, which is more time than I really could afford to give up. I ended up 44th on the swim OA (78.9 %-tile) and 3rd in my AG (83.3 %-tile). I was correct in my assumption that I did drop about a minute to Mick and Tom:
1. Mickey Syrop --------
2. Tom Dillon + 0:01
3. Randy Christofferson + 0:57
Transition One
I had a lot of trouble getting my wetsuit unzipped. I had decided to use my old LJ (sleeveless) wetsuit and just couldn’t stretch my arm enough to get the Velcro undone—I am getting very inflexible. I had to stop for a few seconds and finally solved the problem. When I went to jump on the bike I had trouble getting my shoe clicked in (yes I know if they were already clicked in I would not have that problem) so I knew I had followed up my slow swim with a slow T1. My total T1 was 1:43 with a 162 bpm average HR. I was 33rd OA in T1 time (84.3 %-tile) but was 3rd in my AG losing time to both Mick and Tom. The standings after T1:
1. Tom Dillon --------
2. Mickey Syrop + 0:11
3. Randy Christofferson + 1:18
The Bike
I knew right away I was going to have a much stronger bike than I have had this year. I was consistently well above 250 watts and my HR was staying right around 160 bpm. I thought that even though I dropped a little more time than desirable in the swim that I should be able to catch Mick and Tom relatively early in the ride—I thought by mile 6 or so—perhaps I could build enough of the lead to hold them in the run.
I knew that I was in trouble when we got to the end of the first loop and they were still no sign of them. I saw a “group” of triathletes up the road and over the next few miles was able to steadily close the gap. Eventually, around 12.5 miles I passed a bunch of folks including Mick and Tom and knew that there was no way I could hold off Mick on the run. Even though I knew I had a much more competitive bike ride, for some reason, Mick and Tom were able to hold me off much longer than expected.
I finished the bike with a time of 36:28, which works out to a decent 23.9 mph. My power averaged 260 watts which is by far my highest average power output this year—and over a little longer sprint course than normal. My HR was only 160 bpm so I probably could have gone a far bit faster—I was perhaps a little too conservative. My cadence was also relatively low at 78 rpm. This data is consistent with a fairly strong increase in my base aerobic engine but indicates I need to work on top-end power/speed—no surprises here.
Competitively, I had the 7th fastest bike (97.1 %-tile) OA and was 1st in my AG. However, I was only able to put about 90 seconds on Mick and Tom who rode basically the same bike time. Here is were we stood after the bike:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Dillon + 0:11
3. Syrop + 0:24
Transition Two
Uneventful but comparatively slow for me. My total T2 was 0:59 with an average HR of 161. I lost time to both Mick and Tom and was 66th OA (68.1%)/3rd in my AG. After T2 the standings were:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Dillon + 0:05
3. Syrop + 0:12
The Run
I felt much better in the run than I have for most of this year. I felt like I was running considerably faster (I don’t know how long the course actually was so it’s hard to know for sure). Mick passed me relatively early in the run but at a little out and back half-way through the run I saw that Tom was quite a ways behind me and I knew I would finish 2nd in my AG—which I did. My run time was slower than expected at 24:07 with an average HR of 168. The time was disappointing but perhaps the course distance was not accurate. I loss less time to Mickey than prior races on the run but OA I was only 75th on the run (63.7 %-tile) and was once again 3rd in my AG. Overall I finished 20th (90.7 %-tile). My regional race ranking was a healthy 82.2, which is quite satisfying.
Clearly my strongest overall race of the year even though some unexpected results on the bike seemed to constrain me to 2nd in my AG. Oh well. Onward and upward.
Race Report #9: 7/11/09
Background
My first time racing at this DQ run event. The triathlon involves a quarter-mile swim in a very muddy, shallow pond, which really seems to be part of a river. The two-loop bike course turned out to be 14.5 miles in length and that was followed by a mostly loop course 5k run. Race day dawned cool (60s and 70s) and calm. A great day to race.
My expectations were to bike and run much stronger than recent races due to my strong two-week training block leading into this race. I thought my swim might be a little off as I deemphasized it to focus on the bike/run. There were 12 guys entered in my age group—only two, Tom Dillon and Mickey Syrop appeared to pose a competitive challenge and there were 204 entered in the triathlon overall.
Swim
We went in the last wave as is customary in Chuck’s events. The swim course was an out and back with just three minutes between waves; as we started there were many slower swimmers spread out before us. I started right, away from the buoy line and felt like I did a reasonably good job. I avoided most of the congestion and after the turn buoy swam what I thought was a truer line to the swim exit than most were swimming. I had mostly calm water.
I felt good but sensed that maybe the lack of recent water time had clamped down on my top-end swim speed. I exited the water in 7:31 with an average HR of 151 bpm—definitely a lower quality effort than my normal swim HR of 153-154 bpm. As I ran into the transition zone I did not see either Tom or Mickey, which indicated that I was probably about a minute behind them, which is more time than I really could afford to give up. I ended up 44th on the swim OA (78.9 %-tile) and 3rd in my AG (83.3 %-tile). I was correct in my assumption that I did drop about a minute to Mick and Tom:
1. Mickey Syrop --------
2. Tom Dillon + 0:01
3. Randy Christofferson + 0:57
Transition One
I had a lot of trouble getting my wetsuit unzipped. I had decided to use my old LJ (sleeveless) wetsuit and just couldn’t stretch my arm enough to get the Velcro undone—I am getting very inflexible. I had to stop for a few seconds and finally solved the problem. When I went to jump on the bike I had trouble getting my shoe clicked in (yes I know if they were already clicked in I would not have that problem) so I knew I had followed up my slow swim with a slow T1. My total T1 was 1:43 with a 162 bpm average HR. I was 33rd OA in T1 time (84.3 %-tile) but was 3rd in my AG losing time to both Mick and Tom. The standings after T1:
1. Tom Dillon --------
2. Mickey Syrop + 0:11
3. Randy Christofferson + 1:18
The Bike
I knew right away I was going to have a much stronger bike than I have had this year. I was consistently well above 250 watts and my HR was staying right around 160 bpm. I thought that even though I dropped a little more time than desirable in the swim that I should be able to catch Mick and Tom relatively early in the ride—I thought by mile 6 or so—perhaps I could build enough of the lead to hold them in the run.
I knew that I was in trouble when we got to the end of the first loop and they were still no sign of them. I saw a “group” of triathletes up the road and over the next few miles was able to steadily close the gap. Eventually, around 12.5 miles I passed a bunch of folks including Mick and Tom and knew that there was no way I could hold off Mick on the run. Even though I knew I had a much more competitive bike ride, for some reason, Mick and Tom were able to hold me off much longer than expected.
I finished the bike with a time of 36:28, which works out to a decent 23.9 mph. My power averaged 260 watts which is by far my highest average power output this year—and over a little longer sprint course than normal. My HR was only 160 bpm so I probably could have gone a far bit faster—I was perhaps a little too conservative. My cadence was also relatively low at 78 rpm. This data is consistent with a fairly strong increase in my base aerobic engine but indicates I need to work on top-end power/speed—no surprises here.
Competitively, I had the 7th fastest bike (97.1 %-tile) OA and was 1st in my AG. However, I was only able to put about 90 seconds on Mick and Tom who rode basically the same bike time. Here is were we stood after the bike:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Dillon + 0:11
3. Syrop + 0:24
Transition Two
Uneventful but comparatively slow for me. My total T2 was 0:59 with an average HR of 161. I lost time to both Mick and Tom and was 66th OA (68.1%)/3rd in my AG. After T2 the standings were:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Dillon + 0:05
3. Syrop + 0:12
The Run
I felt much better in the run than I have for most of this year. I felt like I was running considerably faster (I don’t know how long the course actually was so it’s hard to know for sure). Mick passed me relatively early in the run but at a little out and back half-way through the run I saw that Tom was quite a ways behind me and I knew I would finish 2nd in my AG—which I did. My run time was slower than expected at 24:07 with an average HR of 168. The time was disappointing but perhaps the course distance was not accurate. I loss less time to Mickey than prior races on the run but OA I was only 75th on the run (63.7 %-tile) and was once again 3rd in my AG. Overall I finished 20th (90.7 %-tile). My regional race ranking was a healthy 82.2, which is quite satisfying.
Clearly my strongest overall race of the year even though some unexpected results on the bike seemed to constrain me to 2nd in my AG. Oh well. Onward and upward.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
hittin a groove
So 2 real nice training weeks in the book. I actually feel almost like a real triathlete again! Last week included 22.5 hours of SBR work and led to 303 miles on the bike (after 254 the week before) and my 3rd straight 20+ run week (24.4 miles). My swimming was pretty weak but enough hopefully to keep things interesting.
Body comp is definitely changing which is nice, but I'm still quite heavy from an IM perspective. Still I feel real progress in my body (banging out 80 mile days on the bike has a way of doing that).
Trying to let my body absorb the training these next few days. Racing vincentown on Saturday (Mickey and Tom--shoud be a good test) and Sunset the following week. I'd love to get one victory out of the two races but that may be overly optimistic. Just so I don't get too carried away in this my "off" season I have a nine day sabatical planned to Canada and Minnesota for fishing and family starting on the 20th.....
ahhhhh...I love the summer life here in NJ!
peace out!
Body comp is definitely changing which is nice, but I'm still quite heavy from an IM perspective. Still I feel real progress in my body (banging out 80 mile days on the bike has a way of doing that).
Trying to let my body absorb the training these next few days. Racing vincentown on Saturday (Mickey and Tom--shoud be a good test) and Sunset the following week. I'd love to get one victory out of the two races but that may be overly optimistic. Just so I don't get too carried away in this my "off" season I have a nine day sabatical planned to Canada and Minnesota for fishing and family starting on the 20th.....
ahhhhh...I love the summer life here in NJ!
peace out!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
new plans
OK--I've decided to blow off Philly and Avalon and actually train for a while. Last week I rode my bike 250+ miles and ran over 20 again for a second week in a row (the running anyways). this week the plan is 300/30 plus some decent swimming--almost like a real triathlete again. I'm not saying no to racing but yes to training...besides I've got 5 wins and 2 summits in the bag so far this year so why not!
Further out, anders and I are beginning to crystalize a climbing plan that includes Shasta (either July or August), Whitney (October) and hopefully Cerro Aconcagua next January--very exciting stuff.
Also, strangely enough, both Anders and I won the lottery and have been selected to race for the USA at the Duathlon Short-Course World Championships in September which we think we'll do--should be good for a few yucks....
more latter but it's great to be training again.....
rc
Further out, anders and I are beginning to crystalize a climbing plan that includes Shasta (either July or August), Whitney (October) and hopefully Cerro Aconcagua next January--very exciting stuff.
Also, strangely enough, both Anders and I won the lottery and have been selected to race for the USA at the Duathlon Short-Course World Championships in September which we think we'll do--should be good for a few yucks....
more latter but it's great to be training again.....
rc
St. Andrews' Sprint Race Report
St. Andrews’ Sprint Triathlon
Race Report #8: 6/21/09
Background
After a good eight hours of sleep I awoke at 4:30 feeling pretty stiff and sore from the prior day’s activities down at Parvin State Park. I was up early to compete in the 22nd edition of Delaware’s best triathlon and to complete my first triathlon “double”—two races in one weekend.
This race is my favorite sprint triathlon and I would be competing in it for the seventh year in a row—more than any other race. Prior to this year I’ve enjoyed three 1st place AG finishes, one 2nd, one 3rd and in my first attempt, one 4th.
My main competitive focus for this race was Paul Schlosser. Paul has been competing in triathlons for well over 20 years and has raced in most of the prior versions of this race. He was the first AG competitor that I remember being aware of as he was a perennial All-American and dominated his AG in this race (and many others) through the years. Over the last few years I’ve managed to close the gap between us and as we entered this race, our head-to-head record in this race stood at Schlosser: 3, Christofferson: 2. Here is how we have compared through the years:
Year Christofferson Schlosser Delta
2003 74:53 69:14 (5:07)
2004 73:46 71:47 (1:59)
2005 71:21 71:42 +0:21
2006 71:14 68:47 (2:27)
2007 69:54 DNF
2008 70:50 DNS
So while I was only behind 3-2 coming this race the more in-depth perspective would tell you that Paul had killed me 3 times and I barely beat him once and he DNF’ed another time.
But not to worry! My expectations about my performance were low but I was very pumped to race this great race again. While I did not expect to be able to hang with Paul, I was still excited to jump into the fray and give it my best shot!
The Swim
Race morning looked ominous and it seemed that there was a good chance that more than just the swim would be wet. It was pleasant temp wise, but there was a noticeable wind blowing in connection with the front that was moving in—I knew it would definitely be a factor on the bike (which of course is to my advantage).
The water in Noxontown Pond was about 74 degrees and we were all in wetsuits. The swim is a simple out and back in the shallow weedy waters. The RD, Wayne Kursh, has always had an “elite” wave and because of my three prior AG wins here I was afforded the honor of being in that first wave. This is an advantage for sure due to the traffic that back-up on the swim as well as early in the bike if you’re in wave five (where I would be if I was with the majority of the 50-54 year-old AG). Paul was also up in this first wave as well as my good buddy Dave Spartin. I didn’t think that Dave would be able to hang with Paul and I but I figured he had a good chance of grabbing 3rd (or better if we had problems).
I positioned myself way to the left off the buoy line and tried to stay out of the congestion of the 60 or so folks in the first wave. In this I was generally successful. I saw Dave off to my left as he was definitely pursuing a solo route—despite the longer swim path he seemed to be having no trouble staying with me.
I knew Paul was up ahead as he is one of the best swimmers in the overall field. In the past my task in swim versus Paul has been to try to keep the gap as narrow as possible. As I have improved through the years I’ve been able to do better and better at that. Here is how my swim disadvantage to Paul has trended through the years:
2003 (3:11)
2004 (2:32)
2005 (1:57)
2006 (1:38)
2007 (0:41)
I didn’t expect to do as well as 2007 when I was working with Pete as my coach but I hoped to at least keep the gap less than two minutes. I thought I swam pretty well but it seemed like the course was longer this year. I exited the water in 8:37, which is quite slow. I was 31 seconds slower than last year but in looking at folks who raced both years, most folks were 15-25 seconds slower so it seems my swim was fairly decent. My HR averaged 153 bpm, which is typical for me so I know I gave a good solid effort.
Competitively, I was 43rd OA (84.3 %-tile) and 3rd in our AG (87.5 %-tile). Most importantly I had only lost 1:21 to Paul—my second smallest gap to date—and I had given myself a chance, with a very good bike, of beating him. Here is where we stood after the swim:
1. Schlosser --------
2. Faccenda + 0:48
3. Christofferson + 1:21
4. Spartin + 1:25
Transition One
As I made the very long run up from the pond to the transition area I could feel my HR spike. The fatigue from yesterday’s race was very evident. My total transition time was 3:16, which is very slow indeed. In the six years prior my T1 times have ranged from 2:44-3:18 and this year was my 6th slowest of the 7 years. I had been under 3 minutes in each of the last 4 years so my guess is I probably threw 30 seconds away here.
As I reached my bike Dave came right in behind me. I knew he was close on the swim but to see him here was quite a surprise. Not only is Dave typically a lot slower than me in transition (something I bug him about) but he also claimed before than race to have a stress fracture and wasn’t even planning on running the last leg of the race. He had about 4 pounds of tape on his leg and ankle to back this suspicious claim up. In any event, since he clips his shoes to his bike and puts them on while rolling he was able to leave T1 a few seconds before me. Geez! I knew I was going to get some grief from him after the race on this (which I did) but more importantly I had to get moving—I was sure Paul was well up the road already.
I soon caught Dave on the St. Andrews road as he fiddled with his shoes—as I went by him with at least a 10 mph advantage I yelled: “Nice transition—until now!”. Dave and I have had this debate about the efficacy of clipping your shoes in and putting your feet in on the fly. Dave feels that this is cooler and it makes you faster. I’m not sure about the former but for us dinosaurs, I’m highly confident that he is wrong about the latter. In any event, it was time to put the hammer down.
The Bike
I felt surprisingly good very soon into the bike leg. I expected my legs to be stiff and weary from yesterday’s race but the stiffness quickly dissipated and I was seeing some pretty decent power numbers. For the first half of each lap we had the wind helping and I was seeing some healthy high 30 speedo readings. I was into the racing and starting to have a good time.
I passed quite a few folks and around five miles in I believe I passed Paul. I wasn’t certain but in retrospect I think it was he. He tried to stay right on my tail (a little too close in my opinion) and I waved him off and simultaneously stood up and created a sustainable gap. It was a little silly throwing a 500-watt surge at that point in the race but I didn’t want any one hanging around my rear wheel for any length of time.
The wind on this section of the course was significant (I’d say 15-20 mph) and combined with the hills made things a bit challenging for all. I kept at it and felt pretty good. I could tell my power was off 10-15 watts from yesterday’s effort but I was feeling optimistic. Especially to catch Paul this early—I’d normally expect to catch him in the second lap, if at all.
I went through the first lap in a little under 21 minutes so I knew this was going to be a very slow bike leg (I had never been over 40 minutes for the whole ride before). I knew the wind was a big part of this so I tried not to worry about it.
The rest of the ride was more of the same, although the wind effect was stronger on the second lap, and I eventually dismounted my bike with a split of 41:48. I knew this was very slow but right in front of me was Rich Brokaw who had out rode me just a couple of weeks earlier at Pocomoke so I knew my ride couldn’t have been that bad. I averaged 237 watts and a 164 bpm HR. This is about 15 watts and 4 bpm low and probably a reflection of the fatigue in my legs. My cadence was quite low at 77 rpm and I averaged 22.32 mph over the measured distance of 15.55 miles.
Competitively I recorded the 7th fastest bike split (historically I’ve had the 6th-9th) which I’m very happy with. This is at the 97.8 %-tile. I was fastest in my AG and most importantly put a very surprising 3:16 into Schlosser. This was by-far my best relative showing to Paul as the data below illustrates:
2003 + 0:22
2004 + 2:17
2005 + 2:07
2006 + 0:19
Looking at last year’s results everyone was a lot slower this year due to the conditions. I was perhaps a little more slower than others but not really that bad of a ride, especially in the 2nd race of a double:
2009 vs. 2008 bike splits
Faccianni + 2:12 + 5.5%
Brokaw + 3:21 + 7.8%
Sauer + 3:12 + 6.9%
Holmes + 4:00 + 9.1%
Christofferson + 4:01 + 9.7%
The best news of course was that I had now opened up a nice lead heading into the final leg of the race:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Schlosser + 1:55
3. Dana + 2:15
4. Spartin + 3:40
Transition Two
I really pushed it in T2 and I was out of transition in just 38 seconds, which I’m pleased to report, was my best T2 at this race to date. I left in a group of young guys that included Jeff Strojny who was on his way to a race best 15:27 run.
The Run
The kiddie corps blasted away from me astonishingly fast. The relevant question for me of course was: Did I open up enough of a gap on Paul to be able to hold him off. Paul has usually easily outran me here in the past as this data shows:
2003 (2:41)
2004 (1:44)
2005 +0:11
2006 (0:52)
I of course didn’t know how big a lead I had or how much I needed but I guessed it was probably about two minutes given my fitness and fatigue. Due to the shape of the run course I did not expect to see Paul until either when he passed me or towards the very end of the race. I just had to go as fast as I could and hope for the best.
I noticed very quickly that my legs felt very leaden and tired. I had a very poor run the prior day at Parvin and my legs did not improve from that effort. I had a deep muscle soreness/tightness in my left glute and I was a little worried I might have to walk. I felt like I was running slowly but no one was catching me and the young studs in front of me were long gone.
The cross-country course was a little sloppy from all of our recent rain and one point we had to get around a large tree that had fallen during the storms. I kept plugging along and with about a half mile to go I turned around and there Paul was (or at least I thought) about 75 yards or so behind me. I put my head down and decided to give it everything I had. If that was indeed Paul I was determined to not lose to him in the final few steps of the race.
I pushed hard, really running better than I had at any point prior in the race and eventually crossed the finish line at 76:59 for a run split of 22:39. And just eleven seconds latter Paul finished his race. His first words were: “Damn, I really wanted it but I couldn’t catch you”. I was frankly as surprised as I was thrilled. I had managed to eek out a close victory in my second race of a double, with questionable fitness. Very satisfying! Also, it was my fifth win of the year, more than I’ve ever recorded in a season.
Overall I had the 82nd fastest run (69.8 %-tile) and the 4th best in my AG (81.3 %-tile). Here is how we stood at the finish:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Schlosser + 0:11
3. Dana + 1:43
4. Spartin + 4:22
I was 21st OA in the race, which was good enough for a 92.5 %-tile.
Race Report #8: 6/21/09
Background
After a good eight hours of sleep I awoke at 4:30 feeling pretty stiff and sore from the prior day’s activities down at Parvin State Park. I was up early to compete in the 22nd edition of Delaware’s best triathlon and to complete my first triathlon “double”—two races in one weekend.
This race is my favorite sprint triathlon and I would be competing in it for the seventh year in a row—more than any other race. Prior to this year I’ve enjoyed three 1st place AG finishes, one 2nd, one 3rd and in my first attempt, one 4th.
My main competitive focus for this race was Paul Schlosser. Paul has been competing in triathlons for well over 20 years and has raced in most of the prior versions of this race. He was the first AG competitor that I remember being aware of as he was a perennial All-American and dominated his AG in this race (and many others) through the years. Over the last few years I’ve managed to close the gap between us and as we entered this race, our head-to-head record in this race stood at Schlosser: 3, Christofferson: 2. Here is how we have compared through the years:
Year Christofferson Schlosser Delta
2003 74:53 69:14 (5:07)
2004 73:46 71:47 (1:59)
2005 71:21 71:42 +0:21
2006 71:14 68:47 (2:27)
2007 69:54 DNF
2008 70:50 DNS
So while I was only behind 3-2 coming this race the more in-depth perspective would tell you that Paul had killed me 3 times and I barely beat him once and he DNF’ed another time.
But not to worry! My expectations about my performance were low but I was very pumped to race this great race again. While I did not expect to be able to hang with Paul, I was still excited to jump into the fray and give it my best shot!
The Swim
Race morning looked ominous and it seemed that there was a good chance that more than just the swim would be wet. It was pleasant temp wise, but there was a noticeable wind blowing in connection with the front that was moving in—I knew it would definitely be a factor on the bike (which of course is to my advantage).
The water in Noxontown Pond was about 74 degrees and we were all in wetsuits. The swim is a simple out and back in the shallow weedy waters. The RD, Wayne Kursh, has always had an “elite” wave and because of my three prior AG wins here I was afforded the honor of being in that first wave. This is an advantage for sure due to the traffic that back-up on the swim as well as early in the bike if you’re in wave five (where I would be if I was with the majority of the 50-54 year-old AG). Paul was also up in this first wave as well as my good buddy Dave Spartin. I didn’t think that Dave would be able to hang with Paul and I but I figured he had a good chance of grabbing 3rd (or better if we had problems).
I positioned myself way to the left off the buoy line and tried to stay out of the congestion of the 60 or so folks in the first wave. In this I was generally successful. I saw Dave off to my left as he was definitely pursuing a solo route—despite the longer swim path he seemed to be having no trouble staying with me.
I knew Paul was up ahead as he is one of the best swimmers in the overall field. In the past my task in swim versus Paul has been to try to keep the gap as narrow as possible. As I have improved through the years I’ve been able to do better and better at that. Here is how my swim disadvantage to Paul has trended through the years:
2003 (3:11)
2004 (2:32)
2005 (1:57)
2006 (1:38)
2007 (0:41)
I didn’t expect to do as well as 2007 when I was working with Pete as my coach but I hoped to at least keep the gap less than two minutes. I thought I swam pretty well but it seemed like the course was longer this year. I exited the water in 8:37, which is quite slow. I was 31 seconds slower than last year but in looking at folks who raced both years, most folks were 15-25 seconds slower so it seems my swim was fairly decent. My HR averaged 153 bpm, which is typical for me so I know I gave a good solid effort.
Competitively, I was 43rd OA (84.3 %-tile) and 3rd in our AG (87.5 %-tile). Most importantly I had only lost 1:21 to Paul—my second smallest gap to date—and I had given myself a chance, with a very good bike, of beating him. Here is where we stood after the swim:
1. Schlosser --------
2. Faccenda + 0:48
3. Christofferson + 1:21
4. Spartin + 1:25
Transition One
As I made the very long run up from the pond to the transition area I could feel my HR spike. The fatigue from yesterday’s race was very evident. My total transition time was 3:16, which is very slow indeed. In the six years prior my T1 times have ranged from 2:44-3:18 and this year was my 6th slowest of the 7 years. I had been under 3 minutes in each of the last 4 years so my guess is I probably threw 30 seconds away here.
As I reached my bike Dave came right in behind me. I knew he was close on the swim but to see him here was quite a surprise. Not only is Dave typically a lot slower than me in transition (something I bug him about) but he also claimed before than race to have a stress fracture and wasn’t even planning on running the last leg of the race. He had about 4 pounds of tape on his leg and ankle to back this suspicious claim up. In any event, since he clips his shoes to his bike and puts them on while rolling he was able to leave T1 a few seconds before me. Geez! I knew I was going to get some grief from him after the race on this (which I did) but more importantly I had to get moving—I was sure Paul was well up the road already.
I soon caught Dave on the St. Andrews road as he fiddled with his shoes—as I went by him with at least a 10 mph advantage I yelled: “Nice transition—until now!”. Dave and I have had this debate about the efficacy of clipping your shoes in and putting your feet in on the fly. Dave feels that this is cooler and it makes you faster. I’m not sure about the former but for us dinosaurs, I’m highly confident that he is wrong about the latter. In any event, it was time to put the hammer down.
The Bike
I felt surprisingly good very soon into the bike leg. I expected my legs to be stiff and weary from yesterday’s race but the stiffness quickly dissipated and I was seeing some pretty decent power numbers. For the first half of each lap we had the wind helping and I was seeing some healthy high 30 speedo readings. I was into the racing and starting to have a good time.
I passed quite a few folks and around five miles in I believe I passed Paul. I wasn’t certain but in retrospect I think it was he. He tried to stay right on my tail (a little too close in my opinion) and I waved him off and simultaneously stood up and created a sustainable gap. It was a little silly throwing a 500-watt surge at that point in the race but I didn’t want any one hanging around my rear wheel for any length of time.
The wind on this section of the course was significant (I’d say 15-20 mph) and combined with the hills made things a bit challenging for all. I kept at it and felt pretty good. I could tell my power was off 10-15 watts from yesterday’s effort but I was feeling optimistic. Especially to catch Paul this early—I’d normally expect to catch him in the second lap, if at all.
I went through the first lap in a little under 21 minutes so I knew this was going to be a very slow bike leg (I had never been over 40 minutes for the whole ride before). I knew the wind was a big part of this so I tried not to worry about it.
The rest of the ride was more of the same, although the wind effect was stronger on the second lap, and I eventually dismounted my bike with a split of 41:48. I knew this was very slow but right in front of me was Rich Brokaw who had out rode me just a couple of weeks earlier at Pocomoke so I knew my ride couldn’t have been that bad. I averaged 237 watts and a 164 bpm HR. This is about 15 watts and 4 bpm low and probably a reflection of the fatigue in my legs. My cadence was quite low at 77 rpm and I averaged 22.32 mph over the measured distance of 15.55 miles.
Competitively I recorded the 7th fastest bike split (historically I’ve had the 6th-9th) which I’m very happy with. This is at the 97.8 %-tile. I was fastest in my AG and most importantly put a very surprising 3:16 into Schlosser. This was by-far my best relative showing to Paul as the data below illustrates:
2003 + 0:22
2004 + 2:17
2005 + 2:07
2006 + 0:19
Looking at last year’s results everyone was a lot slower this year due to the conditions. I was perhaps a little more slower than others but not really that bad of a ride, especially in the 2nd race of a double:
2009 vs. 2008 bike splits
Faccianni + 2:12 + 5.5%
Brokaw + 3:21 + 7.8%
Sauer + 3:12 + 6.9%
Holmes + 4:00 + 9.1%
Christofferson + 4:01 + 9.7%
The best news of course was that I had now opened up a nice lead heading into the final leg of the race:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Schlosser + 1:55
3. Dana + 2:15
4. Spartin + 3:40
Transition Two
I really pushed it in T2 and I was out of transition in just 38 seconds, which I’m pleased to report, was my best T2 at this race to date. I left in a group of young guys that included Jeff Strojny who was on his way to a race best 15:27 run.
The Run
The kiddie corps blasted away from me astonishingly fast. The relevant question for me of course was: Did I open up enough of a gap on Paul to be able to hold him off. Paul has usually easily outran me here in the past as this data shows:
2003 (2:41)
2004 (1:44)
2005 +0:11
2006 (0:52)
I of course didn’t know how big a lead I had or how much I needed but I guessed it was probably about two minutes given my fitness and fatigue. Due to the shape of the run course I did not expect to see Paul until either when he passed me or towards the very end of the race. I just had to go as fast as I could and hope for the best.
I noticed very quickly that my legs felt very leaden and tired. I had a very poor run the prior day at Parvin and my legs did not improve from that effort. I had a deep muscle soreness/tightness in my left glute and I was a little worried I might have to walk. I felt like I was running slowly but no one was catching me and the young studs in front of me were long gone.
The cross-country course was a little sloppy from all of our recent rain and one point we had to get around a large tree that had fallen during the storms. I kept plugging along and with about a half mile to go I turned around and there Paul was (or at least I thought) about 75 yards or so behind me. I put my head down and decided to give it everything I had. If that was indeed Paul I was determined to not lose to him in the final few steps of the race.
I pushed hard, really running better than I had at any point prior in the race and eventually crossed the finish line at 76:59 for a run split of 22:39. And just eleven seconds latter Paul finished his race. His first words were: “Damn, I really wanted it but I couldn’t catch you”. I was frankly as surprised as I was thrilled. I had managed to eek out a close victory in my second race of a double, with questionable fitness. Very satisfying! Also, it was my fifth win of the year, more than I’ve ever recorded in a season.
Overall I had the 82nd fastest run (69.8 %-tile) and the 4th best in my AG (81.3 %-tile). Here is how we stood at the finish:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Schlosser + 0:11
3. Dana + 1:43
4. Spartin + 4:22
I was 21st OA in the race, which was good enough for a 92.5 %-tile.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Parvin Sprint Race Report
Parvin Sprint Triathlon
Race Report #7: 6/20/09
Background
Back at the shore in New Jersey, and mostly recovered from our Mount Rainier exploits, I was ready to get back to the sprint triathlon scene. While the expedition had necessitated about a 20 day departure from normal triathlon operations, I was none-the-less excited and fairly optimistic about the weekend’s agenda. I decided that this weekend would be my first Saturday/Sunday triathlon double—two races in one weekend. First the Parvin State Park sprint on the 20th and followed the next day by the Marathon Sports sprint triathlon at the beautiful campus of St. Andrews. These were to be my 80th and 81st triathlons of my career but they would be just my first triathlon double—I was psyched but had no idea if this was a good idea or not.
I came into the weekend with 4 firsts, 1 second and 1 third in my AG races this year. I’ve never been able to win five times in a season and I was hopeful that I could get the job done this weekend—maybe even go two for two. First up was Parvin where I won last year by holding off Mickey Syrop in a close finish. The rematch was on and I was especially motivated to do well since Mick had taken me down at Hammonton three weeks prior. In that race I had a bad day after just getting back from Australia and I was hopeful I could give Mick a better challenge on this Saturday morning.
My legs were returning to a semblance of normalcy after the post Rainier recovery period. My legs still felt a bit heavy but I thought that maybe I would benefit from the training effect of the Rainier climb. The whole not-Tri-training was a bit of a worry but I was anxious to find out. Race morning dawned in the low 70s and overcast with little wind. During the run it would rain a bit but it was a very good day to race and so we did!
The Swim
So this is just your basic little NJ lake swim. A little right hand (clockwise) swim in a 70-degree lake that is reasonably clear. Since Chuck Sellers was running the race, us old guys were once again in the last wave—number 5. I started way right, on the buoy line for a change. I was able to stay there out to the first turn using my natural left-side breathing pattern to keep track of developments. I felt good about the early swim though it was evident to me that I was a bit back in the pack—not unexpected given my training.
The rest of the swim was uneventful—while we had to swim through the slower folks in the waves ahead of us I felt it did not really affect my race. When I exited the swim at 8:11, I was a bit disappointed because in the past my swim times were in the 7s at this race. My heart rate ended up averaging 152 bpm, which seems to be my comfortable sprint energy level. I was soon to learn that everyone’s times were slower than prior years so it seems that the swim was a bit longer this year. Anyways, I dropped 25 seconds to Mickey, which is on the lower side of my expectations about my disadvantage to him. As it turned out I was 45th out of 264 for an 83.3 %-tile—which I’m fine with. I was 3rd out of 13 in my AG for a 84.6 %-tile...again something I’m happy with given my fitness. Here is where we stood after the swim:
1. Krick --------
2. Syrop + 0:31
3. Christofferson + 0:56
Transition One
So business as usual here. Mick kicked my butt in T1 and I took down everyone else. Overall I was 30th (89 %-tile) in the transition but because Mick is so good I lost 16 seconds to him but passed Krick who seemed to be focused on making sure he looked good as opposed to being fast (my T1 time was 1:27)! Here is where it was after T2 (btw my HR averaged 168 during T1):
1. Syrop --------
2. Christofferson +0:41
3. Krick +0:48
As I left T1 I saw Mick leaving and glancing at my watch I figured I was about 35 seconds behind him— this was a bit optimistic but a reasonable estimate. In any event I was pleased with this as I thought if I brought my “normal” bike split that I’d leave myself with a reasonable chance to push him on the run. Anyways, off we went!
The Bike
I felt real good right away on the bike. As I looked down periodically at my SRM I saw very happy power numbers. I was motivated and energized. I had come into this race thinking that I needed a very fast bike leg to have a shot at beating Mick and I proceeded to try to give it everything I had.
I hoped to pass Mick by the 4th mile or so. I figured that this would translate into a 90-120 second lead coming off the bike. In fact I caught Mick at about 4.4 miles and as I powered by him I thought that I had a reasonable chance to take him down today.
The rest of the ride was uneventful but I was conscious of always pushing it—probably too much so. I jumped off the bike with a 30:36 split. This was good enough for 11th OA (96.2 %-tile), which is a bit disappointing. The last three times I’ve raced here I’ve had either the 2nd or 3rd fastest. Oh well. Power-wise I averaged a respectable 251 watts—probably a little high given my current fitness and all the downtime associated with Rainier. My HR was 168 bpm, which definitely implies I was a little hot on the bike. My cadence was 81 rpm so I was probably guilty of trying to grind through too large a gearing in my drive to open up a lead on Mick. For the 12.125 miles I ended up averaging 23.74 mph.
I was able to open up a nice gap on my AG competitors. I had the fastest bike split and was 1:56 and 1:50 faster than Mick and John respectively. Last year I put 2:27 on Mick so this result is not surprising. I had a pretty decent bike but so did Mick and as a consequence, I was only 1:15 ahead as I hopped off my bike and raced into T2:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Syrop + 1:15
3. Krick + 1:57
Transition Two
I pushed hard through transition (my HR averaged 168 bpm) and was able to get running in just 0:53. Mick and John were both marginally faster than I with 49 and 51 second T2s respectively. My T2 was the 4th fastest in the AG (76.9 %-tile) and 33rd OA (87.9 %-tile). Here is where we stood as we ran out of T2:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Syrop + 1:11
3. Krick + 1:55
The Run
As I started the run I was feeling pretty good about my chances of holding Mick off. I thought that my bike was pretty solid—I was hoping I might have as much as a two- minute lead at the start of the run. Had I known that I was only 1:11 ahead I would have known that I was probably not going to prevail. Especially if I had known this 100 yards into the run when I realized that my legs were absolutely dead. I can’t remember a sprint race when they were this fried—probably a combination of my fitness, Rainier and an overly optimistic bike ride.
I was chuckling to myself at how slow I was running—there wasn’t anything I could do about it—I could either run slow or slower. I tried to remain optimistic. I was hopeful my legs would come back at some point and after all I was still in the lead. Maybe if I could get to the turnaround with a 45-60 second lead I could hold Mick off.
It seemed to me that we ran up the road considerably further than we had in past years—maybe my blinding speed was playing havoc with my perceptiveness. Soon the moment of truth arrived and I made the turn and lo and behold, right behind me was Mick! So much for holding him off. I could only chuckle and wish Mick well as he sped by. To amuse myself I tried to stay with Mick for a while but I steadily fell off his pace. Little did I know that Krick was also closing on me although not at the pace Mick did and he would ultimately run out of real estate and not close the gap.
I struggled home with a run split of 25:29 and an average HR of 168 bpm (a good honest effort). This sounds slow (and of-course it really is) but perhaps not as slow as it seems. Last year Mick ran 20:45 and I ran 21:53. This year Mick ran 23:11 so he put an extra 1:09 on me this year. I’m guessing based on this and a look at other comparable runs that the course was about a quarter mile longer this year. In any event Mick finished the race with a 65:29 which was 1:06 faster than my 66:35. I was able to retain a 65 second lead on Krick.
My run was an embarrassing 104th (!!!!) or 60.9 %-tile OA and I was 5th in our AG (69.2 %-tile)—pretty sad. In addition to finishing 2nd in our AG I was a middling 35th OA (87.1 %-tile).
Conclusion
I’m not going to get too hard on myself about this race. I raced hard and as fast as my fitness allowed me. Rainier was a bit of a factor but the reality is I was beaten by a stronger triathlete this morning. I did a much better job than I had done at Hammonton several weeks ago. As I did at Pocomoke at the end of May I raced hard but ultimately had to settle for second.
I drove home satisfied but sore and wondering what I would have left in the tank for the 2nd game of the twin-bill down in Middletown, DE. We would soon find out. On this evening I grabbed some pasta and crawled into my bed at 8:30 to await the 4:30 a.m. alarm.
Race Report #7: 6/20/09
Background
Back at the shore in New Jersey, and mostly recovered from our Mount Rainier exploits, I was ready to get back to the sprint triathlon scene. While the expedition had necessitated about a 20 day departure from normal triathlon operations, I was none-the-less excited and fairly optimistic about the weekend’s agenda. I decided that this weekend would be my first Saturday/Sunday triathlon double—two races in one weekend. First the Parvin State Park sprint on the 20th and followed the next day by the Marathon Sports sprint triathlon at the beautiful campus of St. Andrews. These were to be my 80th and 81st triathlons of my career but they would be just my first triathlon double—I was psyched but had no idea if this was a good idea or not.
I came into the weekend with 4 firsts, 1 second and 1 third in my AG races this year. I’ve never been able to win five times in a season and I was hopeful that I could get the job done this weekend—maybe even go two for two. First up was Parvin where I won last year by holding off Mickey Syrop in a close finish. The rematch was on and I was especially motivated to do well since Mick had taken me down at Hammonton three weeks prior. In that race I had a bad day after just getting back from Australia and I was hopeful I could give Mick a better challenge on this Saturday morning.
My legs were returning to a semblance of normalcy after the post Rainier recovery period. My legs still felt a bit heavy but I thought that maybe I would benefit from the training effect of the Rainier climb. The whole not-Tri-training was a bit of a worry but I was anxious to find out. Race morning dawned in the low 70s and overcast with little wind. During the run it would rain a bit but it was a very good day to race and so we did!
The Swim
So this is just your basic little NJ lake swim. A little right hand (clockwise) swim in a 70-degree lake that is reasonably clear. Since Chuck Sellers was running the race, us old guys were once again in the last wave—number 5. I started way right, on the buoy line for a change. I was able to stay there out to the first turn using my natural left-side breathing pattern to keep track of developments. I felt good about the early swim though it was evident to me that I was a bit back in the pack—not unexpected given my training.
The rest of the swim was uneventful—while we had to swim through the slower folks in the waves ahead of us I felt it did not really affect my race. When I exited the swim at 8:11, I was a bit disappointed because in the past my swim times were in the 7s at this race. My heart rate ended up averaging 152 bpm, which seems to be my comfortable sprint energy level. I was soon to learn that everyone’s times were slower than prior years so it seems that the swim was a bit longer this year. Anyways, I dropped 25 seconds to Mickey, which is on the lower side of my expectations about my disadvantage to him. As it turned out I was 45th out of 264 for an 83.3 %-tile—which I’m fine with. I was 3rd out of 13 in my AG for a 84.6 %-tile...again something I’m happy with given my fitness. Here is where we stood after the swim:
1. Krick --------
2. Syrop + 0:31
3. Christofferson + 0:56
Transition One
So business as usual here. Mick kicked my butt in T1 and I took down everyone else. Overall I was 30th (89 %-tile) in the transition but because Mick is so good I lost 16 seconds to him but passed Krick who seemed to be focused on making sure he looked good as opposed to being fast (my T1 time was 1:27)! Here is where it was after T2 (btw my HR averaged 168 during T1):
1. Syrop --------
2. Christofferson +0:41
3. Krick +0:48
As I left T1 I saw Mick leaving and glancing at my watch I figured I was about 35 seconds behind him— this was a bit optimistic but a reasonable estimate. In any event I was pleased with this as I thought if I brought my “normal” bike split that I’d leave myself with a reasonable chance to push him on the run. Anyways, off we went!
The Bike
I felt real good right away on the bike. As I looked down periodically at my SRM I saw very happy power numbers. I was motivated and energized. I had come into this race thinking that I needed a very fast bike leg to have a shot at beating Mick and I proceeded to try to give it everything I had.
I hoped to pass Mick by the 4th mile or so. I figured that this would translate into a 90-120 second lead coming off the bike. In fact I caught Mick at about 4.4 miles and as I powered by him I thought that I had a reasonable chance to take him down today.
The rest of the ride was uneventful but I was conscious of always pushing it—probably too much so. I jumped off the bike with a 30:36 split. This was good enough for 11th OA (96.2 %-tile), which is a bit disappointing. The last three times I’ve raced here I’ve had either the 2nd or 3rd fastest. Oh well. Power-wise I averaged a respectable 251 watts—probably a little high given my current fitness and all the downtime associated with Rainier. My HR was 168 bpm, which definitely implies I was a little hot on the bike. My cadence was 81 rpm so I was probably guilty of trying to grind through too large a gearing in my drive to open up a lead on Mick. For the 12.125 miles I ended up averaging 23.74 mph.
I was able to open up a nice gap on my AG competitors. I had the fastest bike split and was 1:56 and 1:50 faster than Mick and John respectively. Last year I put 2:27 on Mick so this result is not surprising. I had a pretty decent bike but so did Mick and as a consequence, I was only 1:15 ahead as I hopped off my bike and raced into T2:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Syrop + 1:15
3. Krick + 1:57
Transition Two
I pushed hard through transition (my HR averaged 168 bpm) and was able to get running in just 0:53. Mick and John were both marginally faster than I with 49 and 51 second T2s respectively. My T2 was the 4th fastest in the AG (76.9 %-tile) and 33rd OA (87.9 %-tile). Here is where we stood as we ran out of T2:
1. Christofferson --------
2. Syrop + 1:11
3. Krick + 1:55
The Run
As I started the run I was feeling pretty good about my chances of holding Mick off. I thought that my bike was pretty solid—I was hoping I might have as much as a two- minute lead at the start of the run. Had I known that I was only 1:11 ahead I would have known that I was probably not going to prevail. Especially if I had known this 100 yards into the run when I realized that my legs were absolutely dead. I can’t remember a sprint race when they were this fried—probably a combination of my fitness, Rainier and an overly optimistic bike ride.
I was chuckling to myself at how slow I was running—there wasn’t anything I could do about it—I could either run slow or slower. I tried to remain optimistic. I was hopeful my legs would come back at some point and after all I was still in the lead. Maybe if I could get to the turnaround with a 45-60 second lead I could hold Mick off.
It seemed to me that we ran up the road considerably further than we had in past years—maybe my blinding speed was playing havoc with my perceptiveness. Soon the moment of truth arrived and I made the turn and lo and behold, right behind me was Mick! So much for holding him off. I could only chuckle and wish Mick well as he sped by. To amuse myself I tried to stay with Mick for a while but I steadily fell off his pace. Little did I know that Krick was also closing on me although not at the pace Mick did and he would ultimately run out of real estate and not close the gap.
I struggled home with a run split of 25:29 and an average HR of 168 bpm (a good honest effort). This sounds slow (and of-course it really is) but perhaps not as slow as it seems. Last year Mick ran 20:45 and I ran 21:53. This year Mick ran 23:11 so he put an extra 1:09 on me this year. I’m guessing based on this and a look at other comparable runs that the course was about a quarter mile longer this year. In any event Mick finished the race with a 65:29 which was 1:06 faster than my 66:35. I was able to retain a 65 second lead on Krick.
My run was an embarrassing 104th (!!!!) or 60.9 %-tile OA and I was 5th in our AG (69.2 %-tile)—pretty sad. In addition to finishing 2nd in our AG I was a middling 35th OA (87.1 %-tile).
Conclusion
I’m not going to get too hard on myself about this race. I raced hard and as fast as my fitness allowed me. Rainier was a bit of a factor but the reality is I was beaten by a stronger triathlete this morning. I did a much better job than I had done at Hammonton several weeks ago. As I did at Pocomoke at the end of May I raced hard but ultimately had to settle for second.
I drove home satisfied but sore and wondering what I would have left in the tank for the 2nd game of the twin-bill down in Middletown, DE. We would soon find out. On this evening I grabbed some pasta and crawled into my bed at 8:30 to await the 4:30 a.m. alarm.
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