This last Saturday, I opened up my professional season at the Clermont Pan-Am Cup. Clermont was a big disappointment for me. I completely underperformed compared to the way I've been training.
I am sure it was a mindset problem, which has been an issue in the past. I have struggled with this since high school, and only figured out how to really race in a pool my junior year of college. I guess I need to brush up on those skills and tap into that aggression again!
Our race was at 11:15 AM on Saturday, so I got to sleep in a bit later than the EDR guys and went for a shake out jog around 8 am. After breakfast, looking over my race plan, and relaxing a bit I headed down to the race with Brandon.
Lake Louisa State Park, which is where the race is located, is a pretty cool place. I wish I'd had more time to explore it than my warmup/cool down and the race itself. One problem with the venue is there is not really any way to get a good bike warmup in unless you brought a trainer. I knew this going in, so I should've biked this morning rather than running to get those muscles activated a bit. I kicked myself, and took off on a run warmup. After this I set up my transition and headed down to the water for a long swim warmup.
I felt good going into the race. I had a solid mindset, and I had a great start, gapping everyone around me. Coming into the first buoy, I saw the fastest guys who had lined up to the right moving up. Instead of saying, "hey, I need to pick it up to meet them at the buoy," I thought, "hey, I'm right with them, I'm good!" But, (big but) they were moving faster and in a group, where I was solo and slowing down without realizing it. I got pushed to the back at the buoy, and had to make up ground coming back. I need to learn how to be aggressive, and never be complacent.
T1 was solid. I advanced, got my wetsuit off, and got into a decent position on the bike. I felt really strong and packed up with 4 guys. We were just off the front pack by maybe 30-40 seconds, and we were gaining on them. I took one pull which was too hard, and Kaleb VanOrt (who is just, like, a man-child on the bike) attacked. I was too tired and in the wrong position. He bridged, taking one of our group with him, and me and Vierula, a Canadian, didn't have a chance.
Its odd the way you get to know people when working with them on the bike. I could tell you his last name and what country he is from because of his race kit. I could tell you whether he swears a lot, what kind of deodorant he wears, and how much he likes to work on the bike, but I can't tell you anything else about the guy. There's also the underlying tension in your alliance, knowing that one of you has to lose.
Anyway, we got caught by the chase group, which had all the runners in it. Lack of focus and too hard of a pull. Dammit, dammit, and dammit.
I had a great T2 if I may say. Secret tactic (Ssssshhhh!) got me off my bike and to my transition ahead of anyone else in my group and I took off hard. Again, a lot of the fastest runners were in this group. I let them go by me. Mistake number 4! Seriously, where is my aggression?? I could've hung with a lot of these guys but I didn't even try. This is the biggest disappointment for me.
I ended up in pretty much the same place as last year at this race (which was my first as a professional) even though my time was 4 minutes faster. Somehow that doesn't make me feel better. In so many ways, I have come so far and changed so much in that year. The athlete who raced on Saturday is not the same athlete who raced a year ago, but he acted like it and made the same mistakes.
I am very disappointed in myself. I need to work on being more aggressive. There, I said it. Hopefully that is a step in the right direction. Until next time, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Tritonman Recap
This last Saturday I opened up my 2013 season in San Diego. The race was a draft-legal open race called the Tritonman. It was the first ever draft-legal collegiate race (the NCAA is considering making draft-legal triathlon a sanctioned sport... too bad I already used up all my eligibility!) and it was put on entirely by the UCSD Tri Club. All that considered, it was a pretty well-run race.
It had been a long, cold winter, and I was very excited to get out and take the Lambo for a spin. It was super early to get up at 4:45 (I miss ITU races... 3 PM start time? Hells yeah!) but since I was so excited I was pretty much already awake. With my brother Andrew, his fiance Heather, and my sister Libbie I had quite a cheering section, even during my warmup!
It was a super chilly morning, and I didn't happen to bring my man-Uggs (yes, I have man-Uggs... no, not the boots, the slippers...) so after I'd warmed up and put my wetsuit on, I had to stand around while my feet got numb. Fortunately, the water was warmer than the air (which is not to say it was warm water!) so I did a swim warmup and got ready to go.
My only real complaint about this race was the start. The website had listed a beach start, so I was mentally and physically prepared for that. However, when we got to the start, they announced that it was an in-water start... or at least this was the first I'd heard of that. On top of that, we were supposed to line up between two buoys... but a bunch of dudes just went way to the left and got a better line! There was no official out there to tell them they couldn't! Ok, done ranting...
The swim was just not good. It was cold water, I'm not used to using a wetsuit, I don't think I warmed up enough, but it the end I just didn't perform. I came out 8th and we were way strung out behind the leaders. 30 seconds back.
Getting onto the bike was odd with numb feet (am I strapped in or not?? I can't tell!!) but once I got with a group of about 4 other guys... well... it was chaos. Now I realize this was a lot of these guys' first DL race, but I was getting very frustrated with them.
Dear Guys in My Group,
Sorry for cussing so much.
Sincerely, Sam.
A couple guys basically took turns attacking, trying to bridge solo to the first group of 3 guys. Now for those who don't know, 30 seconds behind a well-organized group is a REALLY large gap to bridge by yourself. We might have stood a chance if we worked together, but nobody wanted to until the second lap. I settled in, and didn't overwork as our group grew from catching some and being caught by some. Going into the run I was feeling good, but my feet were still numb... 2 minutes back. (Yeah, the lead group was hammering it)
The run was solid. Actually, it was the fastest I've ever run off the bike. I kept my turnover high and drove my elbows. I ended up coming in 12th, with a 16:50 5k off the bike. That's 1:25 faster than Clermont, which was roughly a year ago!
All in all, it was a decent first race. I give it a B- on the whole. It was good to shake the rust off, and I am glad I made these mistakes here and not in Florida in a couple weeks. Until next time, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!
It had been a long, cold winter, and I was very excited to get out and take the Lambo for a spin. It was super early to get up at 4:45 (I miss ITU races... 3 PM start time? Hells yeah!) but since I was so excited I was pretty much already awake. With my brother Andrew, his fiance Heather, and my sister Libbie I had quite a cheering section, even during my warmup!
It was a super chilly morning, and I didn't happen to bring my man-Uggs (yes, I have man-Uggs... no, not the boots, the slippers...) so after I'd warmed up and put my wetsuit on, I had to stand around while my feet got numb. Fortunately, the water was warmer than the air (which is not to say it was warm water!) so I did a swim warmup and got ready to go.
My only real complaint about this race was the start. The website had listed a beach start, so I was mentally and physically prepared for that. However, when we got to the start, they announced that it was an in-water start... or at least this was the first I'd heard of that. On top of that, we were supposed to line up between two buoys... but a bunch of dudes just went way to the left and got a better line! There was no official out there to tell them they couldn't! Ok, done ranting...
The swim was just not good. It was cold water, I'm not used to using a wetsuit, I don't think I warmed up enough, but it the end I just didn't perform. I came out 8th and we were way strung out behind the leaders. 30 seconds back.
Getting onto the bike was odd with numb feet (am I strapped in or not?? I can't tell!!) but once I got with a group of about 4 other guys... well... it was chaos. Now I realize this was a lot of these guys' first DL race, but I was getting very frustrated with them.
Dear Guys in My Group,
Sorry for cussing so much.
Sincerely, Sam.
A couple guys basically took turns attacking, trying to bridge solo to the first group of 3 guys. Now for those who don't know, 30 seconds behind a well-organized group is a REALLY large gap to bridge by yourself. We might have stood a chance if we worked together, but nobody wanted to until the second lap. I settled in, and didn't overwork as our group grew from catching some and being caught by some. Going into the run I was feeling good, but my feet were still numb... 2 minutes back. (Yeah, the lead group was hammering it)
The run was solid. Actually, it was the fastest I've ever run off the bike. I kept my turnover high and drove my elbows. I ended up coming in 12th, with a 16:50 5k off the bike. That's 1:25 faster than Clermont, which was roughly a year ago!
All in all, it was a decent first race. I give it a B- on the whole. It was good to shake the rust off, and I am glad I made these mistakes here and not in Florida in a couple weeks. Until next time, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!
Monday, January 28, 2013
For Your Viewing Pleasure
So, there is this really cool website called YouTube. It has all these really cool videos on it... If you haven't already, you should check it out!
All sarcasm aside (yes, that was sarcasm above) here are a few of my favorite YouTube videos, in no particular order. Believe it or not, most of them are not triathlon-related... yes, I do other things with my time, which I wanted to share with you... plus this is a sweet excuse for me to not actually have to write that much...
1) This is from the USC Ski and Snowboard team. They actually have a pretty sweet YouTube channel, and this is one of my favorites of theirs. As far as I can tell, it is filmed entirely from a GoPro camera, and the soundtrack is baller:
2) Epic Mealtime. If you're not familiar with these guys, get familiar. This is exactly my sense of humor, and plays into my love of cooking... although I'm not sure I could actually eat any of this shit...
3) The Haka. This is a Maori war chant, which we did in college on the swim team (we had a Kiwi on the team who loved his rugby and showed us how to do it) When I think back on college swimming, this is one of the things I miss most. Even if we weren't intimidating, we felt like we were... and I am pretty sure we actually were. Pure testosterone and adrenaline... and not in the teenage bedroom sense...
4) The first time I saw this, I was on the trainer... I got so into it I nearly fell off the bike. This is incredible, they are literally flying. I cannot think of another word to describe it other than magical.
5) This is a great commercial from Dick's Sporting Goods. I like to watch it to get motivated for a workout sometimes. Dick's has a ton of great ads!
6) For my non-triathlete followers out there, this is a taste of some draft-legal racing. This is the highlight video from the 2012 Olympic Qualifier in San Diego. I could watch these all day, but then again its kinda what I do...
Well I hope you've enjoyed these videos and procrastinated from work/studying a bit longer today. Until next time, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Catching Up
So, I realize I haven't blogged for the past 3 days. I also realize I said I'd blog every day for a month... sorry about that. One day I could make up, but not three. Kinda like bike workouts; I could maybe squeeze in a makeup 40k, but not a 135k tempo ride. So, I'll log that I missed my workout (blog posts) and hope my coach (you) doesn't get too mad!
In my defense I did not have internet on Friday, and I was traveling Saturday and Sunday. Yes, I left the warmth of Key West and traded it for the comfort of home... and 17 degree weather!
Leaving Key West is a bit of a process... I can only imagine what it would be like if there was a hurricane! The road (yes, there is only 1) that leaves the islands is old, and one lane in most places. The speed limit is like 45 MPH, so yeah its a solid 3.5 hour drive to get the 100 some odd miles. At least it was entertaining to talk shop with Zane and sing Beach Boys with Terra!
I camped out in the Ft. Lauderdale airport on Saturday night. Now, in a pinch (and on a budget!) this works pretty well, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. Its cold (even in Florida) the loudspeaker gets annoying, and there's that whole thing about having a bunch of strangers around...
Sunday I landed in Denver. Flight still amazes me sometimes, it is crazy to get on a plane, and 4 hours later get off in a different world. Ft. Lauderdale was 80s and humid, Denver was 10 (as in 10 degrees) and snowy. Then, I got in my car and drove the 5 hours back to Kearney for a taste of normalcy again!
I was surprised how much I missed my home, my dog and my friends and family. I mean, I lived away from home for 6 years! I think what I missed most was just being rooted down; I'd been living out of my suitcase for 3 weeks straight.
My goal now is to continue the solid training I'd put up in Florida... although now instead of worrying about having enough water and not overheating I have to worry about staying warm and not slipping on ice. As of today I've kept it up, and I see no reason why I can't throw down again tomorrow. Until then, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!
In my defense I did not have internet on Friday, and I was traveling Saturday and Sunday. Yes, I left the warmth of Key West and traded it for the comfort of home... and 17 degree weather!
Leaving Key West is a bit of a process... I can only imagine what it would be like if there was a hurricane! The road (yes, there is only 1) that leaves the islands is old, and one lane in most places. The speed limit is like 45 MPH, so yeah its a solid 3.5 hour drive to get the 100 some odd miles. At least it was entertaining to talk shop with Zane and sing Beach Boys with Terra!
I camped out in the Ft. Lauderdale airport on Saturday night. Now, in a pinch (and on a budget!) this works pretty well, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. Its cold (even in Florida) the loudspeaker gets annoying, and there's that whole thing about having a bunch of strangers around...
Sunday I landed in Denver. Flight still amazes me sometimes, it is crazy to get on a plane, and 4 hours later get off in a different world. Ft. Lauderdale was 80s and humid, Denver was 10 (as in 10 degrees) and snowy. Then, I got in my car and drove the 5 hours back to Kearney for a taste of normalcy again!
I was surprised how much I missed my home, my dog and my friends and family. I mean, I lived away from home for 6 years! I think what I missed most was just being rooted down; I'd been living out of my suitcase for 3 weeks straight.
My goal now is to continue the solid training I'd put up in Florida... although now instead of worrying about having enough water and not overheating I have to worry about staying warm and not slipping on ice. As of today I've kept it up, and I see no reason why I can't throw down again tomorrow. Until then, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The Long Ride
There are few things more satisfying and more trying than a long bike ride. Now for me, long classifies anything more than 3 hours. You might get hot, you might get cold, you might bonk, and its either tons of fun or 3 hours of torture.
Now before you get started there are a few things you should know. These will make your ride more enjoyable and easier.
1) First of all, bring a spare kit and know how to change your tire. YOU WILL FLAT OUT! If you have my luck, you will flat out a lot. Knowing how to change a flat is kind of a part of cycling. Unless you're a hot blonde, hitch hiking will be rather unsuccessful. And, if you are a hot blonde, hitch hiking could be rather dangerous... "'Dude, they make scary movies that start out like that!' 'Yeah, but they also make porno movies that start out like that too!'" -Detroit Rock City
2) Bring some food and lots of water. You're going to get hungry and thirsty, and fortunately it is very easy to eat while cycling. So, fill up a water bottle and grab a couple PowerBars before you head out the door. In my experience, any food you bring, you will eat, and it will taste better than anything you've ever had.
3) Bring and ID and some cash. The ID so they'll know who's mama to call in the event of an accident (an ugly idea, but consider the alternative). I don't feel the need to say wear a helmet... that should go without saying. Oh, and the cash! It is a rule of the road that you must stop at one or more dumpy gas stations per long ride and get some crappy food. Little Debbies, donuts, and real Coke are all highly encouraged.
4) If you bring a friend, be prepared for some good conversation. There's no better way to get to know someone. But if you go solo, be prepared to get all your thoughts sorted out. In a long ride, I will go through the whole spectrum of life's emotions, and I always come away with a clear head.
Sometimes the weather is nice and my ride sucks. Sometimes it rains for 69 of the 70 miles and its the best ride of my life. You can just never tell how its going to go when you step out the door. Today's ride for me was 95k (just a shade under 3 hours, but we will count it) and it included apocalyptic head winds (there is nothing more demoralizing than a headwind) a bad quad cramp, and 2 flats. But, it was all good because there was a cute barista at the coffee shop where I got some apple cake and espresso!
So get out there and ride, and be sure to FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!
Now before you get started there are a few things you should know. These will make your ride more enjoyable and easier.
1) First of all, bring a spare kit and know how to change your tire. YOU WILL FLAT OUT! If you have my luck, you will flat out a lot. Knowing how to change a flat is kind of a part of cycling. Unless you're a hot blonde, hitch hiking will be rather unsuccessful. And, if you are a hot blonde, hitch hiking could be rather dangerous... "'Dude, they make scary movies that start out like that!' 'Yeah, but they also make porno movies that start out like that too!'" -Detroit Rock City
2) Bring some food and lots of water. You're going to get hungry and thirsty, and fortunately it is very easy to eat while cycling. So, fill up a water bottle and grab a couple PowerBars before you head out the door. In my experience, any food you bring, you will eat, and it will taste better than anything you've ever had.
3) Bring and ID and some cash. The ID so they'll know who's mama to call in the event of an accident (an ugly idea, but consider the alternative). I don't feel the need to say wear a helmet... that should go without saying. Oh, and the cash! It is a rule of the road that you must stop at one or more dumpy gas stations per long ride and get some crappy food. Little Debbies, donuts, and real Coke are all highly encouraged.
4) If you bring a friend, be prepared for some good conversation. There's no better way to get to know someone. But if you go solo, be prepared to get all your thoughts sorted out. In a long ride, I will go through the whole spectrum of life's emotions, and I always come away with a clear head.
Sometimes the weather is nice and my ride sucks. Sometimes it rains for 69 of the 70 miles and its the best ride of my life. You can just never tell how its going to go when you step out the door. Today's ride for me was 95k (just a shade under 3 hours, but we will count it) and it included apocalyptic head winds (there is nothing more demoralizing than a headwind) a bad quad cramp, and 2 flats. But, it was all good because there was a cute barista at the coffee shop where I got some apple cake and espresso!
So get out there and ride, and be sure to FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The Art of Napping
Its my favorite time of the day; nap time! In fact, I already want to take a nap tomorrow. A nap for me is like hitting the "refresh" button on your day. It gives you a chance to start over if you need to, or just allows you to recharge the batteries to take on the rest of the day.
The power nap:
This one was perfected by my dad, and fortunately I inherited this ability from him. Some days, in the early afternoon, I will lay down on my back and just shut my eyes. After 5-10 minutes, I wake up, feeling refreshed! Some people say they can't do it, but the trick for me is being slightly less-than comfortable... like lying on your back on the floor!
The cat nap:
As its name implies, this is the act of shutting down in the middle of the day for an hour or more. Had a tough workout this morning and got another one tonight? Cat nap! Up too late *ahem* reading and now feeling sleep deprived? Cat nap! My only problem with these is the inevitable grogginess... its not a good cat nap unless you wake up and immediately want to either eat a bowl of cereal or go back to sleep.
La Siesta:
Pioneered by our friends in Spain, this is the act of zonking out for a half hour or so after a hearty lunch. Sometimes I am so hangry (see yesterday's post) after a morning workout I have to eat a ton at lunch time, which inevitably results in a food baby. The only way to abort that (offensive? yeah, sorry...) is a food coma, also known as a siesta!
Today for me included a solid cat nap. Good thing I allowed enough time to hit the snooze button 14 times and then get coffee before my run! Until tomorrow, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!
The power nap:
This one was perfected by my dad, and fortunately I inherited this ability from him. Some days, in the early afternoon, I will lay down on my back and just shut my eyes. After 5-10 minutes, I wake up, feeling refreshed! Some people say they can't do it, but the trick for me is being slightly less-than comfortable... like lying on your back on the floor!
The cat nap:
As its name implies, this is the act of shutting down in the middle of the day for an hour or more. Had a tough workout this morning and got another one tonight? Cat nap! Up too late *ahem* reading and now feeling sleep deprived? Cat nap! My only problem with these is the inevitable grogginess... its not a good cat nap unless you wake up and immediately want to either eat a bowl of cereal or go back to sleep.
La Siesta:
Pioneered by our friends in Spain, this is the act of zonking out for a half hour or so after a hearty lunch. Sometimes I am so hangry (see yesterday's post) after a morning workout I have to eat a ton at lunch time, which inevitably results in a food baby. The only way to abort that (offensive? yeah, sorry...) is a food coma, also known as a siesta!
Today for me included a solid cat nap. Good thing I allowed enough time to hit the snooze button 14 times and then get coffee before my run! Until tomorrow, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
When to Say When
One of the hardest parts about training for me is knowing when to say when. I know I sound like a bad triathlete cliché (I mean seriously, no one is going to admit that they totally love having a day without a workout... especially not you non-draft, type-A weirdos) but I am not good about knowing when to take a recovery day for myself. Sure, I enjoy my scheduled recovery days, I think of them as a gift of time. I go snowboarding, play guitar, and do other things that make me Sam Holmes.
However, when I have a day of training scheduled and I am totally beat, I have a hard time seeing the big picture and letting it go. I struggle through the workouts and dig a deeper hole rather than burning a workout or two and getting back to myself. This is a bad idea on a lot of levels... generally speaking, it can make you sick, get you hurt, or at the very least give you a week of bad to mediocre workouts rather than one day without.
I can always tell when I am getting depleted. I am hungry and tired all the time (and not in a good way), I can't get to sleep at night, my resting HR is high, and I have no sex drive... sorry mom, your son is a grown man!
Today I could feel it coming on, I was hangry (hungry+angry) and sluggish during the morning swim, and I hadn't gone to sleep right away last night which is very weird for me. Also, its Key West, there are bikini-clad women everywhere (sorry, RVB), and I was barely lifting my eyes! Zane saw all this happening, and since he has the force (actually I think he is Shifu, from Kung Fu Panda) he saw my day not going well and gave me the afternoon off.
It was actually super nice. I got some studying done, ate an awesome breakfast (lobster omelette and a pancake?? Get outta here! Check out Blue Heaven if you're ever here in KW) and did some shopping... yes, I am a straight dude who enjoys a good shopping session. You know those people who say they never find clothes that fit? I'm not one of them...
Every once in a while, I recommend you take a step back and ask yourself "would a break from (insert your profession here) this afternoon benefit me more in the long run than grinding it out?" For me, today, it did. Until tomorrow, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!!
However, when I have a day of training scheduled and I am totally beat, I have a hard time seeing the big picture and letting it go. I struggle through the workouts and dig a deeper hole rather than burning a workout or two and getting back to myself. This is a bad idea on a lot of levels... generally speaking, it can make you sick, get you hurt, or at the very least give you a week of bad to mediocre workouts rather than one day without.
I can always tell when I am getting depleted. I am hungry and tired all the time (and not in a good way), I can't get to sleep at night, my resting HR is high, and I have no sex drive... sorry mom, your son is a grown man!
Today I could feel it coming on, I was hangry (hungry+angry) and sluggish during the morning swim, and I hadn't gone to sleep right away last night which is very weird for me. Also, its Key West, there are bikini-clad women everywhere (sorry, RVB), and I was barely lifting my eyes! Zane saw all this happening, and since he has the force (actually I think he is Shifu, from Kung Fu Panda) he saw my day not going well and gave me the afternoon off.
It was actually super nice. I got some studying done, ate an awesome breakfast (lobster omelette and a pancake?? Get outta here! Check out Blue Heaven if you're ever here in KW) and did some shopping... yes, I am a straight dude who enjoys a good shopping session. You know those people who say they never find clothes that fit? I'm not one of them...
Every once in a while, I recommend you take a step back and ask yourself "would a break from (insert your profession here) this afternoon benefit me more in the long run than grinding it out?" For me, today, it did. Until tomorrow, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!!
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