What kind of triathlete am I?

I finally got around to committing to my 2010 season.  After giving some serious thought to what I love about the sport, what I'm actually good at (and what I'm not), and my results from last season, I've been forced to wonder what it is about the longer distances that appeals to me.  I can't deny that I'm a swimmer, not a runner.

Cracking 5 hours at the half-Ironman distance last season was a huge goal realized, but I still have to take a lot of time (30+ minutes!) off my PR to be in the mix and considering the reality of my run right now--well, that's not going to happen right away.

Ironman excites me even less.  Racing just to finish isn't that interesting.  I could take an hour off my 11:53 PR and not even be close to a Kona slot.  Until I can marathon strong, I don't think this distance will be for me.

So Olympic it is.  I still have some work to do on my run (45 mins isn't going to cut it), but I'm closer here than anywhere else.  I can swim at the front, often lead my wave, and hold my own on the bike.  I'll focus on my 10k and see what happens.

Here's my schedule--all local:

5/23 Summer Open sprint
6/5 Boulder Sunrise Oly
6/26 Loveland Lake to Lake Oly
7/11 Boulder Peak Oly
8/7 Cherry Creek Streak Oly
8/15 Horsetooth 10k swim
9/11 Boulder Sunset Oly
10/10 Tri For Your Cause Sprint

My first year since 2004 without a HIM or longer.  Feels a little strange but I think it's the right call. I'll sprinkle in a Stroke & Stride 6-pack too. The Horsetooth swim will be a big challenge. A big season even without going long.

Come on out and race me!

The Federal Government at Work (not a tri-related post)

Many of you know about the craziness I was dealing with at LISI regarding the contract we held with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) (an agency of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) which is under the Justice Department).  The "quick" summary is as follows:

LISI, the company I'd been running for the past 10 years, had held a small contract to run an Information Center for NIC.  In one form or another, LISI had been continuously operating this project for 30 years, had a top-notch staff, and had received only the highest reviews from the government.  The contract is currently on a 5 year cycle.  In the summer of 2008, the contract came up for bid and we wrote a very competitive proposal.  We were rated as the top bidder in terms of technical merit and all other non-cost factors but were underbid by a technically inferior-rated company.  The government awarded the contract to the other company against the established rules (this was a "best value" procurement, not a "low bid") and gave us one week to clear out.

With the help of an incredibly competent attorney who specializes in this sort of thing, we protested the decision to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).  The GAO ruled in our favor in March of last year and BOP reopened the procurement negotiations.  BOP then changed some of the evaluation criteria to favor the other company. (Wouldn't you think corrections experience would be important for the operation of a corrections library?) We resubmitted our proposal with a few changes.  In September of last year, BOP again awarded to the other company. 

We protested again but knew it was a long-shot--it seemed likely that BOP had "papered over" the process to make their decision.  As the legal dance unfolded, our attorney became more and more convinced that we actually had a winning case once again but in the end, the GAO denied our protest.

The protest decisions have finally been made public (links below).  For my friends and family who have been following along with me, they might be interesting reading.  The 3/25/09 decision is more "fun" to read than the 1/4/10 decision.

Ultimately, the government was able to begin the process with the end in mind.  The GAO has ruled and there's no further recourse.  I have moved on to a great opportunity with another company (more on that another time), but I'm very sad about the final decision and the way it went down.  Less so as an employee of LISI and more so as a citizen and a taxpayer--incredible resources (hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars) were wasted to settle what seems to be a personal grudge. 

We never asked for any entitlement--merely a level playing field upon which to win or lose. I remain convinced that we never got it.

The 15 months that the owner of LISI, our employees, and I went through were very difficult--and unnecessarily so.  Over the past 12 years so I'd become used to the "quirks" that come along with working with the government but this whole experience has exceeded anything I could have imagined. 

It is all tremendously disappointing.


Sustained protest: B-400646.2; B-400646.3, LIS, Inc., March 25, 2009. http://www.gao.gov/decisions/bidpro/4006462.htm

Denied protest: B-400646.4, LIS, Inc., January 4, 2010. http://www.gao.gov/decisions/bidpro/4006464.htm

Rant: Kona TV Coverage

Yup, I know the race was last October and the NBC TV package was aired in December.  I watched a live video feed of the pro race on raceday--there goes 9 otherwise productive hours--and it was incredible to be a part of an IM in that way.  Monday night, I finally found time and motivation to watch the 90 minute NBC show.  On the plus side, there was decent coverage of the pro race.  They definitely didn't capture the excitement of the race for second on the women's side (go Rinni!), but overall, I can't complain.

What I can complain about is the coverage of the age-group racers.  This is the world championship afterall--not just for the pros.  So the age-groupers they profiled were: a heart transplant survivor, a couple of amputees, a stroke survivor, a Biggest Loser (also on NBC...) competitor, a couple of Navy officers who did all their training on a boat (or submarine).  I may have missed one or two, but you get the picture.  Without taking away from their accomplishments which are incredible, can they just once (!!!) profile an athlete who had to overcome what most IM athletes have to overcome?  Working training into family life? Having a full-time job? 

I think it's safe to assume that aside from the Navy guys, no one else they profiled actually qualified for Kona.  There are as many compelling stories about the IM World Championships as there are athletes competing.  I'd like to hear about some of those folks.

Isn't 140.6 enough?

Well, that was a bad idea...

To the extent that anyone cares 4 months later, racing twice in the same day is not something I recommend and I can confidently say I won't do it again.  As I get ready to start blogging the 2010 season, I figured I'd tie up some loose ends of the 2009 season.

After my strong showing at Harvest Moon, I scooted up to Boulder for the Tri For Your Cause super-sprint.  The weather was cold and threatening and just as I pulled into the Res, I saw a big lightning strike on (or really close to) the water.  Swim cancelled.  At least I wouldn't have to go through the the discomfort of pulling on a cold, wet wetsuit.

But now I was facing a duathlon--2 mile run/23 mile bike/4 mile run.  With the 70.3 race in the morning, I was already 13.1 miles of running into my day.  Swapping out a swim for an extra 2 mile run wasn't exciting and a lot of folks bailed on racing altogether, but I was committed to this stupid idea so I toed the line.

This race wasn't about "racing"--I was merely "participating."  This was painfully clear within a few seconds.  I was off at a jogging pace and finished several minutes behind in 17:17.  I took my time through T1 and rode off to a 1:19 bike split in the soaking rain.  I have to admit I was a little self-conscious on my fancy tri bike and aero helmet riding  at the back of the race.  But it hurt if I tried to push so I basically softpedalled around the course and came back into T2 with a smile.  The point here was to finish without getting hurt.

The second run was ridiculous slow.  44 minutes for 4 miles.  That includes a comedy porta-potty stop where the combination of being exhausted and really having to pee had me cracking up as I tried to wiggle out of my tri suit.

Finished near the bottom of the AG and overall.  I'm super-proud of my morning results and I attacked that race the right way.  A word of advice from experience: don't do what I did--I won't do it again.  I have to say that the reality of the day was pretty rough (but I still think it's pretty cool to be able to say I raced twice in a day...)

More frequent posts to come--full recap of last season & plans for next season.

Harvest Moon Race Report

A little behind on posting--the race was Saturday, September 12.

After weeks upon weeks of beautiful summer weather, the cold and wet arrived about 12 hours before the race. I awoke to temps in the mid ‘40s with a projected high of 58 degrees. This race has a long history of wild (mostly cold) weather but I was still a bit bummed about raceday being the one cold day surrounded by perfect days. Nothing to do about it—everyone had the same disadvantage.

Woke up early and went through the usual race morning ritual. Big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and then out the door in the dark for the hour drive. As has been the case all season, I had no nerves about the day—just confidence and eager anticipation. Met Whitney at the park & ride and we loaded her up in the truck and made the drive, arriving about 45 minutes before the start. I quickly set up transition, picked up my chip, got bodymarked, made a successful stop at the porta potty, and headed to the beach. It wasn’t as cold as a few years ago, but it was definitely uncomfortable. I had set up my transition area with some cold-weather bike gear and decided to decide on the fly as to whether to pull it on or just ride in my trisuit.

The start was about 15 minutes late—luckily, I didn’t get into the water until the first wave went off (or I would have been freezing). I was in the 5^th wave, 20 minutes after the first. I went through a little extra warmup in the water so I’d be ready to go from the gun if that’s what was required. I surveyed my wave at the line and didn’t see anyone I knew I could draft off. I took a position toward the inside and waited for the start.

Once we were off, I immediately started looking for feet. My plan was to get behind someone and save energy—even if it meant giving up a little time. It was quickly clear who was the fastest swimmer and I raced successfully to get onto his feet but the dude was a disastrous navigator. After a few minutes, he was headed hopelessly off course and moving faster than I felt I could comfortably maintain so I gave up the ride and realigned myself for the buoy. At this point, I’d been pulled out pretty far ahead of the field and there was only one other guy out there, swimming about even off to my left. I made a move for his feet as he made a move for mine—I lost (by ending up ahead of him) and I ended up pulling him out to the turnaround. He tapped my feet several times but I maintained my pace, hoping he’d go around and let me draft. Just after the turnaround, he came past me and I hopped on but he was really moving and I wasn’t willing to put in the energy to go with him. I could see him all the way back—and checking the results, he was Gordo Byrn (former pro). He put just under 30 seconds on me and I had to work alone on the way back, but I think it was a good call. (Gordo finished 5^th overall in the race and won the age group—it’s not like I ever had a shot at beating him.) I completely lost sight of the first guy but it turns out he wasn’t in my age group—I have no idea whether or not I beat him out of the water. Dude was a fast swimmer who needs a serious lesson in navigation—last I saw of him before the turnaround, he was a solid 40 meters off course. The swim was a bit short—my time was 24:38 (17^th best split of the day).

As I came into T1, I looked at how other racers were dressed for the cool weather. It was all over the board, but it seemed like most weren’t pulling on cold weather gear. Good enough for me. I hopped on the bike and hoped for the best. It was cold right away, but not debilitatingly so. I was having a hard time feeling my legs so I just started out at a pace that seemed right but when I was able to get a glimpse of my powermeter, I saw really big numbers. I quickly realized that I hadn’t zeroed out the torque and once I found a spot to coast for a few seconds, I made the reset and immediately saw numbers I could live with. This course is hilly, windy, and back-end loaded. For the most part, the wind is at your back or crossing for the first 40 miles. From there back in, it’s right in your face and the rollers are pretty big. I knew to be patient for the first 40—my goal was to ride even watts on the day. I felt like I did what I set out to do and had a great ride in 2:33:30 (21.9mph – 25^th best split of the day). With some help from coach Mike analyzing my data after the race, I now realize that I didn’t go out quite as easy as I should have, resulting in a small but important dropoff in power at the end—I was fatigued. It was close, but not quite what I needed to do and I probably gave up a little time off my run as a result.

I was quickly in and out of T2 and started the run at a strong but comfortable pace. The major theme of the run: poop. I skipped the porta-potty out of transition even though I needed to pee a little but the feeling went away after a mile or two and it felt like I was at the turnaround in no time. I was near the front of the race despite the +20 min wave start and had been watching calves the whole day—I was definitely in the top 5 AG at the turnaround. By mile 8, I started feeling like I needed to use the bathroom again but pushed on since I was still running strong. At mile 9, I could feel myself slowing down a little as my intestines began doing their thing. I was still running okay but I should have stopped for a quick #2 (but didn’t). From there, it became hard to find an available porta-potty on the course and the feeling was coming and going—I decided to stick it out. At mile 11, I didn’t want to lose my shot at going sub-5 in the bathroom so I asked a volunteer what time it was (I knew I had started at 800a). 1130a. This was very good news: 2.1 miles to go in 30 minutes to go sub-5 hours. But my tummy was definitely slowing me down and no bathroom was in sight. The next one I came to was at mile 12. Mile 12! I had to stop—no choice—my pace had slowed significantly. Got the job done (the one-piece tri suit is a bit of a bummer for on-course bathrooming) and ran a relief-filled last mile to a strong finish in 4:54:58. (47^th overall and 7^th in my AG). My 1:54:05 run was a bit disappointing (107^th overall) but if you take out the bathroom stop, it’s not too far off my best HIM run.

So even with the short swim, I’m calling it a legit sub-5 hour effort. A PR by 9 minutes at this distance and a 13 minute improvement over my previous best on this course back in 2005. (Well, the course is slightly modified now, but close enough for comparison.) Clearly a great day for me—super-exciting to nail it! And, I know that I left time out there by riding too hard and mismanaging my potty stop. I’ll have big goals at this distance next season for sure.

The day wasn’t over though. Race number two, a super-sprint in Boulder, was set to go off at 330p that afternoon. Look for the next post soon.

Ride like a young, fast man

In early 2005, I did a ton of research then bit the bullet and bought a custom tri bike. I was concerned with getting onto a bike that was both perfect for me at the time and something I could grow with. I decided on a Serotta and spent hours getting fit and selecting components. I wanted something great, but not too flashy. I wasn't that fast back then and didn't want to look the poser as all the fast dudes passed me. I couldn't have been happier than I was with my steel (yup!) and carbon CXII CS. Here's a pic just before the maiden voyage--I think this was February or March of 2005.

Over the years, I've tinkered with a few things: new seatpost and saddle, new training and race wheels, a new aerobar setup. But I've left the bones of the bike intact as my riding skills and flexibility have improved. Chris at Pro Peloton designed the bike to grow with me as a rider. Little by little, I've adjusted the front end downward to achieve a better and better aero position. Here's what the bike looks like now (the latest adjustment was made today)--this is about as low as the front end will go on this bike (with a HED Vantage 8 aerobar and a down 17 degree stem). It's a little tough to see in the first pic, but notice the difference between the pictures in the drop from the saddle to the arm rests on the bars--I haven't changed my seat height.

So this is about the limit of what this bike can do for me in terms of aero. I look at it and think, "This is a young, fast man's setup. I can't ride this." We'll see. I've been making baby steps, getting stronger and more flexible over the years. It's been a long road but I'm finally at the full potential of the bike.

So many folks set up their bikes the way they see in the glossy advertisements for the rider they wish they were. Someday, I'll likely join the masses of folks who own sexy new monocoque, carbon fiber, faired frame, shielded rear wheel, hidden brake, slammed front end aerobikes but this bike is the real deal and I've never felt behind in the equipment arms race. I'm passing a lot of those sexy new bikes on race day, by the way.

I've always felt that being comfortable is way more important than being slammed down aero anyhow. And that's my secret weapon--now I have both. And believe me, I've earned it though thousands of miles of training my position and technique on the bike.

All that's left is to ride like a young, fast man.

5430 Long Course Race Report

Yesterday was my first of two half-Ironman distance races of the season. There were some good reasons to be optimistic about how I might perform: good training all spring and early summer, good race results so far, low pressure/low expectations. But there were also reasons to think it wouldn't be my day: horrible taper that included two days of driving home from SoCal last week, limited long runs for the past two months, and the fact that I've never had a great result at this race. It was my 10th HIM and a "B/C" race this year so not much to be nervous about--I know what to expect and nothing was at stake.

The kids' tri was Saturday morning--all three raced. It was super fun and everyone had a great time. Nathan had a bit of a rough start with tears and clinging but once they said "go" he was all smiles all morning. Later, Kami and I volunteered at packet pickup all afternoon--yet another reason I wasn't expecting much out of my race.

I actually slept pretty well Saturday night--a rarity for me on a prerace evening. The alarm woke me up at 400a and I ate my bowl of oatmeal and then loaded up the truck. Arrived at 530a and made fast work of the check-in ritual. Saw some friends in transition, set up quickly, and walked to the "secret" porta-potties with Coach Mike and another buddy. I guess they aren't so secret afterall--all the TP was gone. Two factors determined my course of action: 1. I must, er, let's say "drop a deuce" before any race, and 2. I have pretty limited pride. So a quick poop followed by a wipe with a torn-off piece of a paperboard beer 12-pack and then it was time to pull on the wetsuit and warm up.

Did my usual routine in the water (which isn't much at this distance) and watched the wave in front of us start. We got a good draw on the wave start this time around: 4th of 10 waves (so +15 minutes). It's usually really hot on the run so the early start makes a big difference. Toed the line and was still chatting as Barry counted us down. There was no sprint at the start of this one. I settled into a comfortable pace and waited for someone to break out of the pack. Three different groups quickly formed--I was leading the middle one. Neither of the other two seemed to be in any hurry and I was as a sustainable pace and hoped I was pulling out my boys (Mike, Manuel, Dan) so I focused on good navigation and soon I was at the front. I took a good line (the sun was behind the clouds--clear goggles!!) and it seemed like we reached the first buoy quickly. I took a peek behind me and there was only one guy with me. We were already picking our way through the back of the wave in front of us and my pace was good--I didn't bother trying to ditch him or dropping back to make him work. The whole way back I just focused on swimming smart, taking good lines, and minimizing my kick. Each time I peeked back, he was there and didn't seem interested in making a move. It was one of the easiest swims I've ever had in a race--I was pretty surprised to be first out. After the two of us, it was nearly a minute back to the third guy out. I guess my swim is in form this year.

I was very efficient in and out of T1. Manuel was coming in as I was going out. Smoothly onto the bike and made a point of riding the right level of effort and not letting the adrenaline take over. I was toward the front of the race so I expected to be passed a bunch early and that's what I got. Dan and Manuel came by me before mile 10; Manuel reminded me to stay patient. I was looking to ride pretty even--perhaps slighly negative on the two-loop course. The wind was a crossing tail so the three big rollers weren't too bad. Fast descent down St. Vrain and then that crossing tail became a crossing head on 75th. The short spur on Monarch gave me a chance to see where everyone was. Manuel was exiting the spur as I came in (so he was about 3 minutes up) and Dan was about 2 minutes ahead. I'm guessing I was around 7th or so at this point and saw no reason to change my plan. The headwind on the Diagonal wasn't as demoralizing as it usually is and I was around the first (28 mile) lap in 1:17 and change--a little slower than I had hoped but definitely within range. I got passed a few more times on the second lap but the race was mostly settled in at this point. At the spur this time around, Manuel was long gone--on his way to finishing 4th in the AG just 2 weeks after IM Lake Placid! Dan seemed to be coming back to me but not by much--maybe 30 seconds. We're both shooting to crack 5 hours for the first time--I like to beat him, but I wanted to see us both sub-5. I spent a little time hoping I'd catch him before we got off the bikes and a little time hoping he was still riding strong--the latter turned out to be true. During the second lap, I passed a couple of guys back (why do people go out so hard?) and figure I was into T2 in no worse than 10th place. Second lap split was about a minute faster than the first so I'm calling it a good ride. 2:33 and change for a 21.8 mph average--not at the top of the age group, but a PR split for me and was definitely the right effort level.

Made a quick change and started running out of T2. Whitney was volunteering in transition and when she cheered me on by calling my name, I started heading that direction. Only she was standing at the back of transition--away from the run out. She yelled at me to go the other way and my tiny brain aimed my body at the correct exit. I've done this race several times but once I hit the exit, I wanted to go right (like the Boulder Peak run). Many helpful volunteers pointed and shouted at me and pretty soon, I was on course and making progress. I usually visualize my transition at the end of the previous leg--did it for T1 but not T2. Dumb, but didn't really cost me anything.

Legs felt great right away. High-fived Teegan and the kids as I went past and settled into my run. I had changed up my bike fit last week and hadn't had a chance to ride it. A risky move but since this wasn't an "A" race and Chris (ProPeloton) always gets it right, I decided to take the chance. It was perfect--felt like I had fresh legs. Began excuting Coach Mike's 5-5-5 plan (easy first 5 miles, step it up for the next 5, then hit it hard for the last 5k). It was all I could do not to run harder at the beginning--I felt good--but I held back. I haven't raced with a watch all season (just the PowerTap on the bike) so I couldn't definitively determine my pace. But it felt right and I was actually passing folks while running what felt like an easy pace. Dan was still about 2 minutes ahead of me at the spur around mile 3 and we slapped hands as we passed and I told him "it's on!"

How about a little name-dropping? Julie Dibbens (women's XTerra world champ) came by me a few seconds later and then Coach Mike (not a name drop) a little after that. Dave Scott, spectating at this race, shouted out that I looked good just after Chrissie Wellington (2x defending IM world champ) came blazing past a couple of minutes behind Dibbens and was off my horizon in no time.

I wished Mike a good run and he was soon gone. Just before the mile 5 marker, I picked up my pace and knew it would be my day. Legs kept turning over great and I was sure it would come down to how much I could manage the pain mentally. I had been passed several times by guys in my age group but was still in the top 20 for sure. I was surprised at how quickly the first lap passed. As I came around, I peeked at the finish clock: 4:17 and change. My wave start was +15 minutes so my race time was 4:02+ with 6.55 miles to go. Completely do-able. At the second lap spur, Mike was long gone and Dan had about the same lead on me but he was looking really strong. I felt good but was starting to muscle through a bit. I figured I'd have plenty to get back sub-5 but I wasn't so confident about my ability to catch Dan at this point. I didn't wait for mile 10 to pick it up--started the push for home at mile 9. Focused on my form and it seemed good but I caught myself correcting a few things on the fly every time I focused on something else. It started to hurt but was manageable. At mile 11, more kind words from "The Man" and I was pushing hard but running pretty strong and still feeling like I'd make it in sub-5. At mile 11.5, the wheels came off.

Funny (not funny ha-ha) how it happens so quickly at this distance. Suddenly, I was shuffling, my legs hurt and wouldn't turn over, it felt hot, etc. With only 1.5 miles to go, I began thinking about whether I had done enough to lose a few minutes at the end and still make it in time. Probably not--I didn't have much cushion. I was getting passed by folks I had passed a mile or two ago. Nothing to do but gut it out. Couldn't even put up a kick at the finish and was pretty disappointed when I turned the corner and the clock was already past 5:18 (5:03 for me) and counting up. I don't think I lost the full 4 minutes in the last 1.5 miles--I must have dropped off the pace a little earlier without realizing it--but I lost most of it there.

So my 5:04:03 finish was a PR by 4 minutes (and by a lot more at this particular race) and put me in the top quarter of the AG (31st) and 187th OA. Congrats to Dan who came in at 4:58 (!!!) and Mike (4:52). I guess not much to be disappointed about but I have mixed feelings about the result. I'm mostly happy with it--my previous PR of 5:08 came in 2005 so I feel like I've shaken off the idea that it was a fluke. My run is my weakest leg and with the time off for the illness and travel, my limited long runs in the past 8 weeks, the ridiculous taper, etc., it's no surprise that I'd run a 1:58 but it's still disappointing. On the plus side, the swim was easy and the bike was very solid. All I need to do at Harvest Moon in September is put out the same splits but have the ability to descend the run and then finish strong. I should be able to ride a little faster on that course if the wind isn't up (though it always is...). So I need to be able to run in the low 1:50's in 5 weeks. Totally do-able. I'll take an easy week this week and then work a run-focus for two weeks and then taper for 2 weeks. Harvest Moon is definitely an "A" race and I'm confident I'll crack 5 hours.