Race Report 09

A review of the races I went to in 2009

Feb 15 Last Chance for Boston Half marathon. I enjoyed this in 08 but ran an extra lap. My friend Sean, who ran it with me last year, had to bail on this this year. My wife is going to watch in the miserable weather predicted. I would like to get a PR.

My wife sacrificially got up at 6:20 to support me here - and I am a race premadonna with lots of special needs and particulars. THANKS. I saw Rita once during the race and once right after I finished- she was lookin good- as always. Great job Rita! I didn't see anyone else I knew.
This race is cheap at $35. Like last year parking and packet pickup were easy. Nice shirt (Amanda took it). The weather, which was forecasted to be worse, was very pleasant. It was in the 30's no precip, 5-10 mph winds. This was nice to run in but Amanda was not liking it on the sidelines. Restrooms were sparse but this didn't seem to create a problem. The race started on time. The half seemed like it was less competitive from the start. Results showed this to be true.
Again it was a little crowded on the course. I wish they would eliminate the 5k. It just adds to congestion and doesn't seems to have a real purpose. The other complaint I have is lap counting. last year I didn't count and counted on them. They also didn't count. This year I had Amanda post signs for me each lap and verify goal splits. At the end of my 11th lap they told me I had finished 10. This is worse than saying nothing. I stopped at the real 13.1 and there results match but it was very frustrating. I was passed by someone in the last half mile which helped pull me in to a PR finish. I ran a 1:28:45 and I finished first in the 40-49 age group. Last year they messed up the distribution of awards - they may have done it again this year but it didn't affect me. We grabbed some post race treats which were nice (no coffee though) and headed out.
Resuts:
overall place 7 Brue Hoyt 41 M Columbus OH 1:28:45 (unofficial mile one 6:05 + 39 tenth) 1: 6:44 2: 6:39 3: 6:38 (5k 20:00) 4: 6:51 5: 6:49 6: 6:54 (10k 40:32) 7: 7:00 8: 6:57 9: 6:59 10: 6:55 11: 6:56 12: 6:55 13: 6:35 total 1:28:45


Mar 8 Arnold Pump and Run - this was my 5th year. It is also the 5th year I have been seriously running. Each year I have improved my bench but my run hasn't improved significantly since 06. I wanted to max the bench (30 reps) and run a sub 18 5k.
Well another year and no change in my run time. I pushed hard to edge out the first female in 18:17 -man is she tough. The big deal was that even though I was not able to drop weight I still maxed the bench press. I weighed in at 143 and had to bench 130x30.
It was an especially fun race because friends came in town the night before. We ate pizza and drank PBR and watched clips from Pumping Iron then watched Vision Quest. -maybe the pizza and beer hurt the weigh in???
I rode my bike down early. I talked with a lot of competitors at the event. My wife and kids came down to watch. Jacob, Brian and I buzzed through the expo in about an hour.
Man, what a great day. My splits were 5:32, 6:03, ~6:00

Arnold 5k - a couple of friends are running this. they did it 2 years ago. Amanda, Jacob and Bryan had a bit of a rivalry but the gap is widening with Jacob in the lead.
Amanda decided to just watch. -she has been running more but wasn't into it. Brian and Jacob set PRs around 24 and 25 minutes respectively. PS - since then they have both smashed these PRs

Apr 5 Athens Half Marathon - I am doing this because Sean wants to get in an early half and had to miss LCFB. I have heard it is a good race - and it is cheap if registered by mar 15th.
I don't plan on racing - just pacing Sean to a 1:44 half.

Sean changed his goal to try to set a PR under 1:40. We tried to to run a 7:30 pace (1:38:19). I had a blast running this. Ran with a friend. The course is very nice. The weather was great. I didn't have to kill myself for a PR.

Sean struggled a little in the second half. My fault -I set a pace too fast in the beginning. I also encourage him to sprint 400 meters too early (I didn't realize there was another full lap on the track.) Sorry Sean.

We finished 1:42:21 Overall it was a great day.

Only $35 -even for the full. The race shirt is unique. Post race snacks were sparse. I would do this again. Maybe run it next year for a PR.

Apr 18 Miami Student Foundation Triathlon.
I got a new bike and was excited to try it out. I wanted to finish in just under 1 hour.

I went down with a friend and met in person a few people from an online Tri group at the race.
I injured my shoulder 5 days before it and worried about the swim. The swim was ok but a week of motrin every 4 hours caused my stomach to get trashed during the race. This race had KILLER hills.
I mentally was not into the race leading up to and during the race - Results were posted really really late and split times were lost- my time was about a 1:09 for a 450yd pool swim, 12.75mi bike on hills, 5k flat run. I need to make some adjustments to my new bike.

Apr 25 Fisher 5k
Amanda didn't want me to run with her so I went down after she left. I pushed the jogger to the race. I went to where Mile one was the past 2 years. They changed the course. I ran toward where I saw people. They were walkers/slow joggers so I ran along the course until I thought I could head her off. I went to what I figured would be mile 2 or so. We waited and waited and waited. Finally we saw her run by. I threw the kids in the jogger to see her as she snaked through campus. Whoops I was about a tenth of a mile from the finish and only saw her after she past the line. She was dressed a little warm for the 70 degree race but managed to stay under 28 minutes. My friend Kristi finished a little ahead of Amanda. We got pics with Brutus and walked home. Nice race through campus. Nice day. Avg T shirt and food. Timing was up immediately! The male finishers were slightly slower b/c heat but the women's race was considerably slower than last year.

may 9 Coffman Y Springboro mini sprint 300y 11mi 5k HFP I got there early to get a god bike spot. i seeded myself to low in the swim and wound up stuck behind a guy who would not let me pass. i was weak on the bike - i still need to make adjustments and i need to train on this bike. my run was ok. i did it in 58:33. 15/239 overall 2/19 age groupthey had coffee and donuts after the race!!! a couple friends were there and mostly i enjoyed it. i would not do it again because of the distance to get there and the crowded swim.


Davis Y Youngstown Sun may 17 sprint 500y 14.5mi 5k 1:15:35 8/117 overall 1/14 age group. i drove up the day before and stayed with my sister. the swim went well. I FROZE on the bike which slowed my bike time, killed my T2 time and slowed my run time. the temps was 30 degrees colder the the day before and i made no accommodations for it. poor race planning. i would probably do this again next year. good snacks, awards announce day of. I had adjusted my handle bar height before the race and didn't tighten it correctly which made for an even more difficult ride.

May 23 Xenos Cambodia 5k this was my third time doing this event. I won it the first two years they held it. It is a trail race and not measured or timed real accurately so I am not setting a time goal. Amanda and Sean will probably do this too.
Amanda and sean decided not to run but My sister, her husband and son ran. It surprisingly shrank in participants a little this year. they had fewer sponsors and prizes as well. It was warm and there were a few guys running at a faster pace than last year. I was able to kick for the last quarter mile for the win. it is a hilly trail race but a very fun course. My nephew said he loved the course. My sister was second female. there were shoe gift certificates for 1 and 2.

Tri Tech (Rudy proj) triathlon may 31 880yd 13 mil 5k The swim wasn't really a half mile -probably 700 meters. the run to the transition area was 200 meters. I swam decently. I was the fastest throug T1. I rode my bike slowly again. T2 was pretty good. I past ALOT of people on the run. The race was nice overall - I need to train harder. I was shocked how warm the water was at Caesar creek. Shirt and snacks were great. I was 3/17 AG 26/216 OA. I knew one other guy who was racing (he won the whole shabang)


Wendy’s Triathlon June 14th 880 swim 18.6 mile bike 5k run this is the longest sprint tri of the year. I finished under 1:30 - I had a good time at the event. Unfortunately I had to be home right after it. I finished 2/24 AG 15/225 overall. I trained through this one but still felt strong at the event.


Alum Creek Fat Rabbit Intl’ Tri sprint - Jun 28
i had a blast at this race . got to hang out with friends and my wife and kids made it up just after the race ended.

i got to bed late and then couldn't sleep. that was pretty much the only thing that went wrong.

i was relaxed, smooth, on course and strong in the swim
i blasted through t1 -only slowing when walkers from earlier waves were in the way.
i kept pushing hard on the bike and was pretty much flying
i cruised through t2 without any problems
the run is my strong suit and this race was no different - just pass people.

i finished 10th overall and 1st in the largest age group.

more importantly I was able to measure performance improvement. this was my first tri last year.
2009

the difference and the reasons:

2008 13/190 1:15:48 first tri in a decade - only run training
2009 10/225 1:09:02 training + mental attitude

2008 swim 15:00 too long since swimming in open water
2009 swim 13:24 more training - more determination

2008 t1 2:33 totally lost
2009 t1 0:37 practice and simplification

2008 bike 36:26 -20.5mph 2007/8 schwinn prelude dept. store road bike
2009 bike 33:58 -21.9mph 2008 schwinn prologue tri bike - more training and mental effort

2008 t2 1:04 confused
2009 t2 0:52 yanks laces, practice

2008 run 20:45 had to stop to tie shoes mid run
2009 run 20:13 less run specific training in 09 but great mental effort.

so to make a better triathlete training + practice + mental attitude (and the right equipment helps)

Jul 19 Youngstown Triathlon Last year I finished second behind Jim Ferraro and this year -same result. I did improve my time by a minute. I didn't feel like I was working that hard but the week after my body is saying I did. I took a wrong turn on the bike that wasted 20-30 seconds. My Sister and her son watched the race.

July 26 Delaware Tri My wife, 2 girls and my nephew went with me. I had a strong swim less than 1:30 per hundred. The bike was pretty good - about 22 mph for 15 miles. My run was not exceptionally fast but was good enough to overtake alot of people including the guy I beat for 3rd overall who had a half mile head start. We swam at the lake a litlle afterward.

Aug 15 Dash for Donation half -I wanted to be below 1:27 - Well, it was HOT. Start at 70º. I also had been battling allergies and a cold. Even so, I tried to hit 1:27. After 7 miles I pretty much died. I hung on to finish at 1:31:20. I was still hurting 4 days later. Sean went with me. I think he was happy with his race. We road bikes to the event. This is a nice and CHEAP race. I think I will try the Spirit of Columbus half instead next year

Aug 29 Great Ohian tri. (I thought) This was the same course as the Delaware Tri.

Correction - The swim and bike were the same. the run was a very technical trail run after a hard rain.

I improved my swim and bike over Delaware tri and my run considering conditions and course was good.

I didn't prepare my equipment far enough ahead of time and couldn't find my tri shorts - so I wore a speedo. it was kind of funny kind of a bad idea.

Swim was 1:19 per hundred yards for .4 miles, bike was 21.88 mph for 15 miles, 5k trail run was 21:29 took 1st Age group

talked to several people I knew and headed home.



Sep 27 Deer Creek ½ iron man (first ever 1/2 IM for me)

It was dark and raining while I set up my stuff. The sun came up and the rain stopped. I talked to several friends who were competing. I started my race around 9:30.

The swim was comfortable. I met my goals. The first transition was sloppy.

My biking was smoth. I met my goals. I did have a bike repair the week before and didn't test all equipment before the race and wound up with an annoying problem with the way the water bottle fits in the aerobars as a result. My computer also decided not to work. The second transition was OK.

The first mile of the run was hard - I needed to pee, my shoes weren't situated right and i was feeling fatigue. At the mile mark I stopped for about a minute and a half to pee, drink, and adjust shoes. The next 4 or 5 miles felt good then the bottom dropped out. i was slowing down. I was hungry. I was really tired. Blisters and crampis were getting to me. i had to will myself to keep running at a pace that would give me a shot at my sub 5 hour goal. I wound up finishing the half marathon in 1:41:59.

the race time was 5:05:02 (2nd in age group). I as still pretty happy with my race. on my drive home i got stuck behind a really pitful parade in mt sterling for 20 minutes. I took a week of easy training afterward. then went to disney and overate and undertrained.


Oct 24 pumpkin run 5k (I set my PR here last year 18:03) I really really wanted to break 18. I will be in costume

I ran this in my new costume: Iron Fist (70's 2nd string Marvel character). The sash, cllar and mask were hinderances. I felt like lead and was having bathroom issues. even so i lined up still wanting a 17:59 or better. I talked to several people I have run with before. Several people also asked me about my costume. I was still talking about Marvel comics 200 meters into the race with another runner. 400 meters in I knew this was going to be tough. Hal a mile in a couple guys that were in front of me should have been behind me. Mile split time volunteers were in the wrong place and it seemed like my first mile was REALLY slow (not sure what it really was) I saw to clock hit 18:00 well before I got to the shoot - I finished in 18:17 -this was the first year they had timing chips. This is the 31st year for this event it is my 5th time doing it. I need to put in more miles and increase interval workouts.

So I started the season with an 18:17 and ended with an 18:17 - not much progress there.

Most bang for your buck: bike

You lose energy in shocks so use a bike with no shocks unless your are riding off road.

So you have your bike. What can you do to make it faster? What is this most cost effective way?

Things that make you faster - aerodynamics that cheat the wind, friction reduction on moving parts and from the road, weight, not losing power in energy transfer. <--of these weight is the least important.

Here are some suggestions:

New tires - if you reduce friction between you and the road, you will go faster. If you are using mountain bike tires and you aren't on trails -GET RID OF THEM. road tires can be bought for as little as $20 pr. On road bikes you want tires that have minimal road contact - use the minimum tire width for your rim, a high profile center and a high max pressure. Decent 700cm road tires start at $20 ea.

Getting your bike fit properly for you. I'd recommend havng a more experienced cyclist give you pointers and then do some trial and error. It is free. You can also pay for professional fittings for $100-$250 but I don't recommend this unless you have disposable income and are a front of the pack cyclist.

Keep your bike clean and tuned up - $15 for a bike maintenance book and $3 for some WD-40 will be your best purchase.

Latex tubes are faster than butyl tubes. Why? I don't know. They just are.

Clipless pedals will help you go faster but that is $30+ for pedals, $60+ shoes and if you need help getting it all together there is labor cost too. The cheap and effective alternative and it is a MUST if you aren't clipless is to get some basket toe clips. $5-$15 at Target. Screw them on, adjust them for your favorite riding shoes and your off. Ideal shoes for biking are lighter and have a stiff sole - so pick the pair of your shoes that best fits that description.

An Aero Helmet - you'll look like a tool but the claim's are fantastic. In order to realize the benefit it must be one that covers your ear. These can sometimes be found for $50 on sale. Or you could just get a nice normal helmet that has good aerodynic flow $35+

The number one thing to make your bike go faster is the most effective tool and it's free. It is you. Train properly and get to your ideal weight.

Shoe Inserts

SO it has been a LOOONG time since the last post.

I was talked into a pair of Superfeet running shoe inserts. I put them in my Mizuno Wave INspire 5's - they hurt. I took them out and the shoes felt great. I stuck the inserts in a lesser pair of shoes New Balance 1140's I thought the shoes were bad. I took the inserts out and voila! the shoes are fine. INSERTS ARE A WASTE OF MONEY.

Eye wear.

My wife has apair of $75 sunglasses - they are light and comfortable run with.
They do not fit comfortably with my bike helmet.

I have friends who have glasses much more expensive than that.

I have a pair of check out counter sunglasses from Dick's $18. The are also comfortable and light. And I can wear them with my bike helmet.

I find that using yellow lenses during cloudy days is best for me. I have pair of $3.99 hunting glasses from Wal Mart I wear for these rides. They are light, comfortable and fit well with my helmet.

I am thinking about buying a pair of $50 glasses that have multiple lenses I saw at Northland Cycle. Maybe it is a bit extravagant but what the hey!

Other glasses I have worn on the bike - safety glasses from Home Depot and hand me downs and lost and found glasses.

I wear minimal prescription eye glasses and when I get a new pair I make sure they are comforable and have a decent size lense so I can use them in poorly lit conditions.

Biking Shoes

Well i put these off for years. I did 6 triathlons, a 450 mile bike tour, a mountain biking trip, and approximately 10,000 miles of pedaling without investing in these.

They aren't cheap.

New shoes start at about $70.

I wanted Tri specific ones that were right for me so I wound up spending $119 on a pair of LG's.

That is about $20 more than a pair of running shoes. It will long outlast a running shoe. I am hoping to get 5 or more years out of them. Only about a third of my miles are on my racing bike.

I go through 3 pairs of running shoes per year at nearly $100 apiece. So in 5 years I spend $1500 on running shoes (plus a pair or 2 of racing flats). Comparatively the biking shoes are a good deal.

I have used them twice now. I am getting used to clipping in and out. I think they are making me faster.

triathlons aren't cheap

I am fortunate to have had gainful employment and that my wife currently makes enough to support our family comfortably.

Unfortunately there are a lot of great thriathletes out there that will not be able to compete at a high level due to cost constraints.

You can do them and enjoy hte fitness and social benefits and go for PR's with very little money but if you want to be competitive on a higher level you need a better bike, separate shoes to bike in and some other junk.

The minimum to enter
•Swim suit $0 (you have something now)
•goggles ($0-$10 if you don't have any you can get them for under 10)
•bike $0 (again you have access to a bike)
•shoes $0-$50 (either you have a pair of running shoes or you can get some Cheap)
•helmet 0 or $10-$25 if you don't already have one
•optional shirt, shorts and socks $0 (you have these)
•$35 entry fee to a non USAT sprint tri.

So start up cost is $35 <---this is how I did my first 4 Tri's only entry fee was needed - I had the rest.

to improve or be an age group competitor you'll want
•a close fitting swim suit that you feel comfortable wearing on the bike and run $10-$50
•decent goggles $10-$15
•an entry level road bike (not a Huffy type department stoare road bike) $200-$400
•helmet $10-$50
•good running shoes $60-$120
•optional technical shirt 0 or$10-$20 or number belt $5-$10
•race entry fees $35-$50 +$10 for USAT license srint or olympic distance

So intermediate cost is about $500
- I had some stuff and got a good deal on a bike so it ran me about $250 to go to this level- obviously your cost per race goes down as you reuse the same equipment. My second one cost $35.

If you really want to compete at an amateur level you'll want

•a close fitting swim suit that you feel comfortable wearing on the bike and run $10-$50 or a tri suit $200& up (I don't use this)
•nice goggles $10-$20
•a nice road bike or entry level tri bike $500-$1500
•helmet $30-$100 (mine is actually still a junky $10 cap)
•good running shoes $60-$120 AND biking shoes $80-$150
•number belt $5-$10
•race entry fees $35-$50 +$10 for USAT license srint or olympic distance more for longer distances

so at this level it costs about $1350
-it cost me $1130 to make this jump

at an elite level a better bike and tri speed suit and top end equip are called for THIS COULD COST OVER $10,000 FOR EVERYTHING. the funny thing is I saw guys who spent this kind of money coming in way after me in tris when I was at the $250 level. At $1380 I am able to compete with any non professional athlete.

Remember to spend the amount that is appropriate for your level and Consider the amount you will use the stuff.

Gloves for cold weather.

Just coming off the cold I was thinking about gloves as I put away my Ski gloves. I wear ski gloves while riding in sub 30º weather.

For running I wear the kind of gloves you buy at the hardware store for gardening or cold weather building. They are about $2 a pair. The ones with the little dimples on one side are sweet for biking in 35 - 45º weather. Dollar stores often have gloves too. Or you could stop at the sporting goods store and drop $25 on a pair of running gloves.

Maybe a little gross but if you run in cold weather you can appreciate this- The cheap gloves are easier to wipe the snot with. If it is under 20º you don't want to take off your pretty gloves and fumble for your tissue (where are you keeping it anyway?)

For Races that are between 30-40º I wear an old pair of cheap gloves or socks on my hands. I know I will not want them the whole race so I just toss them once I am warm.

A friend of mine makes the shells that go over gloves to provide extra warmth, wind and water protection. buy a remnant piece of gortex or use a worn out gortex item. Cut a thumbless mitten, sew it together inside out. put it over your gardening gloves. Pin it at the wrist so you can remove and not lose them if you get too warm. This kind of all weather layered glove can cost $50. You can have some for $3.