Texas Road Rash 04/22/2012

 I didn't skate pace line in 2012. I was anxious to see how the body would handle skating with only cross training.

_friends
Half the Texas Flyers are missing: Mike and Brenda stayed in Waco, Timo and Casey stayed home with their South Asian SO’s, Jerry didn’t make it.

Renee introduced her friend Jeff who had a big camera lens. 

I finally met Christine and car-racing husband. Mike from Wisconsin joined us for pasta dinner.

Tom got off the Myerson gig unexpected early and made it to hotel by 10pm; this was an imrpovement over sleeping couple hours in car before the race.

 Ryan McGee showed up with his Justin Bieber hair cut.

I realized I left my Garmin on top of the car as the pros took off. Sigh....

 _wave start
Without the pros, I got in the lead pack with little effort. My glut started to hurt couple minutes into the race, I waited for the next pack.

Wisconsin Mike accelerated. He seemed unclear 90% of the race was ahead. I shouted some advice but let him go--after meeting Lawrence Pelo, I no longer thought pack speed was always higher than solo.

Full distance chase pack skated half-heartedly. Half marathons lead pack passed us. Half the full-distance jumped pack. I sat at the back behind Renee, having no incentive to push the pace. I felt great. I love this sport.

We swallowed Mike and a few pro skaters before half marathoners' finish.

Steven, Jeff and I took our time. We just had to keep the gap behind us.

1.5 laps to go. Pros lapped us. Steven wanted to skate with the pro. I was skeptical but attached behind Simmons' Alex as pros dilly-dollied anticipating the final surge. I considered the best case scenario: we hanged on the lead pack for couple miles. The big guns would jump to a speed beyond my capability with 1.2 laps to go, legs fried. I let pros go.

3 of us reformed our pack, continuing lacking motivation to go faster. I could sense our chasers approaching. Maybe they'd catch us and force a sprint finish. That'd be fun. We picked up Doug and a few others with half lap to go. Steven pulled for the final section, unconcerned about the finish <= different age groups. 

_pros
Mantia no show.

Bont dominated with Justin Stelly, Harry Vogel, and Briana Kramer.

Rob and Alex made some tactical error and were out sprinted at finish. Ryan Chrisler won mater.

_post race
Eva led me for 5-mile trail run @ 9:09 pace. I ran another 5k chasing rec skaters.

 I was relieved to see a road rash-free Candy. She had 1 more hard week before the big race.

I was shocked with lack of outside edge in the photo (Thanks, Allen). This partly explains my blister issue in Mojos.

_lazy half day
Austin bike shops were less intimidating than RBM and Plano Cycling. I sipped cappuccino and shopped Nixon watches at Mellow Johnny’s. A clerk had a hard time calculating cost of my swapping tri bike frame. It’s tempting to upgrade the tri-bike frame, but it’s hard to give up the overly flexible but pretty Lucero. Sometimes vanity worked toward my financial advantage. Austin tri-Cyclist sold me the sample Zoot Ultra Race < 50% MSRP. It pays to have the standard foot size.

I was impressed and annoyed by Salt Lick's 1-hour wait at 6pm.  Ray, Jenny, and I ate the take out at restaurant's playground picnic table watching Asher playing with older kids. I wished I could derive that much joy out of swinging a twig.

My body let me know which parts were out of shape. The quads never got comfortable after the race. The glutes were on fire during the 3-hr drive north.

Good Friday Long Run 04/06/2012 55 miles, 1q84, sub 7:00 pace

_Goal Jack shared his 100k experience. The running legs lasted 90k--almost done--but walking 10k took a long time. I ran a double marathon in 2011. 100k was a logical next step. If 2012 was anything like previous year, the last 10k would be mostly walking followed by a dinner with insufficient calorie followed by poor sleep. I reviewed 2011 mistakes:  Injury at mile 15.  Insufficient fluid and calorie throughout the day.  Unrealistic first 20-mile pace. Not wanting to make the run a dreaded annual event, I changed my approach when I watched Dara Torres ingesting recovery drink during workouts.  Start after sufficient sleep.  Moving speed slower than 11:00 pace for first 30 miles.  Finish within 24 hrs. Long breaks allowed.  Minimum 52.4 miles.  Last mile no slower than first mile. _7:15am I left the house after the sun came out. I was in no rush. I carried 400 calories of gel and beans. I came back to the house at least every 13 miles. _accident Kicking a concrete block was the highlight of 2011 long run. I thought the toe broke. This year I chose only well maintained streets. At mile 12.76, I stepped into a gutter and rolled the right ankle. I was looking at the GPS and didn't see the curved gutter around the fancy gazebo among the million-dollar townhomes. It reminds me of Candy's injuries. You can't focus on safety every second. The ankle didn't swell. Pain disappeared 72 hours later. _rest stops I stopped by RBM to check out Cervelo P4 and fortunately had no desire to upgrade. I went to Home Depot and haggled over LED light bulbs (yes, prices at clearance table are negotiable). I napped for 2 hour after 3-candybar lunch. I cooked instant noodle with egg at 5:30pm. I visited Pure Newtrition; charming but insufficiently educated Destiny tried to sell me her nutrition knowledge. Other fuels included gels, beans, and Blue Bell ice cream. I experiment with different shoes. Streak and Green Silence functioned as expected. Nimbus felt great at 10:00 pace--no wonder it outsold its efficient competitors. _mileage It was 11pm when I consolidated data from 3 Garmin Forerunner 305's. I still needed 6 miles to reach 100k. Last 8 miles was around 11:00 pace; feet hurt, but rest of the body felt great, cardio was under-taxed. I considered my Saturday schedule and late bedtime's implication on recovery. 100k was just a number. I quit at 55 miles. _1q84 I avoided thinking about my worries for the day: medical news from Asia unfinished lighting project at home ADA-compliant tax forms. This was the first weekend I didn't work or travel since Christmas. I would immerse in Murakami's 3-book novel at regular playing speed. I always found familiar elements in his stories. In _1q84_, the male protagonist was a sham math prodigy who practiced judo. Tengo communicates poorly with his father and move out of parents' house during early teens. He abandoned an academic career. He's a devoted novelist but all his effort only made him a superior technician. He made a living using a trivial skill acquired in school. It was a bit eerie. I fantasized movie version of the novel: Lynch directing Tengo and the teen writer; Tarantino directing assassin Aomame. I missed Robert Altman. _Boston qualifying time I read the details on the standard and realized the bar was raised by 6 minutes, not 5. The extra 60 seconds killed my desire to qualify this year. I considered qualifying on a faster course. The travel overhead made the experience feel artificial. I missed riding 35-mile RBM route with "A" group, which conflicts with optimizing training for December marathon. My half marathon experiences were mostly positive: the training allowed other sports; I always had fun. Goals: • sub 21-min Katy 5k • Yasso 800 x10 at 3:05 pace • half marathon at sub 7:00 pace • road cycling back to 2010 level • enough form for A2A 38-mile

Rock n Roll Half, Dallas 3/25/2012

I hadn't had a good running race in a year and felt the need to redeem myself after White Rock 2011, but I chose to make Rock n Roll a "B" event. Can't optimize every race.

_training
Runner World's Smart Coach 9-week.
Target: 1:34:49
The sessions felt easy. I feared Sunday 13-mile long runs less than 20-mile trainings for marathon.
I did minimum cross training this time of the year.

7:19 pace was my PR for 10k. 7:14 for half seemed unrealistic, but I felt that way about every race goal. Half the time I get away with unexpected performance. Looking back, I have fond memories of my meltdowns.

_plan
Hold 7:14 GPS pace for 7 miles.
Go fast within aerobic the final 10k, which hopefully is no slower than 7:14.
Go nuts after mile 12.
305 loses approx 1 meter per mile per experience=> electronic pacer would finish just over 95 minutes.

_race day
Woke up slightly under 141 lb; first reaction was to buy a more precise scale. I was such a geek. Maintaining 141 had been easy, as opposed the constant hunger associated with race weight of 137. Running at sub 7:30 pace was harder with the extra 4 lb.

Rock n Roll continues to be one of the best operations, contrasting the chaos at White Rock marathons. I found a quiet parking lot to warm up. The only other racer there was a little guy wearing bib #1.

I had a good start. I could see the pacing truck and couple hundred runners in front. Air was at high 50's and rising. No official pacer for sub 100-minute this year. My goal was to run 10k at super-PR pace, back to back. I could use a human pacer.

A Vibram runner passed me around mile 1 at 7:10 pace. He did not sound efficient.

I ran according to plan for 6 miles and was itchy to go faster. I felt great other than a hint of side stitch. After relay station, a small runner materialized, Kenyan-like. We were travelling at the same speed with same cadence; one of us seemed labored. I decided to run at his pace, which approached 7:00. We dropped runners going up the final 2 hills. I imagined he'd accelerate to 6:30 pace and became the fastest thing in sight. I fantasized leading bunch east African runners in a race, Ryan Hall-like.

I came to realize achieving Kenyan efficiency requires my losing a lot of weight.


My pacer refueled at mile-9 water station. I followed suit. Bad idea. Side stitch set in. I barely hung on to 7:30 pace for next 5k. I regained 7:14 pace at mile 12 and was 250' behind the virtual pacer. I went anaerobic the final 1000 meters and caught the electronic pacer.

_#'s
5k 22:28
10k 45:03
7 mi 51:20
10mi 1:12:23

Pace 7:15
Time 01:35:00

Overall: 241 out of 11312
Division: 39 out of 752
Gender: 211 out of 4258

_post race
Sammy Kiplagat and Samuel Kosgei got the top 2 spots. They both turned U. S. residents.

I thought I heard Ann Wessling but never located the announcer.
I saw Bob Babbitt but didn't get a chance to say hi.

_obsession
I still think about Boston qualifying time.
Half-equivalents of 3:15:59 marathon are
1:34:53 (vdot)
1:32:56 (McMillan)

Jack told me to forget Boston to let foot injury heal.
Others told me the foot will never heal completely; make the best of remaining years.

Frost Yer Fanny Du. 2/19/2012

2.1 mile run + 15 mile bike + 2.1 mile run

Biff mentioned this race on Facebook. My reaction was to skip it—I disliked what the name implied. I was also nagged by the not-ready feeling. In last 15 months I had fewer bike than run miles.

I thought about the 2004 pre surgery promise—I wouldn’t waste the chance to enjoy physical activities. It could be a fun experience. It would be an informative data point for my fitness.

_Preparation
I took the bike out twice for combined 15 miles within 20 days of racing. I sucked. I thought about skating the bike portion.
I lubed the chain.
I ran a few times in the lace-less shoes.
I unboxed the aero helmet that I was too lazy to sell on ebay.

_Goal for a “D” event
1. No injury
2. < 30 min run => sub 7:30 pace
3. 20+ mph bike, assuming dry road and mild wind
4. No preparation mistakes (e.g., forgetting shoes or helmet).
5. Transitions within 1 minute of fastest racer. 10+ min transition was no longer funny after Ironman.
6. No digging—I’m training for a half marathon.

_Gear
QR Lucero with Xentis front and Zipp ZedTech 8 rear. Tubular tires.
Single strap tri bike shoes.
Zoot Ultra Speed laceless shoes.
No socks.
Tri top.
Nike combat pro shorts + knee-length running shorts.
Zoot calf sleeves.
Garmin 305. No HR.

_Race
The day started out cold and miserable. The course was mostly wet from Saturday rain. Forecast said 0% chance of rain.

I paced by perceived effort and was surprised when first 400 meters was done in 6:30 pace. I was worthless without external pacers. I was no longer cold. I finished the 2 laps on motor race track and felt great—either the course was short or I was in better shape than I thought.

Having decent run and T1 implied I get passed left and right by real triathletes. I had fond recollection of complete the swim with 70-year-olds and seeing mostly empty T1.

I biked scared on the wet pavement. I had problem putting my feet into the shoes. Simple task like consuming gel felt out of control. Water bottle cage wasn’t where I expected. I changed the bike goal—stay upright.

I didn’t get in rhythm ‘til final lap. I held back so I wouldn’t spend first mile out of T2 walking.

I willed legs to run out of T2. It worked!
I used a bright green shirt girl as pacer and passed multiple disc-wheel guys.

I was in great mood celebrating surviving the bike ride. Looking back at my 3 triathlons, I focused on surviving the swim and didn’t respect the bike. Maybe I deserved to have 67% crash rate.

The left Zipp calf sleeves slipped. I stopped to fix. This pissed me to no end.

I took little effort to accelerate toward the finish to stop the clock before 80 minutes. What’s with this whole-number obsession!?

Biff didn’t have the ideal preparation but managed a good result of 1:22:30. Our transitions didn’t suck!
Seth continued to impress with 1:07:46. He finished 24th overall and got to bring hardware home.

_Mistakes piled up
I didn’t learn about the wave start; I had to ask the announcer at last minutes => I started at the line. Having the same gun and chip time didn’t hurt me, but several fast guys and 1 girl had to run around me. Sorry.

I didn’t practice fitting bike into the car. It no longer went into the trunk the same way after Biff shortened the front derailleur cable last July. Fortunately I found an angle to wiggle it in. I could overkill this problem by buying a new car with bigger hole between trunk and back seat.

I forgot to stop GPS timer entering T1 => I had no electronic pacer for run 2.

I forgot to turn on iBike exiting T1 => no accurate knowledge of distance and speed. Maybe I should forget about power meter and just get a simple computer.

I forgot to un-strap bike shoes in transition area. I chose not to stop while fixing the issue. A few racers let me know how they felt about by my wobbling form on the narrow course. In retrospect, that was really stupid not to stop given this was “D” race.

I didn’t preview the road entering T2 => moving too conservatively + prematurely taking feet out of shoes.

I misjudged the tank and ran too conservatively without electronic pacer out of T2.

_time’s
Total: 1:19:58
Run 1: 13:49 (6:55/M)
T1: 0:50
Bike: 49:57 (19.2 mph)
T2: 1:00
Run 2: 14:20 (7:10/M)

• 269 Men - 01:23:00 average time
• 116 Women - 01:33:00 average time
• 385 Total

_ranking
Run 1: 151
Bike: 166
Run 2: 127
Total: 149 / 385

White Rock Marathon 12-4-2011 -- meltdown

_Standards
PR (3:28:17) December 2010
Apolo Ohno's NYC time (3:25:12) November 2011
Qualify for Boston (3:20:59)
GPS pacer (3:16:30 if GPS agrees with mile markers)
Runner's World Smart Coach plan (3:16:17)
Practiced Yasso 800 (x 10) (3:15:00)

_Script—aka hopeful thinking
Healthy, fresh, nervous, and 138-lb at the start.
7:30 virtual partner (Garmin Forerunner 305)
1 gel every 4 miles for 20 miles.
Bleed 2 min between mile 20 an 22.
Sub 7-min final mile. 3:20 finish.


_Cloth
Tri top
Nike combat shorts
Zoot Compression shorts
Compression calf sleeves
Perl Izumi bike socks
Brooks Green Silence

Disposable:
old jeans
T shirt
cut socks arm warmers
garden gloves with tips removed
fragile no-name sunglasses



_Race report

The perfect weather failed to materialize. I decided to stick with the pace. For weeks I wished I was more aggressive at A2A. I chose not to risk the same regret.

4 am. Wide awake
I took my time tailoring trash bags: 1 outside of T shirt, one outside of sweatshirt. I had no experience running wet in cold air and wasn’t sure how much to put on.

The drizzle wasn’t bad at start. I threw away outer trash bag and sweat shirt.
I gambled at mile 4--threw away inner trash bag and T-shirt that made me sweat.
Rain started a few miles later. Core temperature dropped. Legs felt good and were able to waste energy by jumping over water.

Mile 8
Half and full courses split. I wanted to say thanks to the 1:40 half pacer but didn’t want to waste energy talking. The only words I used that morning were to encourage the 1-leg runner.

I had problem seeing things through sunglasses in the rain. Todd Hunter shouted my name. I tossed him the cheap glasses in hope he’d bring it in to work Monday.

Mile 9: Numb fingers dropped a gel.

Mile 13.1: Just over 99 minutes. Felt happy and wished the teeth chattering would stop.

Mile 17: Legs stiffened. Decided on 8:30 pace 'til mile 22--I could still beat Apolo.
"HTFU!" Biff urged me to keep it together.

Mile 22: had problem with 11:00 pace.

Mile 23
I had problem with 20:00 pace. The deeper I dug, colder I felt. A pre-cut trash bag tossed by another runner helped a great deal.

For the first time I was unable to feed off the crowd’s energy. Some spectators actually avoided eye contact. That was new.

I was passed by 1700 marathoners + countless half marathon walkers.

A medic tried to pull me off the course:
"Are you ok? You don't look so good. Do you want to sit down?"
"I'm cold. Do you have a car?"
"No, but I can call for help?"
"Can you get me to finish faster than walking? I don't want to pay for an ambulance."
He had to think a bit, "no"
Do you have coffee?
No.
Do you have any hot drink?
No.
Do you have a dry T shirt?
No.
OK, thanks.
I kept walking. I probably made him feel a bit useless.

I crossed the line under 4.5 hrs. It felt longer.

_aftermath
The medical tent was filled with shivering runners. The guy next to my bed had thicker under-skin layer than a seal. He whined about upset stomach and didn't even look cold. I wanted to slap him.
I headed home as soon as fingers gained enough dexterity to untie the double knotted laces

Several strangers congratulated me on beating Oprah.

Bodily functions mostly recovered during the 40-minute drive home. I felt well after the hour soak in hot tub.

Days after the race, I didn't conjure up negative feeling. Taking off the trash bag was a calculated risk. Somehow failures are easier to swallow when one errs on the side of aggression.

The hypothermia is an experience I'd cherish. It might come in handy in the mountains one day.

I'm not convinced my fitness was enough for 3:20 finish and am unclear whether I over- or under-trained. Not finding out the answer is probably the most disappointing aspect of this race.

In contrast, the decision of not chasing Bruce Belden at A2A still haunts me. Little surprises life throws at us....

Boston Qualifying standard 11-13-2011

3 weeks before the Boston qualifier.
My confidence hit bottom after the final long run. I ate the last big meal that night and reminded myself that the body always rose to the occasion.

After A2A, I had no distractions in the form of other physical activities. My daily life was anchored by training sessions. Mom had to endure watching her son attempting to remove mass from the under-inflated body.

_endurance sport is 90% mental; the other 10% is also mental
Web was a great source of contradictory information. Runnersworld.com ran an amusing piece "6 Signs You May Have Post-Marathon Syndrome"

• Comparison shopping and minimizing your marathon accomplishment
• Lacking interest in setting a new goal
• Feelings of sadness, pessimism, and worthlessness
• Feeling lost without your training
• Not able to see the light through the fog
• Rounding your marathon time down–"I ran around 5 hours for a 5:55 finish"
Yeah, I had PMS 20 days before the gun. "A" race preparation started 3 months ago. I just need to push through obstacles.

Bathroom scale registered lowest # post-1998. I did not react with the satisfaction of hitting weight goal—“Did I lose muscle?” At that moment I related to a fashion model.

_accelerated training
Feet and calves didn’t feel good after Euro Roll. I shortened the training sessions. I considered backing out of this “A” event. Conventional wisdom said I need to change my goal. But Boston qualifying time was not negotiable.

My volume and intensity caught up to the program 6 weeks later. Somehow I felt less confident than ever. _Run Less Run Faster_ said I needed to do more. I intensified the sessions—knowing full well the risk of insufficient recovery.


_hill challenged
I didn't practice Dolly Parton and its neighboring hills prior to 2011. I assumed I could even-split the 2 miles because I was lazy, cheap, and delusional. After 4 White Rocks in 5 years, I faced up to my inability to recover after climbs. My last 5 long runs included hill repeats.

_crashes
All but 1 indicator said I was on target for a 3:20 marathon finish.

The first crash happened during the recovery between intervals. The left ankle didn’t clear the curb. I assumed I misjudged the distance while mocking with GPS. That added another facial scar to the collections—of all the eyewear I own, I had to use the $5 Home Depot eye protector that night.

Days later, I missed a block in a stream. This was during the warm up. I couldn’t blame fatigue.

Then I tripped over a shallow pothole at end of easy run during taper weeks.

I was disgusted by my weak ankle and the bandage bill. It was kinda cool to see red blood on the other side of Tegaderm. I stared at the overtraining evidence in the eye and went into denial mode—“I am in shape for a 3:20 marathon as long as weather is perfect. I will be aggressive with my pace. I will not back down. This race ain’t about fastest time; it’s about being good enough.”

I stopped riding Ninja to minimize injury risk.

Weight control was on target. I was proud of yet disliked my sunken cheeks. I visualized the big celebratory dinner.”

Houston Inline Marathon 11-13-2011

4 weeks before my “A” race, I set practical goals for this "D" Race:
1. Injury free.
2. Finish.
3. Save enough for the 16-mile run 2 hours after race.

The drive down south was mostly smooth sailing not requiring the Beltronics. I stopped by a Nike outlet and scored running outfits. It was depressing my legs were now too short for the XS warm up pants.

_Reunion
We stayed at Duane’s; it’s simple, big, and clean. I was envious of the backyard’s function-maintenance ratio.

It was fun visiting Duane’s new life after Dallas. 9-month-old Ace made friend with everyone. I stayed in the room with the track spikes that broke the 24-hour relay record in his running days. It made me think about next 10 years.


_Race
All eyes were on Alex and Rob.

I was relaxed at the start. I went through warm up half heartedly. I was happy Tom was back to racing and hoped to stay with him.

The best way to avoid crash was not skating behind a crashed skater. I started with the pros and got the 2nd spot. No one was fighting for positions. I kept the pace civil and let the lead guy accelerate way. Leading the peloton in a marathon race was a highlight of my life; it felt glorious an absurd.

I let the lead pack go after a few miles; I’d stay with Tom and Duane. The peloton kept slowing down; I stayed in contact. No one wanted to pull, but the young legs were getting antsy. Team Simmons was unconcerned. I thought about a breakaway just for the hell of it—the steep underpass suited my legs.

The pros finally accelerated. Casey had the legs but chose stay with Timo, Tom, Duane, and me. Casey still seemed frustrated from missing A2A after all the Sunday morning Windhaven repeats.


photo by someone good. thanks for the good shot

The lead pack was quickly down to Alex, Rob, and Lawrence. Lawrence was out teammated and got 3rd.

_Brick
2.5 hours after skate, 16-mile run started on hilly pavements of Huntsville State Park.

I went through bad patches and paused at mile 11. Uphill speed bled as expected. Accelerating down the hills was unexpectedly challenging. GPS said I accelerated at mile 15, which didn't agree with my memory.

I worried I trained too hard. I worried I didn’t go hard enough.

Groupon provided big meal at a laughable teppanyaki at Geisha. Thanks to P. F. Chang and Pei Wei, we now understand authenticity is an unnecessary ingredient in ethnic food.