Tri-Shark Classic Triathlon 1:16:51.1

Note:  Since this is my second year doing Tri-Shark, I've put last years results in parenthesis for comparison.

Age Group Place: 11/36  (26/45)
Overall: 124/ (275/478)


Swim
The water was a warm 73.  The start was very crowded, and there was quite a bit of contact.  I was a bit slower than last year...I'm guessing because of the crowd, but also my Garmin showed that I swam over 700y, so the course may have been long or I could have just not been very straight on the course.

Distance: 600y
Time: 11:51.5 (11:30.2)
100y: 1:59 (1:55)


T1

Short course transitions are a weakness of mine.  I had to wear socks because of some blisters, that doesn't help.  I also don't do that flying mount thing.  I have lots of room for improvement here, and my time vs. my AG time shows it.  I can probably pick up one or two spots in my AG place by being faster in T1. 


Time: 2:46.1 (3:02.7)

Bike
Again, traffic.  I had a hard time getting up to speed and getting around people.  Perhaps I should have ridden more aggressive, but after my recent crash I'm a bit gun shy.  Overall, I had a good bike split, riding just a bit under my current FTP of 230W. 


Time: 35:02.8 (37:32.0)
Distance: 13 Miles
MPH: 22.3 (20.8)
Normalized Power: 223W

T2





My T2 went better than T1, but I have lots to improve on here as well.

Time: 1:18.8 (2:53.3)

Run

This was my biggest improvement from last year.  I ran about 3 minutes over my 5k PR, about 20 seconds / mi under my threshold pace.  I'm not trained for running over threshold right now as my focus has been running long and slow.  I'm pretty much OK with how my run went. 




Time: 25:51.9 (30.16.3)
Pace: 8:20

My AG is tough, no doubt, but I also have alot to improve on as an athlete.  In order to perform better in future sprints I'm going to have to get much better in transition, be a bit more aggressive, and do some VO2 work on my run.  

That being said, I was about 9 minutes faster this year over last.  That's pretty awesome for a short course race!  I've improved alot, and I can improve alot more next year...

Wiping Out - Bike Crash Report 5/18/2010

This post has been a long time coming...and so I apologize for it's "lateness."

Here is what happened:

I was taking part in my first 40K Time Trial on 5/18.  I was pushing fairly hard, while still trying to pace myself a bit.   Later powertap data would show I was at about 90% of my Critical Power/FTP.

This is the route I rode, along with my speed and power data if you are interested.

Entering the corner from 2250 to 750 the second time I swung out very wide and started my turn in.  I didn't stop peddling and didn't bleed off enough speed.  I was going approximately 22 Mph before the crash.  My wide line was made wider while adjusting for a  SSW wind at about 10 miles an hour.  Lastly my inside foot was down, keeping me from leaning correctly, when I did finally stop peddling. 

Anyway, the last thing I remember is my front wheel grabbing the gravel on the far side of 750 and thinking "well, this is going to suck."  I lost control and went forward over the handlebars.  The bike went with me, I pulled it over by my cleats.  The next thing I knew, I was laying down in a ditch full of water with a bike on top of me.  I had to pull my shoes off to get free of the bike.  At first I thought my legs were broken, but it turned out my calves were both just very very cramped from either the impact or pulling the bike over with me.  

I landed on my head and shoulder and immediately felt a good amount of pain in both.  My handlebars were bent completely forward at the stem, but that was an easy repair.  The rest of the bike appeared ridable.

A motorist stopped at the corner.  I was guessing he was going to check if I was ok.  I guessed wrong.  He pointed at me, laughed, and drove off.  What a douche...and in retrospect, kinda like Nelson from the Simpsons.  

I decided to make the repair to the bars and ride back the remaining 5 miles at an easy pace.

When I got back to the car Lana snapped these pictures on my iPhone:

So, I was a bit beat up.  My bike had a few scratches and dings, but nothing too serious.  I also decided to replace my helmet.  It look a huge amount of the impact and might have saved me from a much more serious injury.  Big thanks to Giro for their crash replacement program too, by the way.  A discount on a new lid after all this was very welcome.  The next day I was still running, but on Thursday I was seriously sore.  I was off swimming for about a week because of my shoulder pain but that was the only real impact to my training.  All in all however, I was very lucky.  It could have been pretty bad.

I still haven't gotten my nerve back in the corners, but I imagine it will come back in time.  Until then, I'm pretty much back to full speed on my training and feeling fine.

Swim, Bike, Run, Eat: Ultimate Banana French Toast

Ultimate Banana French Toast

I really love this recipe and make it just about every morning I don't have a workout planned.

1.  Soak 2 pieces of 7 grain sprouted bread in 3/4 of a cup of egg substitute (or eggs if you want...whatever is convenient).

2.  Cut a very ripe banana into 1/4 inch slices.

3.  Cook french toast in a nonstick pan lubed with a bit of non stick cooking spray. 

4.  Put half the banana slices between the two slices of bread and continue cooking the entire stack until the banana gets warm and melty.  Add some cinnamon to both slices of bread. 

5.  Put the remaining banana directly in the pan.  Keep it moving, caramelizing it, but don't let it burn.

6.  Pile the caramelized banana on top of the stack.  Use 1/2 tbsp of turbinado sugar to cover the French toast and another 1/2 tbsp between the slices. 

Calories:  420
Carbs: 77
Protein: 27.4
Fat:  1.7