I’m Not Good About Commuting on my Bike

...but yesterday I was forced to.

I got ready for class yesterday and headed out to my car. It was dead. It had been starting harder over the last week, and now it was completely dead. So I hopped on my “commuter” bike (a Specialized Hardrock Sport mountain bike with thinner tires) in my pants and button-up shirt, and booked it into Minneapolis. After class, I biked home, changed into athletic clothes, grabbed Goldilocks (my tri bike), and biked to the Y for a swim.

Matt (who you can see a lot of in my previous post) came over last night to run with Pharmie, and he helped diagnosed the problem: it wasn’t the starter; it wasn’t the alternator; it was my battery. My battery was completely dead. So after their run, he helped change my battery. And by “helped,” I mean “he changed my battery as I played with a ratchet.”

Biking was the LAST thing I wanted to do yesterday, being I had my first Time Trial the night before (see previous post), but I did everything I needed to yesterday, AND biked 22 unnecessary miles on top of that.

Off to work. Let’s hope my car starts!...

(Update: I'm at work and my car is running great! Thanks Matt!)

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My First Time Trial!

I finished class yesterday, ran to Menards to pick up some lumber, got my bike ready, and got ready to head out to the TNT Time Trial out near Maple Plain. I made a small sandwich for an early supper. The frozen piece of bread that I pulled out of the freezer was HORRIBLY freezer burnt - it had ice covering over half of it. Once I toasted it, the icy part was soggy and un-toasted, while the non-icy part had burned:

De-lish!

Pharmie and I headed west, and we met her brother Matt out there (yes, the other half of “Team Happy Pants”). He just got his new aero helmet, so we touched tips:

That’s gay. Our tips are touching.

Then we grabbed another photo:

We were supposed to be showing our bellies...
Matt didn’t get the memo.

We grabbed our stuff and biked out of the park to the start about a half mile away. We warmed up for a while. Matt was the first one to pick up his number, so that meant he was #1. Here he is being held just before his start:

Go!

The course is a lot of rolling hills, but the biggest hill is right at the start. Here’s Matt half way up the hill in the distance, with person #2 getting ready to start the climb:

I was number #41, and being they started every 30 seconds, I had about 20 minutes before my start. I stayed loose and kept riding the small hills out by the park entrance. When I got back to the starting area, I started chatting with this woman. If I remember her number correctly, her name was Bonny (according to the results). I told her it was my first TT, and she gave me all kinds of little pieces of advice: notes about the course, what the turn-around is like, 2 strategies for the hills, all kinds of great info! I LOVE people like that! Thanks Bonny!! She wished me luck, and it was her turn to start.

Here I am clearing my computer, getting close to my start time:

Being held for the start:

“...4, 3, 2, 1, and you’re rolling!..."

I tried to stay easy up that first hill. Overall, I tried to stay easy on the entire way out - I wanted to go hard, but I didn’t want to have to end the TT “limping” to the line. I got a little depressed 4 minutes into my ride: the person who started behind me went FLYING by me when I was only 3:55 into my ride. “Damn. I’m gonna get totally owned tonight...” (Looking at the results later, that guy finished 5th with an average of 26.6 mph.)

• 1/4 done (mile 2.75): 22.3 mph average.

That was good so far. I wanted to pick up the pace by the end, but it was respectable at this point. Nearing the turn-around, I hadn’t been passed again. In fact, I was gaining on someone else. I passed her just before the turn-around. That was all my action for the day: got passed early in my race, and then passed someone about half way in.

• 1/2 done (mile 5.5): 22.3 mph average.

We turned back into the sun, and headed for home. My legs were starting to feel heavy. I only had a little Gatorade left (I started with about 1/3 of a bottle), and my mouth was DRY. I worked my way up and down the hills, and tried to stay consistent.

• 3/4 done (mile 8.25): 22.2 mph average.

Gah! My average dropped by 0.1 mph! I was hurting, but now I just had a few miles of pain left. Time to crank it all home. I saw the final hill coming up. I knew I had to get up that hill, and then crank down the hill on the other side towards the finish line. There was one problem: there was a tractor and baler on the road that I had to pass. As I was cranking up that last hill (at a solid 22.5 mph!), I had to swing wide and pass an old tractor and baler. The tractor was “running a little rich” as Matt would say, meaning it was spewing out the exhaust. That was a fun little job. I got around the baler, up the rest of the hill, and pushed my way home.

Matt had finished 20 minutes earlier. I said “hi” to him on my way out as he was headed back in, and he looked like he was working. Here he is coming to the finish with a 23.44 mph average:

I hit 34.8 mph down that last hill, meaning I might have saved a little too much for the end. Pharmie heard a funny noise just before I finished. As I got closer to her, she realized that the noise was my breathing! Over that last mile, it was like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the world for me!

I came rolling through the finish line with a 22.6 mph average.

Official Results:
Time: 29:17.07 (14:49 out, 14:27 back)
Speed: 22.54 mph
Place: 46 out of 65

This was Matt’s 4th TT, and he’s been getting better and better. Last night, he finished 36th with a 23.44 mph average. Nice!

I pulled up next to Matt, and we talked about the hellish ride:

And then that damn baler came by:

I smiled as it drove past:

Settle down: that’s just my water bottle...

Matt and I rode off into the sunset together:

And a big thanks to Pharmie for coming to check out the TT and taking all those photos!! Thanks Hun!

We match everywhere we go. Gross.

So, overall, it was a pain-fest. Going into it, I figured it’d hurt like a 5K. But actually, I think racing a 5K hurts a little more. I think I could have pushed a little harder in the middle of the ride, so I’ll try that next time. I wouldn’t mind doing a few of these a year.

Well, I’m off to teach class. Then I think I have a date with the pool! Happy Hump Day!

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Workout Updates (and “Splash and Dash” Video)

• Friday: 6x800s while getting my recalled car fixed. Good use of time while waiting at the dealership. I ran on a bike trail along Cty Rd C between Cleveland and Fairview. Each was just shy of 800 meters. I gave myself 90 seconds rest. I ran them faster and faster (only because I ran my first 2 way too slow...):

- 2:47
- 2:40
- 2:36
- 2:33
- 2:28
- 2:26

Then I went back to pick up my car all smelly and sweaty.

• Saturday: hard 31 mile ride. First 10 were against the wind with a 18.1 mph average. Turning with the wind, my average BOLTED up: 19.8 at mile 20. Then I headed into downtown to scout for locations for an upcoming photoshoot. I got back home with 31 miles under my belt with about a 20.0 mph average.

• Sunday: 4.4 mile tempo run. Ran it HARD. Finished in 26:39, which is about 6:09 / mile. That makes my “TC 10 Mile” dream goal of 60 minutes seem like a far away wet dream. We’ll see what I can do over the next 2 months.

• Curt put together a quick video of the “Splash and Dash” that I did a few weeks back. He was the race director AND the videographer. Here’s the video. It’s awesomely awesome.

Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsuUulqMq30

Personal Highlights:
- 0:42: I hit the water, realized it was still very shallow, and I popped up to run a little more.
- 1:04: I flash a “thumbs up” to the camera, but it’s sped up, so it’s hard to see.
- 1:25: I had to sit down to put on my shoes (shoes tied too tight and thumb still sore).
- 2:46: bad “swim cap hair”
- 3:45: I knew I had an awkward stride, and it’s even MORE awkward in slow-mo. Thanks Curt. Thanks a lot. ;) (But I WAS gaining on Jason!)
- 5:54: super epic super slow-mo finish for the last finisher!

• Tomorrow night is going to be my first Time Trial! I’m headed out to the 11 mile Tuesday Night Time Trial (TNT) after class tomorrow. Should be fun. Or 11 miles of hell. I don’t know. I’ll be back to let you know how it goes!

p.s. Check out my post from yesterday and add your 2 cents if you can. I’m trying to help a friend who has a less-than-supportive significant other. There’s been lots of good advice already!

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Help a “Friend” Who Has a Problem. Really... a “Friend...”

This isn’t one of those hypothetical situations where I’m really talking about myself. Really. I’m sincerely looking for advice for a friend.

A friend of mine is having relationship issues because of how much time she spends working out and training for races. Her significant other thinks she’s “selfish” and wishes she’d have more time to spend with him. She started dating him when she was a student and he was working all the time - she could workout 2 hours a day, and he’d be at work so he wouldn’t care. Now that she has a full-time job as well, she has to train after work during “their time.”

I was “that guy” once. When Pharmie and I were dating in college, she was training for her first few marathons. (I wasn’t into running or triathlons at that point.) I remember bringing up a conversation something like “well, do you like me or running more?” What an ass. Pharmie didn’t push me into running and tris, but after a few years, I just started getting sucked in. Now I can’t imagine a conversation like that between us. We both just understand that we might spend a weekend “together” out on separate long bike rides or runs.

My friend asked me for advice on how to handle her significant other. Actually, since I’ve been blogging, many people have asked me questions like this, and I NEVER have a good answer. Have any of you been through this situation? How should someone handle this situation? I’m sure there’s no easy answer, but if you have any thoughts, we’d GREATLY appreciate it.

Here’s the best answer that I HAVEN’T sent her: “Before leaving for each workout, spend 15 minutes doing whatever he’d like to him. Think... sexually. Not annoyed anymore, is he?” Yeah, probably not the best idea. Or is it? I dunno. I’m bad at this.

If you have any advice, ideas, thoughts, or shared experiences, I (and my friend) would REALLY appreciate it! Thanks everyone!!

Update (4 hours 30 minutes after posting): My friend saw this post before I was able to tell her about it, and she’s seen the first 10 comments or so as well.

Here’s part of what she wrote to me: “...it looks like the most common answer among the majority is compromise... running jayhawk, trimybest, and jess have been the most help!”

Thanks for all your thoughts! Please, keep them coming!

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Chisago Triathlon Race Photos!

Last Sunday was like my bazillionth triathlon (well, more like my 14th or so), but I still can’t stop thinking about it because of how awesome my CVA Tri Club students did! The official race photos are up, so I thought I’d share them.

Here’s Hannah rocking a smile all freakin’ day:

I’ve never seen someone with such a consistent “triathlon face” as Trent:

Here’s Sarah rocking her bright suit all day, making her easy to spot:

Evan is the opposite of Trent: ALWAYS a different face:

“Tongue in cheek” face. Literally.


“This F’in hurts” face.


“Beat-up at the finish” face.

I had to Photoshop out some of Evan’s boy parts in that last photo - “things” were on display. I guess that’s part of my job. If you want to see the unaltered photo, you’ll have to go look it up yourself. Creep.

Here are my photos. I don’t know why I look so smug coming out of the water:

I call this “Bicep and Chest Sweat.” Yum.


What the hell is my left leg doing?!?...

After that, I changed clothes and cheered in others as I waited for Pharmie. I grabbed a spot near the finish. You can see me on the right in red:

Here’s Pharmie being chanced down by a Ford:

Remember how Pharmie hurled just after crossing the finish line? Well, the race photographer NEARLY caught the hot mess:

You know how I like to look through the race photos and find awkward / funny photos? Well, this time, I found a photo of this guy in a sweet 2XU tri suit finishing the swim WITH A FREAKIN’ LIFE JACKET!!

Isn’t that against the rules? Shortly after seeing that one, I found another!...

I can’t explain it. I don’t know what was going on. And that women still has her chip on, so it’s not like she said, “Give me a life jacket to get back to shore - I’m officially quitting." Strange.

Anyway, hoped you liked all the photos! Have a great weekend!!

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Friday Funny 47: Videos

(For some reason, you need to turn up the volume on each of these before watching. Volume is in the lower right of all the video players...)

Ninja Squirrel:

From: Heavy.com

Blindfolded Prank:

From: Heavy.com

OK, this one isn't funny, but have you seen this?!? A new Tron movie?! Sweet!! Check out the new LightCycles! Maybe you should click on the link below this video to go directly to Heavy.com so you can watch it full screen. Really.

From: Heavy.com

Back tomorrow with official race photos from the triathlon last weekend. Happy Friday!!

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Square Lake Open Water Swim

Monday, the day after the Chisago Lakes Sprint Triathlon, I just lifted weights, did some core work, stretched, and foam-rolled my legs.

Tuesday, I went on an easier bike ride. Most of the time, I ride at 95-100% effort, but this ride was around 85%. I hadn’t found my bike computer since coming home from the race (it was hiding in Pharmie’s car), so it was the first ride in a LONG time that I was riding with no information.

I did the familiar “River Road / Shepard Road / Summit Ave” loop that I like to do. I know that’s 15.8 miles. But I added on a trip across the Smith Street “High Bridge” and back. And instead of killer Ramsey Hill, I took the longer (but more gentle) route of Kellogg Ave. Mapping my route afterward told me it was about 18.36 miles. And I had hit my watch to give me an estimation of my time: I did that ride in 56:40, which would come out to be 19.44 mph if everything is accurate. Nice ride to “get the lead out.” I ended the night with a Monkey.

Wednesday had an early alarm: I was up at 5:15 to head out to Square Lake with Julia for an open water swim. I met her at the Y parking lot at 6, and we headed out to the lake with Sara and Kelly. (Both Sarah and Kelly are doing the 2 mile Lake Superior swim in about 10 days! Good luck!!)

The water was calm and the day was brisk when we got out there. We all got ready to swim: Julia changed into a “speed suit,” Sara put on her wetsuit, and Kelly and I swam just in our suits:

Julia, Sara, and Kelly

I didn’t need want to swim as long as them. We ended up swimming out to buoy #1 which was near a diving raft:

We treaded water for a moment, and then swam out to buoy #2 way the heck out there. We turned around after about 14:00. I kept up with Julia and Kelly until the first buoy - after that, they kept pulling away. Nearing shore, the ladies were all going to swim across the front of the swim area for a few laps. I thought “what the hell...” and I joined them for a lap. I ended up in the water for about 39:00, with about 60-90 seconds of that being treading water as we talked. Good swim!!

The ladies did a few more laps, and I walked along the beach. It’s this clarity that people love about swimming in Square Lake:

I apologize for the nasty, wet, matted body hair...

At most lakes in the Cities, that shot above would be dark and green. Square Lake is BEAUTIFUL for swimming!

Then, once back at the Y after the swim, I lifted a bit and did a little core work, as well as a little stretching and foam rolling.

Finally, in the early evening (after a morning of grading final projects from my summer class and then working on my porch remodel all afternoon), I did a solid 6 mile run in 38:55 (average of 6:29 pace).

Today (Thursday) I’m not doing anything physical. I’m finishing grading now, and then it’s back to the porch!

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2009 Chisago Lakes Triathlon

My last post was all about 4 CVA Tri Club students who finished their first sprint tri at the Chisago Lakes Triathlon on Sunday. This post is my report.

Pharmie and I got up and headed to the race site. I was HOPING my 4 students would be there!! After a quick set-up and bumping into a few friends, I saw all 4 students - whew! Pharmie was doing the Half IM, and I was doing the sprint. Some of the aisles in the Half IM part of transition were a LITTLE tight. Here’s a shot of Pharmie’s row from later in the day:

We headed down to the water, and Pharmie and I grabbed a quick photo:

(I had to Photoshop out my junk. It was very visibly
3 o'clock, if you know what I mean...)

I gave her a quick smooch, and she was off to start in an early Half IM wave. I hung back and talked to my students. I kept reminding them to not let their adrenaline take over in the swim: “Keep calm and easy! Swim to the outside for clean water if it helps keep you more relaxed!” I knew I was going to spend most of my race thinking about them and hoping they were doing OK!

Wave 12: On your marks... GO!!

400 Meter Swim:

I had to follow my own advice: I stayed to the outside, and I kept it easy. It was only a 400 meter swim (that was WAY long), but last year I went out WAY too hard and was spent at the turn-around. Staying to the outside worked GREAT, as I only brushed up against 2 people over the course of the entire swim. It wasn’t necessarily a FAST swim, but it was a GOOD swim.

I was rounding the turn around buoy after 5:02, and I hit the beach in 10:51. By the time I had ran up the beach, up the grassy hill, and crossed the transition mat, my “400 meter swim” officially went in the books as 11:36. Yeah. That was fairly longer than 400 meters.

T1:

As I was running up the beach, my 4 tri club students were standing next to the path cheering for me (they were all in later waves). I smiled and yelled “the swim’s a little long - just stay calm - you can do it!” as I ran past throwing them high-fives.

Helmet on. Sunglasses on. Shoes on. Got bike? Let’s go.

21 Mile Bike:

My biggest personal goal for the day was to push hard on the bike. We got out of town, and the bike field spread out. (I started in wave 12, which was only the 2nd sprint wave [waves 1-10 were all for the Half IM.]) I passed a woman about half way in who said “Oh good! I AM on the right course!” She hadn’t seen anyone in a while either.

I spent a lot of my race thinking about things that I never told my students! Every time I came to a normal, minor triathlon obstacle, I thought about how I never warned my students. I’ve forgotten most of them already, but it was things like “Watch for the arrows when the Half IM and Sprint courses split, and make sure to take the correct one!” And “take a few miles to let your stomach settle after the swim, then pump the fluids a little harder near the middle of the bike. But not too much near the end of the bike because you don’t want to be running with a sloshy stomach!” Etc, etc.

Overall, a pretty uneventful, quiet, lonely ride. I followed my game plan pretty well. I checked my overall average every 5 miles, and here’s what it was:

- 20.6 at mile 5
- 20.8 at mile 10
- 21.1 at mile 15
- 21.3 at mile 21.2 (end of bike)

The bike course was a little longer than 21 miles (according to my computer). During a perfect day, I was hoping to break or get really close to 1 hour on the bike. Well, my time of 59:59.1 still left me 0.9 seconds to spare! ;)

T2:

Normal T2 stuff: bike racked, running shoes on, pondered Obama’s stimulus package and how it tilts more towards new spending as opposed to tax cuts, etc, etc.

5K Run:

My second biggest goal for the day was to see how close to 19 minutes I could get in the 5K. I know, I know... that’s pretty nuts. But it was what I was shooting for. I had pushed hard on the bike, so I knew 19:00 was not gonna happen. But I was still going to give her hell!

Mile 1: 6:21. “Yeah, 19:00 is out.”

Turn-around: 10:06. I don’t know why, but I KNEW I was still going to finish sub-20 for the run. I knew I had some “left in the tank,” and I could negative split the run.

Mile 2: 6:33. I was slowing down, but again, I KNEW I’d be able to pick it up. Maybe I was running too easy. I started upping the pace just before mile 2.

Last 1.1 miles: 6:48. That got me in with a 5K time of 19:52. Not where I wanted it, but I made up a lot of time with a solid bike performance, so I still felt great about my race.

Rudy snapped a few photos of me hitting the finish line:

Freshly shorn legs carrying me home!


I’m only dry in a few spots...

Official results:

• Swim 400 Meters*: 11:36.5
73rd fastest male
16th in AG

• T1: 1:30.3 (63rd male, 15th in AG)

• Bike 21 Miles: 59:59.1
83rd fastest male
15th in AG

• T2: 0:31.1 (19th male, 3rd in AG)

• Run 5K: 19:52.2 (6:24 pace)
12th fastest male
4th in AG

• Total: 1:33:29.6
47th out of 822 overall
40th out of 375 men
9th out of 59 in AG

* When the top swimmer out of 822 does the 400 meter swim in 8:18 (2:04 / 100), I think we can safely say it was a long swim!

Highlights:

• Fastest bike average (according to my computer) that I’ve ever posted during a race: 21.3 mph! (Previously, it was last year at this race where I posted 21.0 mph, but that was on a bike course that was 4 miles shorter!)
• T2!?! That fast?! That’s not me! I’m a dawdler in transition! Oh well, I’ll take it!!
• Fastest 5K in a triathlon that I’ve ever posted! (I’ve done better in a few duathlons.)

Well, my day was FAR from over. I had 4 tri club students on my tail, and Pharmie was going to be out there for a while on the Half IM course. I got through the finisher’s chute, took my camera from Rudy, and ran back to the other side of transition to the point where the bike course and run course are side-by-side so I could watch for Evan, Sarah, Trent, and Hannah to come in.

I cheered for Evan when he came in off the bike. And then again when he was headed out on the run. Only when he was running, my voice cracked as I shouted “Go Evan!” It surprised me. I was close to getting a little emotional at the sight of the CVA Tri Club getting close to finishing their first race! It totally caught me off guard! My eyes weren’t getting teary at all, but there was a little lump in the back of my throat.

So I saw Evan come in on the bike, and take off on the run. Sarah and Trent headed into T2 about the same time. At that point, my head was on a swivel: Evan could be coming back from the west at any time, Sarah and Trent could be coming from the east at any moment, and Hannah was still on the bike coming in from the north! I was spinning around and around with my camera making sure I didn’t miss anyone!! It was like some sort of bad triathlon waltz! (If you didn’t see all the photos and their race reports in the previous post, make sure to scroll down to check it out! Their short race reports are pretty great!!)

All 4 of them finished, and it was time to track them down. I congratulated all of them!! (And there might have been sweaty hugs.) I was STARVING and THIRSTY because I bypassed the food tent post-race to make sure I didn’t miss any of my students. So I ran through the food line and got some PB&J sandwiches, some wheat rolls, a banana, 2 chocolate milks, and some Swedish pancakes!!

I grabbed a shot of the CVA tri club members hanging out while we were all eating. Trent had to take off with his family pretty quick, so he was already gone. Here’s Sarah, Evan, and Hannah who all just finished the race, along with Rudy who snapped all the great photos of them in the water that you saw in my last post:

Sitting there, I saw a few of my friends go running by to start the run portion of their Half IM. Here’s a shot of Jeremy heading out, feeling great:

After being on PR pace and feeling great, Jeremy ended up having a rough run. Pharmie spotted him in an ambulance getting IV fluid and trembling. It was heat stroke. Jeremy e-mailed me to let me know he didn’t die, and he said the race director gave him a ton of hugs as well as a free entry into next year’s race. Anything’s better than finishing in an ambulance, so let’s go for that next year - what do you think Jeremy? ;)

Anyway, Pharmie came running out of T2 a bit later. She was on PR pace!!

I saw my students off, and I went to get changed. (That tri suit gets funky and uncomfortable after too many hours.) Here’s a shot of me nude in a porta-potty:

Technically, I’m not nude - socks.

My spot in transition was looking lonely. There were only about 5 bikes left from the 800 that did the sprint distance. Here’s Goldilocks alone on a rack, with all the Half IM racks in the distance:

I cheered home all kinds of runners. I got to see a lot of friends, too. You’d think hanging around for 2+ hours would be boring, but once you get a few local races under your belt, you find out there’s always someone there to talk to that you’ve met before!

Before I knew it, Pharmie was headed to the finish line with a major Half IM PR!!

I didn’t know it as I was taking these photos, but she was pushing herself so hard at the end of the run that she was about to puke. In this photo as she ran by, you can see her pursed lips, trying to hold “everything” down:

She crossed the finish line far to the right because she was ready to lean over the fence and hurl...

...but she said there was all kinds of expensive-looking timing equipment over the fence, so she held it until she got to the back of the finisher’s chute. And then she let go. Right into a Rubbermaid container. She said she INSTANTLY felt better. Here she is with her finisher’s medal and her Rubbermaid of puke:

That’s my girl!

Congrats on your Half IM PR, Pharmie!! And congrats to the CVA Triathlon Club members (Evan, Sarah, Trent, and Hannah) who finished their first sprint triathlon too!! What a great day!!

Monday, the day after the race, I received this note from Hannah and Sarah:

I’ll be back with some official race photos when they come in. I’m excited to see the whole gang out there at work!! If you haven’t see the photos and read the reports of the 4 CVA Tri Club members, make sure to check out the great post below!

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