Overall, this week has been a rest week.  That doesn’t mean I haven’t been doing anything – I’d go crazy just sitting around.  Instead, I’ve been doing light workouts at a low intensity.

This afternoon, was my hardest workout of the week, a mini duathlon.  A co-worker tipped me off to an alumni 5k after Catholic Central’s, my alma mater, first cross country meet of the season.  This is the first year that they were going to have a 5k for alumni, parents, and friends in hopes of making it an annual event. 

The team races at Riverside Park which is exactly 7 miles (according to the Garmin) from our house.  Unfortunately, there is no good way to get there without biking through some heavily trafficked* areas.  Nevertheless, I headed out on my bike at 4:30 for a 5:30 start time.  As I started to ride, the rain started to fall.  I got pretty wet on the way to the park before the rain let up.

When I got to the park, I ran in a woman I swim with at the pool.  Her son is on the XC team.  I had no idea he went to Catholic Central, let alone ran XC.  Small world.  After chatting with her, I looked for the XC coach.  At that time, he was unsure if they were even going to do the event because the turnout was so low.  In the end, they decided to go forward with the race despite only having 5 participants.

We all toed the line; two marathon runners, myself, and two younger guys fresh out of highschool.  The two young guys took off like a shot followed by one of the marathoners leaving me in 4th place.  I had completely forgotten how different it is running on grass, especially wet, muddy grass, than it is on pavement.  It felt like I was barely moving.

After the first mile, one of the young guys started to drop back and I moved up to 3rd place where I would end up finishing.  I ended up with a 20:42 time and was completely drained.  I can’t say that I am anxious to do more XC runs though.  I’ll stick to the solid surfaces.

After the run, I hopped back on my bike and road the 7 miles back home to complete my bike-run-bike duathlon.

I’m thinking of doing a longish run (10-12 miles) tomorrow or Saturday, but I am going to completely play it by ear on how I feel.

*I have a general disdain for words that require a “k” added when making them past tense.  Just thought I’d share.

Is my taper half over? Or is that I still have half of the taper to go?  I’d like to think of myself as a glass half full sort of person so I’ll go with the former.

So far, the taper has been completely uneventful which to say it has been perfect.  I’ve done a couple of easy swims, short bike rides, and quick runs to keep myself from going completely crazy.  Today I cleaned my bike and made sure everything was tightened, adjusted, and greased.

The one stupid thing I did was look at last year’s results for the Breakwater Triathlon.  There were about 100 HIM finishers last year, so it looks like it is going to be a fairly small event.  That shouldn’t be the issue.  The issue is the bike course.  I know, I know, I have complained about this already and I swear this is the last time (at least until my race report).  Last year, the fastest bike split was 20.9 mph with an overall average of 16.8mph and an age group (25 – 29) average of 17.4mph.  Compare this to the overall average of 19.7mph and age group average of 20.1mph at Steelhead.  So, what does this mean to me?  It looks like I should expect up to a 3mph slower bike split.  Yikes!  Good to know, but sort of intimidating.

That said, I am going to make my goal 18mph on the bike.  I did a 34 mile ride earlier this month on part of the course at a 17.2mph pace.  That ride was a casual ride and I really didn’t feel like I was giving it my all.  Especially after having done a 56 mile ride the previous day.  So, I think 18mph is a fair race pace to set for this course.

The run is my chance to shine.  So far, I haven’t been 100% happy with how I have finished the run.  My best outing was at Racing for Recovery where I logged a 1:41:32 on a shortened course.  Adjusted for the distance, I would have come in around 1:50:00.  In hindsight, I’m happy with that time, but the unofficialness slightly diminishes it for me.  So, my goal for this weekend – 1:47:00.  How did I come up with that time?  Well, my half marathon PR is 1:37:XX (7:24 pace).  I’m giving myself an extra 45 seconds per mile which equates to an estimated 8:10 pace.  A challenge, but definitely doable.  This will definitely be the nicest HIM run course I have done.  A simple 6.5 out, 6.5 back on a bike path.  No endless loops and no big hills.

For the swim, the course is sort of a funny L-shape.  This means extra turns or the way I like to look at it – extra places to accidentally lengthen the course.  Also, with fewer athletes, there will be less chances to draft.  On the other hand it will be less crowded and shouldn’t be too physical.  I’m going to shoot for a swim time of 35 minutes.

So, that means 35 minute swim + 3 minute T1 + 3:07 bike + 2 minute T2 + 1:47 run = 5:34.  Yikes.  Seeing it added up like that makes it seem awfully aggressive – at least for this course.  Oh well, I’d rather set an aggressive goal than sell myself short.

Finally, if you have a chance, head over to The Last Month, a blog by a high school friend who is doing her first half Ironman at Breakwater this weekend.  Read her story here and wish her luck!  Good luck Becky and I’ll see you in Petoskey!

I have had some great bike rides this week.  However, before I get into the details, I have to get something off my chest.  It bugs me to no end when I see cyclists deliberately breaking the rules of the road.  Today, for instance, I saw a bike who was stopped behind three cars at a red light.  Rather than waiting in the position he was stopped in, he biked along the left of the cars and pulled out into the front.  Didn’t he learn in kindergarten that cutters go to the back of the line???  I always want to say something to people who are setting a bad example because they just make it worse for the rest of us, but I never do. So, my question to all of you, have you ever corrected someone’s law or etiquette infractions on the bike?  What has been your response from the offender?  Anger? Cockiness? Ignorance?

Any ways, onto my bike rides.  While up in Harbor Springs, I did two bike rides.  If I had to describe the rides in two words, they would be “Holy (bleeping) Hills!!!!” (bleeps don’t count as words right?)

Ride #1 Tunnel of Trees

For my first ride, I headed up M-119 to the Tunnel of Trees.  The Tunnel of Trees is a state designated scenic road along the shore of Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Bay.  It was a gorgeous, but hilly ride.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

The entire stretch of road is essentially a single lane.  It was almost like a bike path that cars were allowed on.  Because the road is so narrow and windy, the speed limit is only 25-35mph.  On top of that, if two cars are going in opposite directions, you really almost have to go off the edge of the road as you pass by each other.  Because of these limitations, the road has very light traffic and is generally only used by tourists and cyclists.

The ride consisted of lots of ups and downs.  The ups sucked, but the downs were a ton of fun.  I was hitting 40-45mph on some of the down hills.  It was good practice for descending hills without riding the brakes.

I stopped to snap this picture, but didn’t stay long for fear of running into any wandering spirits.  This sign was at one of the hair pin curves along the course.  It was quite an adrenalin rush to ride down the hill and around the curve at 30mph.

The tunnel would occasionally open up with gorgeous views of the lake.  It was a serious drop off down to the water though, so you really couldn’t get to the beach from the road.

Unfortunately, the weather was a bit overcast on the day I chose to ride.  In fact, when I got to the turn around point in Cross Village, it had started to rain.  Despite not raining in Harbor Springs, I ended up getting drenched through and through at the halfway point.

This is the elevation chart from the first half of the ride.  I did an out and back for a total of about 56 miles, so the second half the elevation chart is the reverse of the above.  As you can see, lots of ups and downs with very little flat stretches.

I had multiple technical difficulties on this ride which was a big pain in the butt.  First off, my Garmin wasn’t fully charged.  I figured I would use it as long as the battery held off, but then forgot to start it on the way out.  So, I was just going to rely on my Cateye bike computer.  However, when I got to the halfway point, I accidentally reset it when I tried to cycle through the functions.  And then to add to the mix, my stupid Profile Design saddle mounted bottle cage fell off just short of the halfway point.  I really need to email Profile Design to see if they will replace it because no matter how much I tighten it, it loosens up after about 100 miles of riding.

Because of the problems with the Garmin and bike computer, I don’t know my exact time, but I am estimating the ride was about 3 hours and 15 minutes which put me at just over a 17mph average.  It was a great relaxing ride and a cool way to explore the area.

Ride #2 Breakwater Course Preview

My second ride was on a portion of the Breakwater Half IM course.  I wanted to ride part of the course in case I decide to do the race at the end of the month.  Yep, that’s right, not only am I thinking of doing another HIM, but I am procrastinating about making the decision.

This was less than a mile into the ride and already a good sized climb.  I have a bad feeling about this…

It didn’t get any better.  This course was even hillier than the Tunnel of Trees route.  And after the first ride, my legs were already tired which didn’t help.

After I got out of downtown Petoskey, the road was more or less a country road with a good sized shoulder.  The road wasn’t particularly smooth, but I’ve ridden on worse.  It was primarily a chip and sealed road that was worn down over time.

I ended up riding 17 miles out and then turning around.  I was only going to do 15 out, but at the 15 mile mark, I saw another hill in the distance.  At that point, I turning into a hill-slayer and wanted to slay every hill in sight.  No hill was too big.  So, I charged off for another climb before turning around.

Finally a down hill! YAY!! The ride back into downtown Petoskey was much more downhill than the way out. There were still a couple of climbs, but nothing like the way out.

Again, I did an out and back course.  Above is the first half of the course with the second half being the reverse.

I ended up finishing in just under 2 hours for a 17.2mph average over the 34 miles.  This was another great ride and was really took a lot out of me.

Breakwater Petoskey Half IM Course

After my test ride of the Petoskey HIM course, I went back and looked at the actual course map.  I realized that I didn’t quite ride the course correctly and that the actual course would be a bit easier than what I rode.  That was a semi-relief.  It will still be a very tough bike course with lots of good climbs though.  Probably not a PR course with all of the hills, but it will be a challenge.

On the plus side, the run course is almost entirely flat.  It is a 6.5 mile out and back along the waterfront so there should be any hills.  I like the prospect of doing a simple out and back course versus the loops I have had to do at my previous HIMs.  I would think that an out and back would be mentally easier than the loops.

Now, I just have to make the decision.  To do the race or not to do the race.  I’m really not looking forward to another 4 hour drive (each way) to Petoskey, but I really want to get a 3rd HIM in this season.  I guess it is time to head on over to Priceline and see if Will Shatner can find us a hotel.

Tool time!  Taper time!

Yep, less than a week until the Steelhead 70.3 which means it is time to rest up.  I’ve logged the hours, put in the time and effort, and now, as Kristin and Lindsay say, “The hay is in the barn.”

My training for this year began on February 1st for my Racing for Recovery Tri in June and continued on after that.  Since that time,

• I’ve logged 673 miles in my Brooks in 91 hours, 21 minutes
• That’s the 13.1 mile distance more than 51 times
• I’ve logged 2,181 miles on the bike in 120 hours, 2 minutes
• That’s the 56 mile distance nearly 39 times.
• I only logged 2,612 miles in all of 2009
• I’ve logged 9, 50+ mile rides
• I biked my first century
• I’ve logged 85.13 miles in the pool in 48 hours, 26 minutes
• That’s the 1.2 mile distance nearly 71 times.
• PR-ed the Marathon distance with a 3:34 in April
• Semi-PR-ed the HIM distance at Racing for Recovery (shortened course)

My goals for Steelhead are as follows:

• Log an official 70.3 PR on a full course.  Ideally in the 5:20 – 5:30 range. (I finished in 6:08 last year)
• Don’t bonk on the run.  I’d love to see an 8:00 minute pace (or better) for the run.  (I completely bonked last year and moseyed in with a 2:14 run split)
• Have fun!

Here’s to hoping I don’t go taper crazy!

Lastly, a prayer of thanksgiving as Jennie walked away unscathed from a potentially serious car accident today.  The last thing I wanted to see when I got home from my bike ride was a text message mentioning the accident and missed call from her.  Some bone head was in the left turn lane of a 55mph road and decided he didn’t want to turn anymore so he turned back into the flow of traffic leaving Jennie no choice but to slam on her brakes and skid out onto a side street.  The two cars behind her didn’t share her cat like reflexes and it ended up being a 4 car accident.  Thankfully Jennie was unharmed and although less important, the car had very little damage; a couple of scratches and some paint transfer.  I’m glad to see that her guardian angel was on duty and paying attention!  I can’t imagine what I would do without her!

Today had a crappy start.  Quite literally.  Our toilet sprung a leak and needed attention.  Thankfully it wasn’t a big leak and was fixed by replacing the wax seal.  Whoever replaced the seal in the first place did a shoddy job at best.  Despite being a relatively easy job, I still managed to make quite a mess of the bathroom.  Anyways, the trip to Lowes, repair, and subsequent cleanup took most of the morning. 

As much of a pain as the repair was, it was just what I needed to bust me out of my funk.  My last two days of workouts were lackluster at best and today was looking to be that way too.  However, the frustration and work of the toilet repair got me in the mood to workout.  Nothing like a good swim and run to de-stress.

Saturday is my last day of major workouts before I begin my taper, so I wanted to finish strong before the mandatory rest.  I had initially planned on an open water swim this morning, but the weather was iffy (rain and possible storms) and I didn’t want to drive over there only to not be able to swim.  So, I hit up the pool at the normal lunch hour.  I did an easy continuous 2100 yards.  I finished in just under 38 minutes.  I think hope I’ll be a bit faster in the open water with a wetsuit at Steelhead.  Last year’s time was 39:25 and I think I can top that.

After the swim, I got to work on the bar area.  I am finally to the point where I can start assembling everything.  I ordered the laminate for the countertop while I was at Lowes, so I’ll finish that up next week when it comes in.  Other than that, the only “problem” I only had was that I only had room for one of the two shelves.  When I designed the shelves, I didn’t factor in the space needed for hanging the wine glasses.  Oh well, I already have a plan for the second shelf elsewhere.

After getting as much done with the bar as possible, I headed out on my run.  The run went surprisingly well.  Despite the insane heat and humidity I still managed to do 6 miles in just over 46 minutes.  I was pretty drained by the end and chugged a bunch of water afterwards.  After a short break, I ran 2 miles with Jennie as her coach and water bottle carrier.

Overall, I’m glad to have gotten in two solid workouts today.  I have a short bike ride and run (in a non-brick format) scheduled for tomorrow.  Hopefully the heat breaks a bit and I can have one last day of good workouts before Taper Time.

Good luck to everyone doing (Kristin),  or volunteering at (Jon, Caratunk Girl) IM Lake Placid!