The new year is in full swing now! The training for the Little Rock half is going well. I've been feeling great during my runs and have stayed injury free so far! A couple of races are coming up the next couple of weeks that will allow me to see where my training is at. The first one is Jan. 26th. It is the Scout Trail Run out at Burns Park. It is a 3.8 mile using the green trail. While not a road race, I will be able to see how I feel after a long week of training. The weekend after is the River Trail 15k. This is one of my favorite races of the year. I will have a mini-taper to allow myself to hopefully have a great race. The goal for the race will be to average 7:10-7:15 min/mile pace. I will need to average this to reach my goal of 1:35 at the half.
There's the update so far. Enjoy a little swim video to get your self ready for summer!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Happy New Year 2013
Welcome to 2013!!! Of course, it started 5 days ago, but I hope everyone's new year has started out great! We survived the Myans before we moved into 2013, so I guess it is a new beginning. I know a lot of people have resolutions, but I think of my year/life as a small series of goals that I try to reach. Some small goals lead to larger goals, but I feel if I can break things down then it is easier to reach my goal. So for 2013, I have a few goals/things to do.
Being that I like to call this blog Pinnacle Adventure Travel. There are already a few adventures, challenges, and races planned for this year. Keep reading and find out more.
The first big race of the year for me will be the Little Rock Half Marathon. My goal for this race is to run under 1:40. The second goal is finish around 1:35. My training has gone well so far. I've felt good as I've increase my running distance. At end of Jan/beginning of Feb, I will get to race a couple of events that will allow me to see where I'm at. I have the One Hour Track run the 27th and the next weekend will be the River Trail 15k. Also, during this time, I run a couple of trail races from DLT Events and start training for a couple of rides.
I have so far signed up for two big rides for 2013. The first one is the Ouachita Challenge. This a 60 mile mountain bike ride located in Southwest/central Arkansas on April 5th. The race starts in Oden, Ar, and the coursese combines the Ouachita Trail and the Womble Trail for 60 miles of epic mountain bike riding. Since, I'm somewhat new at mountain bike riding, I need to start mountain biking more which would be small goal to lead to the race. Below is the elevation and course map of this ride.
The second big ride for 2013 will be the Death Ride. What is the Death Ride, well it is a 129 mile tour over 5 passes in an area called the California Alps located in Alpine County, CA. The total elevation gain is 15,000ft!
This ride will be a test of endurance. I've looked at some Garmin/Strava files and most people are on the bike for 10hrs or more! With the Ouachita Challenge in April and this in July. I will have lots of riding to do!
The great thing about this ride is that it will allow me to also vacation out in the area and visit Yosemite. Which is one National Park I've always wanted to vist.
As far as other races for 2013, I would like to do a 70.3 at somepoint in the year. This will depend on how my training is going and what event will work best. I have thought about Kansas 70.3 and now with Branson returning as Rev 3 event. I may put this one down. I will again race triathlons throughout Arkansas (Hot Springs, Conway, Heber Springs, Arkadelphia) to name a few. Memphis in May is also on the list.
Again, as usual, I'm always one to enjoy traveling and the major travel goal is to get my passport stamped this year. My passport was disappointed that it received zero stamps in 2012, so for 2013, I will find somewhere to go! It may be toward the end of the year, but I have that goal.
The first trip of the year will be back out to San Francisco in Feb. I plan on visiting a friend out there and it looks like it could be a ski trip also. That would be great because I haven't been skiing in years! The trip will be a whirlwind for sure though. I plan on leaving after work on Wednesday. My flight leaves at 6:00pm and I get to San Francisco at 10:00pm. This leaves me with full days on Thursday-Sunday. However, I will get my first experience with a red-eye flight. I leave San Francisco at 12:53 am on Monday and arrive back in Little Rock at 8:35 am on Monday for the longest commute of my life! This should be adventure.
Well there is a short description of my first half of the year. It should be a great one! I haven't even though about the second part of the year yet!
Monday, December 31, 2012
2012 in Quick Review
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| AIM Time Trail - June |
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| Toad Suck - Tri September |
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| Sisters Wedding - St. Thomas - April |
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| Hr Track Run - Jan. |
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| San Fran Jan |
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| Cadron Trail Run - Feb |
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| Hot Springs Tri - June |
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| Boston - May |
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| Atop Mt. Magazine - March |
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| Takewondo |
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| Petit Jean - Seven Hollows |
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| Arkansas Snow - December |
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| United Flight 93 Memorial |
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| Pinnacle Race the Base - Dec. |
.jpg) |
| St. Thomas Wedding Fun |
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| Arkansas Tournament Nov |
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| Philadelphia - May |
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| Fun in the Rock |
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| Chicago - Aug - Northside/Southside Challenge |
2012 was a great year! There were some new beginnings and got the chance to continue to see many new places and visit friends! Let's up 2013 is even better!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
White Christmas Arkansas!
Two years ago, we had the most the snow I've seen in Arkansas in the 20 years I've lived here. I believe it was around 6". Well tonight, I know we've exceed that amount. Here is a short time lapse video of the snow from 6pm -9:30pm. My battery ran out on my GoPro. I also started about an hour after it started snowing.
Arkansas Snow from RJ Maguire on Vimeo.
Arkansas Snow from RJ Maguire on Vimeo.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy the holidays and stay safe out there!
It's about to snow here in Arkansas! Let it snow! 6" - 10" expected here in Conway!
It's about to snow here in Arkansas! Let it snow! 6" - 10" expected here in Conway!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Mt. Nebo Bench Trail Race
On Saturday December 16, I went out to Mt. Nebo for the 4 mile Bench Trail Race. The race was to take place along the bench trail which runs around Mt. Nebo.
The weather forecast was looking pretty good for the race. The rain from the previous evening had moved up and the cloud cover was going away as I made the driver out there. However, when I got closer to Nebo, the clouds were still hanging over.
The drive up the “mountain” was interesting with the dense fog and the switchbacks. I was planning on riding up Nebo with my bike after the race, so this gave me a great chance to see what I was getting into.
I arrived at the check in where it was still dense fog and cold. The wind was blowing pretty hard, which brought a pretty good chill to the air. The start to the race was about 1/4 mile downhill from the check-in. They had a truck and trailer available to shuttle people down. I decided to take the truck down that way I could at least save my legs a little. The grade downhill to the start is around 18%, so I would rather warmup closer to the start.
The start area was located on the bench part of the mountain, so that area was fairly flat. It allowed for a good warmup. At the time, I was still wearing long sleeves, but could tell that the air was warming with the cloud cover moving off. Also, this area had significantly less wind.
The start was a road start and went down the road a 1/4 mile before hitting the trail.
I know my problem with a lot of races is starting off quickly. I’ve been trying at the beginning to allow some of the crowd to pass, so that I can allow myself to settle into my own pace. They described the elevation before the race and it looked something like this.
I was moving along the first mile getting there in about 6:40. It was probably a little fast, but hey this a 4-mile race, it’s best to push hard. The second mile didn’t feel too bad, but I could tell my hip flexors were a little tight and my legs were a little heavy. I was still felt really good however. My second mile was a 7:22. Going into the third mile is when I was really starting to feel it. The uphill section was a more of killer than I thought!
At that point, I could really feel myself dragging, but knowing the end of was near I was going to fight. Heading into the final mile, I started to feel a side stich coming on. I had noticed that I wasn’t breathing effectively about half way through the race and this came back and bit me. I was going to push through the pain and make it to the end. Plus, I had someone behind me and I wasn’t going to let her pass!
I ended up with a time of 28:50 which ended up with a 15 overall placing and 3rd in my age group. Some takeaways from this race are the following, practice breathing and start working on some more temp runs.
Overall, this was a great race. The trail was wide and not technical at all. The race shirt was great and the age group prizes were beer glasses, so you can’t beat that. They also gave us Christmas ornaments that said 2012 Mt. Nebo Bench Trail Race which was a nice touch! The after race food was some chili and potato soup which made for a nice meal before I started my ride!
The weather forecast was looking pretty good for the race. The rain from the previous evening had moved up and the cloud cover was going away as I made the driver out there. However, when I got closer to Nebo, the clouds were still hanging over.
The drive up the “mountain” was interesting with the dense fog and the switchbacks. I was planning on riding up Nebo with my bike after the race, so this gave me a great chance to see what I was getting into.
I arrived at the check in where it was still dense fog and cold. The wind was blowing pretty hard, which brought a pretty good chill to the air. The start to the race was about 1/4 mile downhill from the check-in. They had a truck and trailer available to shuttle people down. I decided to take the truck down that way I could at least save my legs a little. The grade downhill to the start is around 18%, so I would rather warmup closer to the start.
The start area was located on the bench part of the mountain, so that area was fairly flat. It allowed for a good warmup. At the time, I was still wearing long sleeves, but could tell that the air was warming with the cloud cover moving off. Also, this area had significantly less wind.
The start was a road start and went down the road a 1/4 mile before hitting the trail.
I know my problem with a lot of races is starting off quickly. I’ve been trying at the beginning to allow some of the crowd to pass, so that I can allow myself to settle into my own pace. They described the elevation before the race and it looked something like this.
I was moving along the first mile getting there in about 6:40. It was probably a little fast, but hey this a 4-mile race, it’s best to push hard. The second mile didn’t feel too bad, but I could tell my hip flexors were a little tight and my legs were a little heavy. I was still felt really good however. My second mile was a 7:22. Going into the third mile is when I was really starting to feel it. The uphill section was a more of killer than I thought!
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| This Hurts |
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| Smile! |
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| To the finish |
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| You shall not pass! |
Overall, this was a great race. The trail was wide and not technical at all. The race shirt was great and the age group prizes were beer glasses, so you can’t beat that. They also gave us Christmas ornaments that said 2012 Mt. Nebo Bench Trail Race which was a nice touch! The after race food was some chili and potato soup which made for a nice meal before I started my ride!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Race the Base
Great race with a challenging course. There wasn't a lot elevation gain, but it was rocky. The first mile was pretty smooth and the final two were tough. I was following a group of 5 and was able pass four before the end. We all finished within one to two seconds behind each other!
I was to finish 9th overall and 3rd in my age group!
This was the first race of the Arkansas trail run series. Next race is the Mt. Nebo bench trail run. I'm excited for this run because I've never been out there.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Jumping out a Plane
This was from my trip last year to New Zealand, but I just recently figured out how to to take it from the DVD it was recorded on, transfer it to my computer, and then make it into a smaller file to upload unto to Vimeo. I knew how to complete the last step, it was the first step that always got me.
Anyways, as I was traveling around New Zealand there are a few places that you could go skydiving that are pretty awesome. My first attempt was going to be at Lake Taupo, but it ended up being to cloudy that day. Plus, I was hoping for a clear day! Another good location was Able Tasman, but I was looking for more of a mountain setting than beach. As we traveled down the west coast, I could have attempted it at Franz Josef, but thought the weather wouldn't clear. I missed a good opportunity there, but still had at least two more chances. Continuing down the coast, Lake Wanaka was another place, but there plane was in the service shop, so no jumping there! Finally, we arrive in Queenstown and I signed up knowing that I was going to have a couple of days there and an oppoturnity to could open.
Sure enought the next morning, we wake up and the sky is clear and the winds are light and it's time to jump. I decided that I wanted to go ahead and jump from 15,000ft. Might as well go to the top and get that one minute free fall.
We wait about 30 minutes before we are suitted up and taught some instructions for the jump. I would like to say that I wasn't nervous at this time, but I was getting there. Now it's time to head to the plane. We all load up and I'm the first on the plane and I'm going to be the last one off!
The ride up was very nice with the very of the mountains and the lake, but now I'm starting to get nervous. We reach 12,000ft and the people at that height start to jump out! 4 groups jump at 12,000ft and I am left with one other person who is jumping also at 15,000ft.
We start our climb to 15,000ft and finally reach the jump point. I think at this point I'm strangely calm realizing that there is only one way down. It's time to jump! We shuffle towards the door and being attached to someone you kinda of have to move forward. We hang off the edge and now it's time to jump! Watch and enjoy!
Skydiving Queenstown from RJ Maguire on Vimeo.
We freefall for a minute and the chute deploys. From there, it's a slow drop to the ground enjoying the views along the way. The freefall was awesome. I was surprised how clear my mind was even though we were rushing toward the ground at a high rate of speed. I even added a small swimming move and remember to show my hands for the way down!
NZone did a great job from start to finish. I did ask how many jumpers they had and the most customers in one day. The stated they had about 40 jumpers and one of their busiest days, they had 300 people. It was cool to be able to see them pack the chutes and get ready. It was almost like clock work there!
Maybe one day, I can head back.
Anyways, as I was traveling around New Zealand there are a few places that you could go skydiving that are pretty awesome. My first attempt was going to be at Lake Taupo, but it ended up being to cloudy that day. Plus, I was hoping for a clear day! Another good location was Able Tasman, but I was looking for more of a mountain setting than beach. As we traveled down the west coast, I could have attempted it at Franz Josef, but thought the weather wouldn't clear. I missed a good opportunity there, but still had at least two more chances. Continuing down the coast, Lake Wanaka was another place, but there plane was in the service shop, so no jumping there! Finally, we arrive in Queenstown and I signed up knowing that I was going to have a couple of days there and an oppoturnity to could open.
Sure enought the next morning, we wake up and the sky is clear and the winds are light and it's time to jump. I decided that I wanted to go ahead and jump from 15,000ft. Might as well go to the top and get that one minute free fall.
We wait about 30 minutes before we are suitted up and taught some instructions for the jump. I would like to say that I wasn't nervous at this time, but I was getting there. Now it's time to head to the plane. We all load up and I'm the first on the plane and I'm going to be the last one off!
The ride up was very nice with the very of the mountains and the lake, but now I'm starting to get nervous. We reach 12,000ft and the people at that height start to jump out! 4 groups jump at 12,000ft and I am left with one other person who is jumping also at 15,000ft.
We start our climb to 15,000ft and finally reach the jump point. I think at this point I'm strangely calm realizing that there is only one way down. It's time to jump! We shuffle towards the door and being attached to someone you kinda of have to move forward. We hang off the edge and now it's time to jump! Watch and enjoy!
Skydiving Queenstown from RJ Maguire on Vimeo.
We freefall for a minute and the chute deploys. From there, it's a slow drop to the ground enjoying the views along the way. The freefall was awesome. I was surprised how clear my mind was even though we were rushing toward the ground at a high rate of speed. I even added a small swimming move and remember to show my hands for the way down!
NZone did a great job from start to finish. I did ask how many jumpers they had and the most customers in one day. The stated they had about 40 jumpers and one of their busiest days, they had 300 people. It was cool to be able to see them pack the chutes and get ready. It was almost like clock work there!
Maybe one day, I can head back.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Martyn Ashton - Road Bike Party
I saw the above video awhile back and thought I would go ahead and share. Pretty cool video!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Seven Hollows Trail Run
I've been wanting to go around and explore more around me close to home and today I went and decided to go for a trail run out at Petit Jean State Park. I decided to run the 4.5 mile Seven Hollows Trail. It was a great run and scenery. Enjoy the pictures below.
Seven Hollows Trail Run from RJ Maguire on Vimeo.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Tour De Tour Bike Ride w/Go Pro
I just purchased a Go Pro last week and had the opportunity to get a good ride in today. I mounted the camera on the drop and away I rode. I rode the Tour de Toad short loop out towards Harris Brake Lake. I set the Go Pro to take a picture every 2 seconds. I then uploaded the pictures on iMovie and transitioned them every .25secs. I didn't get the whole ride in, but at least until Pleasant Valley.
Here is the Strava file for the ride
Enjoy the show.
Harris Brake Ride from RJ Maguire on Vimeo.
Upcoming some time this week I will get out my race report on the Heber Springs Tri!
Here is the Strava file for the ride
Enjoy the show.
Harris Brake Ride from RJ Maguire on Vimeo.
Upcoming some time this week I will get out my race report on the Heber Springs Tri!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Toad Suck Tri 2012
Well here again is my never too late race report from the Toad Suck Tri on September 9th, 2012.
The Toad Suck Tri is an international distance triathlon put on by DLT Events in Conway, AR. The swim is 1500 meters, the bike is just a little over 40k, and the run is a 10k. Race site is located at Lake Beaverfork just a few miles North of Conway.
Pre-Race
The international distance is race is now 3 years old and is held along with a sprint distance race that has been there for over 20 years. The past three years the international distance race was held on Saturday and the sprint on Sunday. This year they decided to have both races on Sunday.
I woke up in the morning around 4:45 and ate a PB sandwich along with some OJ and coffee. I headed out to the race site which is only 10 minutes from my house, win! The weather was looking excellent for this race. It was around 50F in the morning with high 80F later in the day with clear sunny skies.
I was going to count this as my "A" race for the year. I've been working hard on the bike this year and figured that I could finish this race around 2:34 based on some pre-course riding. If I did, this would be a drop in time over 9 minutes form the race last year.
I arrived around 6:00 to find that it was still pretty empty for the Toad Suck Tri racks. I was able to secure a good spot up front and got everything set up. I was sipping on some gatorade pre race and about 7:00 had a gel before the swim which was scheduled to start at 7:25.
Swim
The swim is a beach start before heading out to form a shape of house. Last year, the swim was two loops of 750m course. It was nice this year to have a one loop swim. My goal for the swim was to swim about the same time as I did last year even though the race was wetsuit legal.
As the swim is about to start, going to the first buoy was going to be difficult to site. The sun was coming up directly in front of the buoy. Off we go, I know that since I won't be up front, I'll just site off everyone in front of me. For me, the swim is always the most difficult part. I still have to calm my mind and body when swimming and the first few hundred meters can be tough sometimes. This was one of those days. It took me until the first turn to begin to calm down. I believe I started off a little to fast and swallowed water a couple of times. Once the final straight came though I was able to get myself in a rhythm and fought on to finish the swim!
Because I didn't wear a watch for the swim, I didn't know what my time was. I could tell about half the bikes are left so it was time to ride.
2012 - 31:03 10/13 AG.
2011 - 31:34
I was able to get a 31 second improvement even though I wasn't comfortable with the swim and the swim wasn't wet suit legal. I can say I'm really happy with that!
Bike
The Toad Suck bike course is a rolling course. It has a nice uphills followed by good downhills. If I were to compare it to Arkadelphia course, I may say it's a little tougher because you are having to constantly have short climbs and then downhill. Whereas, the Arkadelphia course is uphill to the turn around and the downhill back.
Last year during the bike I felt that I never got in a rhythm and couldn't push any power. The goal this year was to push the pace and see what would happen on the run.
Riding out I was able to pass a lot of people that were faster swimmers than me. I was feeling great heading to the turnaround. From there, I knew the course is faster going back and was ready to up the pace just a little more. The course uses Hwy 25 N and Burkett Flat Rd. Well Burkett Flat Rd, has nice new pavement, but it can be kinda of tight with bikers and any cars that may come along. As I was biking, back to Hwy 25, I came upon a car that was having to go slow and couldn't pass because of a slower cyclist. Well, the person behind me deceided to pass me and the car. I didn't know what the rules were but I didn't cross the yellow line and made the pass of the car also!
Heading back to transition, I was feeling great and ready to run. The nutrition on the bike consisted of a 32oz bottle of water with a NuuN tablet and two gels.
2012 - 1:13:30, 4/13AG 20.5mph
2011 - 1:21:04
Seven and half minute improvement! I knew the biking was paying off. The test rides on the course gave the confidence to know about what I would ride and I was right where I wanted to be.
Run
It had been awhile since I passed anyone on the bike, after coming back south to transition it started to get lighter as I passed a lot people. The thing I love about the international distance is it gives you the chance to make up time that I lose in the swim. The run and bike are long enough to make up huge gaps! Off and running I go!
The run is an out and back course. It has a few rollers, with a climb just before the turn around and the after the turn around. My plan was the pace easy the first half and then begin to push the pace at the end. Going through the first 3 miles, I was feeling great and knew once I got up the last little climb it would be a great chance to push the pace. I was only passed by one person during the run, but I was able to make the re-pass once I began to increase the speed until the end. The mile paces are as follows 7:48, 7:55, 7:48, 7:59, 7:37, 7:28, and final .15 was 6:07!
2012 - 47:26, 7:39min/mile, 5/13 AG
2011 - 48:10
A small improvement in the run, but the bike improvement really helped the overall time!
2012 - 2:34:42, 6/13 AG, 25/91 Overall
2011 - 2:42:50
Full Results - Click Here
An 8 minute improvement over last year! I'm glad to see that things are starting to come together. I would say even with my swim that this was my best overall race yet. My swim time was good considering the early trouble, the bike was excellent, and the run followed up.
Up next - Heber Springs Tri Oct 14. Return to the Hill. I had a tough bike here last year, I will improve this year!
The Toad Suck Tri is an international distance triathlon put on by DLT Events in Conway, AR. The swim is 1500 meters, the bike is just a little over 40k, and the run is a 10k. Race site is located at Lake Beaverfork just a few miles North of Conway.
Pre-Race
The international distance is race is now 3 years old and is held along with a sprint distance race that has been there for over 20 years. The past three years the international distance race was held on Saturday and the sprint on Sunday. This year they decided to have both races on Sunday.
I woke up in the morning around 4:45 and ate a PB sandwich along with some OJ and coffee. I headed out to the race site which is only 10 minutes from my house, win! The weather was looking excellent for this race. It was around 50F in the morning with high 80F later in the day with clear sunny skies.
I was going to count this as my "A" race for the year. I've been working hard on the bike this year and figured that I could finish this race around 2:34 based on some pre-course riding. If I did, this would be a drop in time over 9 minutes form the race last year.
I arrived around 6:00 to find that it was still pretty empty for the Toad Suck Tri racks. I was able to secure a good spot up front and got everything set up. I was sipping on some gatorade pre race and about 7:00 had a gel before the swim which was scheduled to start at 7:25.
Swim
The swim is a beach start before heading out to form a shape of house. Last year, the swim was two loops of 750m course. It was nice this year to have a one loop swim. My goal for the swim was to swim about the same time as I did last year even though the race was wetsuit legal.
As the swim is about to start, going to the first buoy was going to be difficult to site. The sun was coming up directly in front of the buoy. Off we go, I know that since I won't be up front, I'll just site off everyone in front of me. For me, the swim is always the most difficult part. I still have to calm my mind and body when swimming and the first few hundred meters can be tough sometimes. This was one of those days. It took me until the first turn to begin to calm down. I believe I started off a little to fast and swallowed water a couple of times. Once the final straight came though I was able to get myself in a rhythm and fought on to finish the swim!
Because I didn't wear a watch for the swim, I didn't know what my time was. I could tell about half the bikes are left so it was time to ride.
2012 - 31:03 10/13 AG.
2011 - 31:34
I was able to get a 31 second improvement even though I wasn't comfortable with the swim and the swim wasn't wet suit legal. I can say I'm really happy with that!
Bike
The Toad Suck bike course is a rolling course. It has a nice uphills followed by good downhills. If I were to compare it to Arkadelphia course, I may say it's a little tougher because you are having to constantly have short climbs and then downhill. Whereas, the Arkadelphia course is uphill to the turn around and the downhill back.
Last year during the bike I felt that I never got in a rhythm and couldn't push any power. The goal this year was to push the pace and see what would happen on the run.
Riding out I was able to pass a lot of people that were faster swimmers than me. I was feeling great heading to the turnaround. From there, I knew the course is faster going back and was ready to up the pace just a little more. The course uses Hwy 25 N and Burkett Flat Rd. Well Burkett Flat Rd, has nice new pavement, but it can be kinda of tight with bikers and any cars that may come along. As I was biking, back to Hwy 25, I came upon a car that was having to go slow and couldn't pass because of a slower cyclist. Well, the person behind me deceided to pass me and the car. I didn't know what the rules were but I didn't cross the yellow line and made the pass of the car also!
Heading back to transition, I was feeling great and ready to run. The nutrition on the bike consisted of a 32oz bottle of water with a NuuN tablet and two gels.
2012 - 1:13:30, 4/13AG 20.5mph
2011 - 1:21:04
Seven and half minute improvement! I knew the biking was paying off. The test rides on the course gave the confidence to know about what I would ride and I was right where I wanted to be.
Run
It had been awhile since I passed anyone on the bike, after coming back south to transition it started to get lighter as I passed a lot people. The thing I love about the international distance is it gives you the chance to make up time that I lose in the swim. The run and bike are long enough to make up huge gaps! Off and running I go!
The run is an out and back course. It has a few rollers, with a climb just before the turn around and the after the turn around. My plan was the pace easy the first half and then begin to push the pace at the end. Going through the first 3 miles, I was feeling great and knew once I got up the last little climb it would be a great chance to push the pace. I was only passed by one person during the run, but I was able to make the re-pass once I began to increase the speed until the end. The mile paces are as follows 7:48, 7:55, 7:48, 7:59, 7:37, 7:28, and final .15 was 6:07!
2012 - 47:26, 7:39min/mile, 5/13 AG
2011 - 48:10
A small improvement in the run, but the bike improvement really helped the overall time!
2012 - 2:34:42, 6/13 AG, 25/91 Overall
2011 - 2:42:50
Full Results - Click Here
An 8 minute improvement over last year! I'm glad to see that things are starting to come together. I would say even with my swim that this was my best overall race yet. My swim time was good considering the early trouble, the bike was excellent, and the run followed up.
Up next - Heber Springs Tri Oct 14. Return to the Hill. I had a tough bike here last year, I will improve this year!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The Wash Out and The Race! Degray Tri Weekend!
My big weekend of racing was all set to go on the weekend of August 18th and 19th. I had registered for the Degray Olympic and Sprint races. The Olympic was to take place on Saturday and the sprint on Sunday.
Both races were to take place around the Spillway area of Lake Degray outside of Arkadelphia, AR. I decided that week that I would go ahead and stay in Arkadelphia the night before the Olympic race since the race site is about 1.5 hrs away. I drove down to Arkadelphia after work and checked into the Hampton Inn. Since I've never really stayed in Arkadelphia, this would give me the chance to try a little local restaurant in the area. The choice of the restaurant was Little Italy. I saw decent reviews and thought I would give the place a shot. It turned out to be a good place to eat pre-race. The garlic rolls that were served before dinner were excellent and the salad was good also. The seafood alfreado was ok. It large chucks of crab and shrimp, but was disappointed in the taste of scallops.
I headed to the race site after dinner to pick up my packet and then it was back to hotel for a little rest.
The Wash Out
Pre-Race
I woke up around 4:45 for the race. I got some coffee going with the in-room coffee maker and hit the shower to wake up a little. The shower was then followed by a small breakfast which was a Cliff Bar and a banana. I usually don't eat too much before a race of Olympic or Sprint length. After this I decided to check the weather, and saw this!
This is not good! Of course, behind all that is even more rain! I was hoping that maybe it would off before the swim. I've ridden in storms before and was ready to do so if I had to, but with all the rain behind and about to hit the site. It wasn't looking good.
I headed to the site and went to pick up my chip, but didn't really consider setting up transition because as soon as I picked up my chip it started to come down. It started to rain and thunder around 6am and with a 7am start things were not looking good.
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Well for the next 2 hrs, it was go visit with the race director and other athletes under the tent or hide out in the car. Finally about 9:30 they decided to call off the race. The rain and lighting was continuing and didn't look like it would end any time soon. The race director moved everyone in the race from the Olympic to the Sprint at no charge.
Post Race
I decided to head back to Conway and relax at home. Of course, by the time I got back to Conway, I had clear skies and was so pumped to do the race I had to do something, especially after the big dinner the night before! I chose to go to Beaverfork for a mini aqua bike. I was able to swim for 30 minutes and then did the CATS sprint bike course.
Now for the Race - Degray Sprint
Pre-Race#2
With the race starting at 8am, I got up around 4:45 and was on the road by 5:30. I usually like to get there early, so that I have everything setup and ready. Also, allows me time to get a warm up swim in and just talk to people I know. The breakfast for the morning was another cliff bar, banana, coffee, and orange juice.
I was one of the first people there, so I was able to get a prime spot up front for the race. Easy to find, easy to get in/out and plenty of room since I was at the end of the rack!
I did about a 200 yard warm up swim and then got ready for the race to start!
Swim
On to the swim, a 500 yard swim, my worst part of any race! I've been working hard on improving this and only more experience will allow me to get better! Here is another attempt, at glory! I lined up on the far right side away from most of the crowd and start began. I'm feeling good and comfortable through the first 175 yards which is where the first turn is and realized that once I got there I would be in the pack and had trouble getting through the turn. I keep swimming and felt good throughout, but still my time came out a little slow!
Swim Time - 10:48.60 AG: 10/15 OAM - 61/117
T1: 1:18
Bike
After the 100 yard run to transition it's onto the bike! I had trouble getting clipped in right away, but eventually got going to the first hill of the day. The bike is 16 miles compared to the 13 miles for the Spillway Triathlon in June. This extra 3 miles adds another hill/downhill to overall course. With the first part uphill, I try to take it easy. After, the turnaround it's time to put on the speed. As I was heading back in, I had to avoid drafting because I had two people that would pass me, slow up, I would pass them get away for second get caught, and do again. Finally with about a mile to go, they speed off and I didn't want to catch them at that point. I was feeling good as I rolled into transition. Once, in transition, I had a little issue putting on my socks. I'm thinking I may go sockless for the next shorter race.
Bike - 47:33, 20.2mph AG: 4/15 OAM - 19/117
T2 - 1:00
Run
Now it's my time to shine for the 3.5 mile run, the run is 1/2 mile longer for the Degray Sprint. The run is uphill for the first half before turning around heading back downhill. Again, the plan is to take it easy for the first half and increase the pace till the end. I start off feeling pretty good. About half way, I feel side stitch start to come on, but know that I can push through it. At this point, I have not caught up to anyone and was pretty much alone on the run course. At the turnaround, there was someone about 45 seconds again of me and another about 10 seconds behind me. I try to push the pace to catch the person in front of me, but to no avail! I was passed by 2 people which was disappointing, but I still felt good on the run.
Run - 24: 52, 7:06 per mile, AG: 7/15, OAM: 36/117.
Total Time: 1:25:33, AG 5/15, OAM: 30/117
Quick Thoughts
1. Another strong bike on this day
2. While I felt good on the run, the run times appear to be pretty fast, shows some fast runners showed up
3. Still need to work on the swim, maybe try to start off faster and then settle into a pace
4. Work on transitions.
5. Run faster!
Up Next: Toad Suck Triathlon International Distance September 9th, Conway, AR
Both races were to take place around the Spillway area of Lake Degray outside of Arkadelphia, AR. I decided that week that I would go ahead and stay in Arkadelphia the night before the Olympic race since the race site is about 1.5 hrs away. I drove down to Arkadelphia after work and checked into the Hampton Inn. Since I've never really stayed in Arkadelphia, this would give me the chance to try a little local restaurant in the area. The choice of the restaurant was Little Italy. I saw decent reviews and thought I would give the place a shot. It turned out to be a good place to eat pre-race. The garlic rolls that were served before dinner were excellent and the salad was good also. The seafood alfreado was ok. It large chucks of crab and shrimp, but was disappointed in the taste of scallops.
I headed to the race site after dinner to pick up my packet and then it was back to hotel for a little rest.
The Wash Out
Pre-Race
I woke up around 4:45 for the race. I got some coffee going with the in-room coffee maker and hit the shower to wake up a little. The shower was then followed by a small breakfast which was a Cliff Bar and a banana. I usually don't eat too much before a race of Olympic or Sprint length. After this I decided to check the weather, and saw this!
I headed to the site and went to pick up my chip, but didn't really consider setting up transition because as soon as I picked up my chip it started to come down. It started to rain and thunder around 6am and with a 7am start things were not looking good.
.JPG)
I decided to head back to Conway and relax at home. Of course, by the time I got back to Conway, I had clear skies and was so pumped to do the race I had to do something, especially after the big dinner the night before! I chose to go to Beaverfork for a mini aqua bike. I was able to swim for 30 minutes and then did the CATS sprint bike course.
Now for the Race - Degray Sprint
Pre-Race#2
With the race starting at 8am, I got up around 4:45 and was on the road by 5:30. I usually like to get there early, so that I have everything setup and ready. Also, allows me time to get a warm up swim in and just talk to people I know. The breakfast for the morning was another cliff bar, banana, coffee, and orange juice.
I was one of the first people there, so I was able to get a prime spot up front for the race. Easy to find, easy to get in/out and plenty of room since I was at the end of the rack!
I did about a 200 yard warm up swim and then got ready for the race to start!
Swim
On to the swim, a 500 yard swim, my worst part of any race! I've been working hard on improving this and only more experience will allow me to get better! Here is another attempt, at glory! I lined up on the far right side away from most of the crowd and start began. I'm feeling good and comfortable through the first 175 yards which is where the first turn is and realized that once I got there I would be in the pack and had trouble getting through the turn. I keep swimming and felt good throughout, but still my time came out a little slow!
T1: 1:18
Bike
After the 100 yard run to transition it's onto the bike! I had trouble getting clipped in right away, but eventually got going to the first hill of the day. The bike is 16 miles compared to the 13 miles for the Spillway Triathlon in June. This extra 3 miles adds another hill/downhill to overall course. With the first part uphill, I try to take it easy. After, the turnaround it's time to put on the speed. As I was heading back in, I had to avoid drafting because I had two people that would pass me, slow up, I would pass them get away for second get caught, and do again. Finally with about a mile to go, they speed off and I didn't want to catch them at that point. I was feeling good as I rolled into transition. Once, in transition, I had a little issue putting on my socks. I'm thinking I may go sockless for the next shorter race.
T2 - 1:00
Run
Now it's my time to shine for the 3.5 mile run, the run is 1/2 mile longer for the Degray Sprint. The run is uphill for the first half before turning around heading back downhill. Again, the plan is to take it easy for the first half and increase the pace till the end. I start off feeling pretty good. About half way, I feel side stitch start to come on, but know that I can push through it. At this point, I have not caught up to anyone and was pretty much alone on the run course. At the turnaround, there was someone about 45 seconds again of me and another about 10 seconds behind me. I try to push the pace to catch the person in front of me, but to no avail! I was passed by 2 people which was disappointing, but I still felt good on the run.
Total Time: 1:25:33, AG 5/15, OAM: 30/117
Quick Thoughts
1. Another strong bike on this day
2. While I felt good on the run, the run times appear to be pretty fast, shows some fast runners showed up
3. Still need to work on the swim, maybe try to start off faster and then settle into a pace
4. Work on transitions.
5. Run faster!
Up Next: Toad Suck Triathlon International Distance September 9th, Conway, AR
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Providing a Quick Update
Well it's been almost a month since the last post, so thought I'd provide a quick update! Things have been going well with training throughout July, but work came up at the end of July and into the first of August which required lots of travel! I left from Conway on July 23rd and went out for installations throughout Florida, SC, PA, DE, NJ, and DC. I returned 5700 miles driven later on August 8th! It was a long work trip, but it was good. We completed the items that needed to be done. While, I didn't get any time off during this, I did get a few runs in. However, there was no swimming, biking, marital arts, or sight seeing. The only sight seeing was from the window of the truck!
It's good to be back and the big happening this weekend is the Degray Triathlon weekend. I decided to go ahead with the Degray double. I will be competing in the Olympic distance tri on Saturday and then the Sprint distance on Sunday. I've been wanting to do the double, but wasn't sure after all the travel. After thinking about this week, I thought why not. Plus, I would be doing something on Sunday anyways, so why not another triathlon. So far, the weather is looking great for the weekend with temperatures mid to low 60s in the morning reaching into mid to upper 80's during the afternoon. It will be cool weather for this race which is usually pretty hot and humid!
One last note, I like to look at the stats and see where people visit from. It's cool to see what countries the traffic comes from. The leader in visits is of course the US, but a surprise second is Russia. So welcome! I don't have a lot of traffic, but it is fun to look at. Here are the current standings.
It's good to be back and the big happening this weekend is the Degray Triathlon weekend. I decided to go ahead with the Degray double. I will be competing in the Olympic distance tri on Saturday and then the Sprint distance on Sunday. I've been wanting to do the double, but wasn't sure after all the travel. After thinking about this week, I thought why not. Plus, I would be doing something on Sunday anyways, so why not another triathlon. So far, the weather is looking great for the weekend with temperatures mid to low 60s in the morning reaching into mid to upper 80's during the afternoon. It will be cool weather for this race which is usually pretty hot and humid!
One last note, I like to look at the stats and see where people visit from. It's cool to see what countries the traffic comes from. The leader in visits is of course the US, but a surprise second is Russia. So welcome! I don't have a lot of traffic, but it is fun to look at. Here are the current standings.
United States
|
1483
|
Russia
|
109
|
Germany
|
45
|
United Kingdom
|
23
|
Hong Kong
|
20
|
India
|
17
|
Latvia
|
17
|
Netherlands
|
16
|
Indonesia
|
14
|
Canada
|
13
|
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