NATIONAL USAT AQUABIKE CHAMPIONSHIP -- CEDAR POINT OHIO

PROLOGUE: It has been a designated "off year" for my multisport efforts due to nagging injuries as discussed previously, involvement in family activities and life events, and a reduction in motivation and focus. Consequently I've only had three triathlon races and this one Aquabike.  Aquabike races are gaining in participation on the east and west coasts, almost non-existent in the upper Midwest. For aging triathletes with aging knees, they become an attractive multisport alternative to triathlons.

The USAT Aquabike National Championship was held as part of a Rev3 race venue.  Rev3 considers itself a more modestly priced alternative to the WTC Ironman and 70.3 long distance triathlon races. They generally are weekend events with kids triathlons, sprints, olympic, half and full Ironman distances. Currently, none of the Rev3 series of races take place west of the Mississippi.

SOME OF THE 17 COASTERS

CEDAR POINT VENUE:  This race was held at the "largest amusement park in the United States", which includes 17 roller coasters, and is located in Sandusky Ohio on a spit of land that projects into Lake Erie.  With the multiple race distances, smaller entry fees and venue locations, the Rev3 organizers are obviously trying to make their events more family friendly as a point of distinction to the WTC events.

The USAT Aquabike National Championship was held concurrently with the 70.3 triathlon.  So the race distances were 1.2 mile swim and 56 mile bike and then finished! To separate the AB'ers from the H'ers, your calf's were marked accordingly.

LOOKS LIKE A NICE DAY FOR A SWIM

SWIM: By race day of Sunday September 7th, the prior days storm had passed through and the undertow warnings had been lifted so the swim took place in Lake Erie rather than the back-up swim venue, which was the bay on the inland side of the spit.  Even though the undertow warning was lifted, the waves still were in the one to three foot range, with the swim being basically an open box;  .4 mile out, .4 mile parallel to the beach, .4 mile back to shore.  As I was walking up the beach to the starting point, many Ironman distance entrants who started 80 minutes prior to the Half entrants, were walking back to the finish. Swim conditions were hazardous enough for them to DNS. It was the toughest swim I've ever experienced, tougher than the 6 Kona Ironman races I've competed in.  The visibility was nil due to the wave action stirring up the sand.  The waves were large enough and irregular such that you could not sight on the guide buoys.  In the first 50 yards I was so soundly kicked in the jaw, I thought it was broken as my teeth no longer matched up.  After taking some time to assess my situation, I decided to continue and if nothing else, just finish the race. I had driven two days from Minnesota and didn't want that effort to be a complete waste. It was my slowest 1.2 mile swim ever, 42 minutes. When the results were posted, I felt a bit better about my time split, the fastest split in the field was a slow 26 minutes, with only 3 entrants under 30 minutes.

BIKE:  The bike course was in the country roads surrounding Sandusky.  By-and-large, the roads were smooth and well marshaled. It was the flattest course I've ever raced in my 30+ years of multisport events, supposidly 600 ft of climbing in 56 miles.  I prefer hilly courses because it makes drafting less likely and less beneficial.  It took me almost 6 miles on the bike to regain my composure after the kick to the jaw and difficult swim.  Someplace before 10 miles I was overtaken by a group of bikers, one which had my age group and AB on his calf.   I was only clocking about 180 watts and had intended to average 200+ watts so I knew I could easily take up the challenge and not just settle for an enjoyable bike ride.  I picked up the pace, and at about 20 miles I passed the group which now included another 65-69 age group AB rider that had been caught, but noticed I was spending about 240 watts for an extended time and I had not gaped them.  But 240 watts is not something I can average for 56 miles so I had to ease up and let them go by. My strength is not sprinting, and it was beginning to look like a three-person sprint was in the making with me being the leadout. At about 30 miles I again tried to gap them in a cross-wind section knowing that drafting in a cross -wind is not as advantageous as other situations. After 4 miles at 250 watts they were still comfortably tucked in behind me. I eased but they did not pass. I kept thinking, where are the marshals? About then my power meter also crapped out. With about 10 miles to go I decided I had to break them or I'd end up third, so I pushed as hard as I felt I could and thought I had gaped everybody, but one had held on. With less than 3 miles to the finish he sprinted past, I stood on the pedals to close the gap and I cramped. Split time 2:36. Average speed 21.5mph. Second place by 10 seconds.

LEARNING'S:  First; I believe Aquabike will be a good fit for me with my uncooperative knees. Second; That may be, but I'll have to get much stronger on the bike in order to ride away from my competition.  As one of the other two riders said to me after the race,  I know we were drafting but given that we all found one another out on the course, it was going to be a Mano-to-Mano thing anyway, so drafting was OK.  Third; My swim is actually OK for my age-group.  The fastest split in my age group was only a few minutes better and he was a collegiate swimmer.  Me, self taught. Lastly; Next time I fly instead of drive.  Oh, and it takes about two weeks for a well-kicked jaw to heal, the blood bruising to go away and the teeth to realign.

CHISAGO CITY SPRINT TRIATHLON, WHAT A DEAL

EARLY MORNING ARRIVERS

Triathletes living in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St Paul had their pick of 7 different triathlon venues over the weekend of July 26/27, typical for any summer weekend in this Midwest hotbed of triathloning.  I chose the Chisago City Sprint because it would be my third year in a row at this race, it is USAT sanctioned and Chisago City is located less than one hour northeast of the Twin Cities.  It is a "home town" race that at $45 for the sprint is a super deal. You get all the usual stuff including a t-shirt, food, trophies and free coffee to help you wake up as your set-up in the dark.  Finally, with the bike segment being my strongest  leg, this sprint course was ripe for me with a 1/4 mile swim, 22 mile bike, and 5K run. The race venue also hosts a half Ironman and attracted approximately 500 to each event.

The race venue is typical for these "home town" type of races. A bit of seaweed in the primarily sandy lake, a grassy area for the transition (in this case a knoll overlooking the lake), a bit of biking over grass and through a bike tunnel under a major road, and a lot of relatively flat, smooth, and wide roads for biking.

I have been negligent in my training this year focusing on other more important stuff like family and health.  In the prior three weeks I swam a total of 12,000 yds, biked 200 miles, and ran 13 miles.  Not very impressive.  I have been struggling with knee pain due to arthritis and hence the extremely low running miles for a running based triathlete.  Two weeks ago I tried a new approach to run training in that I ellipse before running on a treadmill.  So, two to three times a week I ellipse for 25 minutes and follow that with a 25 minute treadmill run.  Boring, but my knees hurt less following the ellipse.  I am hopeful that I can gradually increase the training time but do not expect my running form to ever recover to pre-arthritis fitness.

AWARDS CEREMONY DONE BY 10:00

This year I "geezered" all but 31 of the 493 finishers in the sprint race, first in my 65-69 age group of two. Interestingly, the trophies for all age group podium places have the same inscription, "Award Winner".






More interesting is a comparison and interpretation of my three consecutive years time splits.

YEAR     Finish Time     Swim Time     Bike Time     Run Time
2012         1:30:57             8:53                 57:03            22:43
2013         1:32:50             8:11                 58:40            22:47
2014         1:30:02             7:58                 55:09            24:23

In 2012 and 2013 I wore a wetsuit for the swim, 2014 I did not.  2013 had minor road construction which caused a rerouting of the bike course and a slight increase in distance.  2014 had 20 mph winds. In 2012 and 2013 I was in far superior shape.  For example, in 2012 I won the USAT National Championship in the Duathlon while in 2013 I finished second (by 15 seconds) in the USAT National Championship in the triathlon.  By 2014 my knees had such pain I could hardly run train.  However, I still had my fastest overall time in 2014 aided by my 24 mph bike segment.
 

EARLY ENOUGH TO CATCH THE SUN RISE

Race day was partly cloudy, mild (70's), moderate winds (gusting to 20 mph), not very humid (maybe 60%-80%?); good race-day conditions for Minnesota.  All things equal, ability drops off about 1% per year as you age past 50, so, in addition to inadequate training, by all accounts I should have been materially slower this year.  On the other hand, age/experience does count for something (both my transitions were faster).  It may be as simple as that when it comes to short races, less (but focused) is more? Happily, I was rewarded for getting up at 4 am with a fun race experience.

TEMPE INTERNATIONAL SPRINT TRIATHLON 2014

What started out as an aquabike race ended up as a sprint triathlon, because when I went to packet pickup I found out I was the only aquabike entrant.  No fun that.  So the race director graciously allowed me to transfer to the sprint race.  Great fun that.

T1 AND T2 UNDER THE RED MOUNTAIN PARKWAY

I had raced the olympic distance last year, and the venue remained the same.  The swim entrance to Tempe Town Lake is on the opposite side of the lake from the Arizona Ironman venue.  It provides for a "sandy" beach that drops off quickly, so practically it's still a treading water start.  The transition is under the Red Mountain Parkway (Loop 202) which provides a congested area but is shaded.  For those used to Midwestern type parks with sandy beaches and plenty of space with shade trees, this is not it.

The sprint bike course is one loop with multiple corners and 180 degree turns and multiple bridge crossings over the lake.  Total ascent measured about 400 ft on my garmin.  The olympic distance racers take two loops.  The run course loops around the lake crossing over two bridges and finishing at the same transition under the bridge.  The olympic distance runners take two loops.

OVER THE ROCKS AND UP THE CULVERT TO T1

I had not returned to my regular training routine yet following the Saint George 70.3 Ironman race two weekends earlier and that is why I transferred to the sprint rather than the olympic distance.  For a non-swimming background triathlete, what's not to like about a 400 yd swim?  Water temp of 76 degrees so wetsuit legal, but for the 400 yard sprint swim few wore them. My wave start was not too congested and with a 3 minute spacing I was surprised to catch swimmers from the prior wave, otherwise it was uneventful.  I swam with just triathlon shorts and completed the bike and run with no top to save on transition time.  Reminded me of the early years before tri specific gear was designed and everyone biked and ran in their speedos (cringe).

The bike segment required full attention at all times due to the turns, expansion joints on the bridges, and general congestion with less-experienced triathletes.  I found myself sitting up to "wind break" when riders were leisurely passing one another and not cognizant of the courtesy and rule of riding-on-the-right when possible.  I didn't pay much attention to my power meter because with sprints I just go about as hard as I can.  After the fact power meter readings showed I averaged 240 watts (zero power - when not pedaling - not counted) and 22.6 mph.  My MPH average is usually 10%, sometimes a bit more, than my average power.   So I would have expected about 24 mph plus in this case.  I attribute the average speed falloff to the "wind breaking" and multiple tight turns, which required me to accelerate multiple times which is inefficient.  Indeed, my max power output was 500 watts, a level I don't ever remember hitting or try to achieve.

The run starts with a nice set of stairs down to the road which I took very carefully.  After two bridge crossings and almost 3 miles you get to jog down another set of stairs before the final dash to the finish. Again I took it carefully, while the guy next to me took two steps at a time.  Really?  3 seconds gained? OK, showing my age.  Otherwise just a nice jog in mild Arizona (80 ish) temperatures.

I clocked a total time of 1:08:44.  First in 65-69 age group, 47th overall out of just over 300.  The winner, Dmitry Baer, burned a 55:36.  More importantly I had a good time with this one.  I had expected to swim and bike the olympic distance and not run at all if I had raced the aquabike, but this was mucho fun.

SAINT GEORGE 70.3 IRONMAN -- A SURPRISINGLY FUN DAY

THE SETUP:  After receiving numerous emails from the race director for the St George 70.3 Ironman race scheduled for May 3rd, my curiosity was raised.  I had not registered for this race, it was not on my schedule, why was I getting athlete updates?  So I checked the web site on April 25th to see if I had a bib number.  I did!  Was it a gift due to my good finish at the 70.3 championships?  Did my tri-club, ONE multisport, hand complementary entries out last year to elite racers and I had not paid attention?Or, had I just registered so early that I had forgot all about it?  It was the latter.  OK, lets do it on short notice (10 days) and minimal training and just have fun with no expectations.

ZION NATIONAL PARK

THE VENUE:  St George, Utah, is at approximately 2600 ft elevation, desert type arid, seasonally hot, and unpredictably windy. The swim is in Sand Hollow Reservoir outside of town so an early morning bus ride to Transition 1 is required.  Transition 2 and the finish is in old town St George resulting is a point-to-point bike leg with a slight net downhill.  The race course has more hills than normal Ironman venues.  I had raced the 2010 version when it was a full Ironman and had a slow race.  I had severe Achilles Tendonapathy at the time and ended up walking the marathon in over 6 hours.  However, race day ended happily the following morning when I got a Kona slot on a rolldown allowing me to race Kona with my son that year. There are numerous sites to visit in close proximity including the Hoover Dam and Zion National Park, which my wife and I visited.

HOOVER DAM

Some Ironman venues are epic, meaning that they have all 4 of the WHHH factors (Wind, Heat, Humidity, Hills).  Kona is a prime example.  St George can have up to three of the factors, Wind, Heat, and Hills.  This year it had only two,  Hills and Heat (90+), as the wind was relatively mild. Consequently the times were considerably faster than 2013.  For example, in 2013, 12 pros broke 4 hrs, this year 25 broke 4 hrs.  I believe the official Ironman website overstates the hills somewhat as my garmin measured 3,250 ft gain for the bike and 1,200 ft gain for the run.  Still, those are pretty large numbers for a half-ironman.







MY FITNESS:  I have been managing uncooperative knees for some time.  Generally I would run only twice a week and up to 9 miles at a time using a jog/walk routine to minimize the pain.  Even biking was problematic on rides over 2 hours.  Generally, I had been averaging about 5,000 yds swimming, 90 miles biking, and 14 miles "running" per week since January.  Not half-ironman training levels.  My last 3 weeks leading up to the race were;  WEEK 3: no training (in CA having fun with grandchildren); WEEK 2: 10,000 yds swimming, 190 miles biking, 15 miles running (making up for the "off" week, and realizing I had a race in 10 days); WEEK 1: 5,500 yds swimming, 70 miles biking, no running (sore knees).  If anything I was well tapered.

MY PREPARATION:  My evening pre-race meals consist of pasta in some form.  This time Stouffers mac and cheese, out of the microwave.  For desert I ate a full bag of spice drops. I drink Gatorade or perform or whatever high sugar, high salt drinks the sponsor is giving out.  I take whatever gels and drinks the sponsor is passing out on the bike and run.  I do take salt capsules with me on hot days to balance out the mineral depletion that occurs from sweating. My feeling is that your fitness and success in a race is 90% due to preparation and 10% due to adaptability to changes in circumstances.  OK, I admit I have a soft spot for good equipment.

MY RACE:  My biggest concern was the run.  My swimming is acceptable and my biking splits have always been the fastest in my age group, but with my sore knees and limited run training I knew the run was going to be slow.  I decided that I would start the run conservatively with a 3/2, run/walk routine and at the turnaround, if feeling good, increase the run proportion.  My swim/bike/run split goals were modest:   40/2:55/2:30 with a finishing time, including transitions, in excess of 6 hours, slower than I had ever raced.  I reminded myself I was not "racing" but "participating".

As it turned out I overachieved.  The swim was unremarkable and the bike a blast, with most riders exceeding 45mph on the downhills.  I averaged just over 200 watts on the bike and 20.1 mph, consistent numbers for a hilly bike course.  My splits were 37:25/2:45:51/2:01:23,  with a total time of 5:33:28 and first place in the 65-69 age group.  I was able to run the last 3 miles, walking only the aid stations, giving me a negative split by 5 minutes.  I declined the World Championship slot as it was never my intention to go even if I qualified.

65-69 AWARD WINNERS

Some observations and funny things that happened during the race.  The water temperature was 60 degrees so I wore a neoprene cap under my swim cap to help keep me warm.  It appeared that there were an abnormal number of tire flats.  I thought the bike course was reasonably smooth and clean so I don't have an explanation.  I had the urge to relieve myself on the bike but restrained myself until I got to a portolet in the transition, after all I was not "racing".  I forgot to take my salt capsule container with me on the run but "found" 3 capsules on the road that some other racer had dropped, and consumed them without hesitation, it was hot.

JUST A BUNCH OF KIDS AT HEART

MY LEARNING'S:  I was honestly surprised with my effort and results.  I finished without any injuries, not even a blister, and feeling physically agile.  Maybe I get too stressed and intense when racing and a lighter more relaxed approach is a preferable way.  Maybe meditation and a holistic approach to life will improve my race efforts?  Maybe, but not gonna happen.

NEW GOAL: USAT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND SLAM

I have not posted in a while as there was nothing material to share.  I've recovered from my stumble in the XTERRA desert trail race but I've been sort of "wandering in the desert" of Arizona trying to figure out what I want to do with multisports now that I am drawing a social security check.  While enduring the normal aches and pains that accompany the aging process,  I've been fighting the urge to retire from multisport.

I've been able to run up to two times per week on desert trails, if you can call a 10 min/mile pace running. I've started swimming twice a week and continued to bike twice a week.  While this effort has allowed me to maintain a modest level of fitness, the pain in my knees has made the effort much less enjoyable than in the past.

I have not entered any races and haven't felt the urge to race,  because I know I'm not fit enough to race at the level I expect of myself.  I have started a long series of golf lessons to prepare for the inevitable.

I recently visited a rheumatologist to get a second opinion regarding my knees.  At the first visit he used what looked like a horse syringe to withdraw 35 cc's of milky opaque fluid from my left knee.  Highly inflamed.  At the second visit I got his report.  A flare up of pseudo gout with an underlayment of osteoarthritis and future rheumatoid arthritis.  Treatment is "there is no curative treatment" for pseudo gout.  I can try a medicine that is used for "real" gout that may help prevent a flare up such as I experienced.  The more practical "treatment"  is to just drain the knee when it happens in the future.

2012 USAT DUATHLON and 2011 USAT TRIATHLON JERSEYS

So I accepted the facts and looked for what I could do that would keep me motivated for at least this year.  Recently a notice from the USAT arrived in my email announcing the date and location of the USAT Aquabike (swim/bike) National Championship.  And there is a USAT Aquathalon (swim/run) National Championship also. Since I have already won National Championships in both Triathlon (2011) and Duathlon (2012), why not go for the remaining two multisport event national championships and call it the Age Group USAT National Championship Grand Slam.   Has anybody else achieved this?  If so please let me know.

KISSING BOULDERS

I entered an Xterra trail race in the White Tank Mountains just west of Phoenix this last Sunday because I normally jog in the desert by myself and I thought this would be a more social way to get my exercise.  Well, it turned out that this 20K race was on a very "technical", narrow, rocky trail more suitable for billy goats with almost 2,000 ft of elevation change.  I was very careful and walked much of the steeper inclines.  On a steep descent about 4 miles from the finish I stumbled and fell so quickly I still can't recreate the accident in my mind.  I was in a line of joggers all carefully picking our way down the mountain and suddenly I was "kissing" a large boulder with my jaw and mouth.  I partially broke my fall with my right hand but not before the damage was done.  The runners around me stopped to help but practically there were only two ways out of the mountain:  walk/jog or helicopter.  While I was bleeding profusely, I had not lost conscious nor broken any skeletal bones (at the time I thought I had broken my jaw).  I decided to finish the run to get to the aid station at the finish.  Which I did.

ALL STITCHED AND CLEANED UP

After the medics cleaned up some of the blood it was clear that an emergency room visit was called for. I called my wife to inform her of my predicament and was nervous that she would be upset.  I think that I started the conversation with something like "please don't be mad at me" since I have had similar accidents before and apparently I am a slow learner.  She was concerned but not mad (How stupid is he anyway?).  I decided to drive to the Mayo Clinic an hour away as it is nearer our house and followup would be easier.  Besides, they have my records from my last fall while running in the desert some years ago.

Admission was quick (OK, this profusely bleeding guy isn't here for a stomach ache) and they started the cleanup and assessment.  Three or four broken teeth and possibly broken teeth roots (you need to see a dentist as soon as possible), two deep puncture/tear gashes to the chin that need stitches to stop bleeding (I may get a cleft chin out of this -- I left some skin on the mountain), a lot of abraded skin removed from the chin and lips, massive bruising of the chin and lower lip, and a deep tear gash on the palm of the right hand requiring stitches to tie down whatever skin was left.  My jaw was swollen but not broken.  However, my "bite" no longer matched up as my lower jaw was sticking forward causing my lower front teeth (minor chips) to contact my upper front teeth (very sore, damaged, a little loose) before the back teeth met.  In 5 days the face stitches will be removed (shorter duration results in less scaring) and in two weeks the hand stitches will be removed.

I LIKE HIS NEEDLE WORK

Clearly I had to cancel my golf lesson for Monday morning.

Clearly I was on a diet that could be eaten through a straw.

Clearly I was not going to sleep well Sunday night.

We visited our dentist Monday and received the early dental assessment.  X-rays revealed no cracked teeth roots.  (Yeah, or an instant root canal and dental implants would be required)  I was outfitted with a temporary tooth splint to help stabilize the damaged teeth.  I need to return in two weeks to see in the teeth have stabilized or if any nerve damage has occurred to the teeth roots (discoloration is a bad sign). We'll go on from there.

As the admitting nurse said to my wife "He was doing what at age 67?  Well, he's too old to change now."

I checked the on-line results on Monday and I was first out of 5 in my age group.  I am not alone!

HERE WE GO 2014

As I mentioned in my last post, I needed some time to reflect and evaluate what activities and goals to set for 2014 that will acknowledge that my knees are going to prevent me from doing what my mind wants them to do.  Growing old gracefully is not in my makeup as it probably is not in yours either. While the recommended treatments for rheumatoid arthritis is to lose weight and exercise, I already meet those recommendations.  Unfortunately running is not included in their recommend exercises.

So I've been experimenting with a limited amount of desert trail running/walking as a substitute for run training in the classical sense.  It appears my knees will not let me perform quality speed work or long distance runs, the cornerstones of improving your running performance and conditioning.  I've resorted to the following after 6 weeks of experimentation:  1) Desert trail runs with material elevation changes twice a week following a 3:30 min jog then a 1:30 walk, repeat as needed.  2) Alieve 1 hour before said runs. 3) Ice on knees following said runs.  4) Machine weight workouts twice a week emphasizing the lateral leg muscles (ie, abductors and aductors), calves (eccentric foot drops), quads, hamstrings, gluts. 5) Bike rides twice a week. 6) One rest day per week.  7) At some point I may actually start some pool workouts, don't know when.  I don't follow this routine uniformly each week, but target the workouts around "living".  I have worked my longer "runs" up to 8 miles with 1,000 ft elevation change and can average under 10 min/mile with the run/walk routine.  Not fast but better than walking the whole way.

This gives me the opportunity to digress into the impact of aging on the competitiveness of athletes. I used the USAT Rating system  as a "for example" (visit usatriathlon.org for a complete description of how this is calculated --- basically 100 = par and your time is measured relative to par as a percentage).

The graph and data below demonstrates how age impacts the top performances achieved by the best male triathletes as a function of age (similar results for women).  You could use the USAT Ratings data to literally handicap each athlete by age, similar to the par ratings of golfers.  And,  you can compare the relative effort of a 30-yr old male to that of a 60-yr old male. For example, a 30-yr old would have to be about 21% faster than a 60-yr old (108/89 = 121) on an age-adjusted basis to have out-performed him in a race.

 
Even more interesting is the steady improvement in the top athlete ratings in each age group over time. For example in the 65-69 age group (mine) the top rating has improved over time as follows:  2010 (79.1),  2011 (83.1 - the year I finished first at age 65),  2012 (85.3),  2013 (86.6).  And, these numbers are usually put up by the younger athletes in the age group. So, I'm not only getting slower due to age but faster athletes are entering my (and your) age group.

OK, for 2014 I've settled on two "A"races:  ITU world championship in Edmonton Canada (September 1), and the Arizona Ironman (November).  I don't expect to win my age group in either as I won't be as competent on the run as the other age groupers, but would like to podium.  Besides, at the Arizona Ironman I will be racing with my son in the field which is a treat.  I will fill in the calendar leading up to those races with a variety of events including bicycle races, duathlons, and a few triathlons as my knees will permit.  And some golf.