My bike accident, like life, "came at me fast". Now, nearly 18 months since that accident, I am learning to adjust to a "new normal". In my last post, about 1 year ago, my recovery was progressing as expected, but things didn't continue as planned.
So that you don't have to review my prior blogs, I'll recap the accident; February 17, 2016, group ride, fast downhill paceline, tire rub, crash, level 1 trauma center, fractured pelvis, fractured left scapula, fractured ribs, punctured lung, collapsed lung, complete tear and detachment of Supraspinatus and Subscapularis left rotator cuff tendons, partial tear left bicep tendon, bigly left hip bursa, no brain damage, no spinal cord damage, bike totaled, two subsequent surgeries two months later (bursa and left rotator cuff).
By July of 2016 I was working my way through physical therapy and starting to feel some normalcy. But, gradually, I found myself increasingly challenged to perform simple movements, like lifting my legs onto the bed or holding onto a coffee cup. This in spite of religious adherence to the physical therapy routines. Thinking that I had undiagnosed lower back involvement from the accident, additional back therapy was added to the routine. I degenerated to the point where I could no longer get up off a chair, without assistance. Since I had an annual physical previously scheduled for October at MAYO, Rochester, I delayed a holistic medical assessment until then to give those experts first shot as my malady. During my October visit to MAYO I required the use of a wheelchair as even walking had become difficult. After three days of tests they determined that I had Polymyalgia Rhumatica, or PMR.
PMR is not common as evidenced by the lack of TV adds for treatment drugs. As a disease it falls under the care of Rheumatologists. Its cause is not well understood and there is no definitive diagnostic test; possibly hereditary, auto immune, or trauma induced. It basically is massive inflammation of the major large muscle groups. The most definitive diagnostic is whether you respond immediately (I responded within 24 hours) to prednisone, an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid. Prednisone is a banned substance by USAT.
MAYO was also suspicious of my right (apparently uninjured) shoulder, so upon returning to Arizona I consulted with my shoulder Orthopaedic and he agreed that an MRI of that shoulder would be wise. Turns out that my right rotator cuff also had a complete tear and detachment of the supraspinatus tendon. Apparently the complete tear combined with the PMR hid my right shoulder rotator cuff tear. Bad news was with the passing of time since the accident and tear, 25% of the muscle was lost forever. Good news was that enough was left to reattach with expectations of a reasonable result. I had another surgery in December 2016.
The surgery caused me to have a flare-up of the PMR, an expected possibility. This meant I had to increase my prednisone to higher levels to get the PMR under control. Prednisone has numerous side effects the most serious being elevated blood pressure, osteoporosis, weight gain, and diabetes. Fortunately for me, I started very low on all these measures, so the only other drugs I need to take to offset the side effects of prednisone are to combat the osteoporosis impact.
I started prednisone at 15 mg, which is considered a low-medium dose. The body manufactures its own corticosteroid to combat inflammation, equivalent to about 5 mg, depending on the individual. But, by taking 15 mg of prednisone, more than the body would nominally produce, the body shuts down its own corticosteroid factory. So, once the prednisone has "cured" the PMR, the plan is to taper the prednisone dosage down to zero and re-engage the body to produce it's own natural level of corticosteroid. Due to relapses, of which I already had one, it typically takes from 2 to 5 years to wean off prednisone following extended use. I am currently at 6 mg, right in the range of nominal body production. Monthly reductions by 1 mg are intended to re-engage my body's own corticosteroid factory.
I had previously tried to partake of water exercises in mid-2016, but had to stop due to the PMR and late 2016 surgery. I have attempted but not biked nor run since the accident. I have gained the expected weight due to prednisone and lack of exercise. I can walk but noticed that with the loss of leg strength, my bone-on-bone painful knees are now more painful. I have taken this exercise time off to try cortisone in the knees with no benefit. I have had two multiple sessions of viscus fluid with only a slight perceived benefit. My doctor is skeptical of stem-cells (how do you direct them to generate cartilage versus whatever), but maybe I'll try that prior to knee replacement.
This extended time off from training and racing has clearly provided me with time to reflect on life, way too much time for reflection. At a relatively young 71 years old I'm facing the prospects of becoming less active than I'm used to being, and challenged to fill the available time. However, during my extended recovery, I found that there were a lot of unfinished tasks that I have had the opportunity to finish. But, the enjoyment of these activities have been bittersweet compared to the multisport activities I enjoyed and felt fulfilled by. I have not put a "complete by" date on my assessment of what to do once I've exhausted these catch-up activities. I am positive that by being open to inspiration, and as I wean off this prednisone over the next 6 months, I'll be ready to "have life come at me fast again".
Friday, July 28, 2017
Saturday, May 14, 2016
INDIA EIGHTYTWO -- PAU
I cancelled Kona. There, I finally acknowledged that this time my recovery from injury is going to follow a normal slow process. No miracle bounce backs. No finishing the Arizona Ironman 2 weeks following cracking some ribs and lacerating a hand in a fall in the desert. No finishing Kona second in my age group 9 months following Achilles tendon repair. No, this time its different. Finally, 12 weeks following "the accident", 4 weeks following rotator cuff shoulder reconstruction and only 5 months to Kona, I had to admit to the practical. My healing prowess was average at best and not sufficient to make Kona an option. I had held out hopes, holding on to the thought of at least participating in Kona, until it was no longer possible to ignore the obvious.
I finally had my shoulder surgery April 13, nearly 8 weeks following "the accident". The delay was necessary to allow repair of my many other injuries not the least of which was the punctured lung and fractured hip, scapula, and ribs. During that delay I also had a plastic surgeon remove the soup bowl sized hematoma from my left thigh that had formed its own bursa. The shoulder surgeon found a "mess" in the rotator cuff of my left shoulder including complete tears of the Supraspinatus and Subscapularis muscle tendons, and a partial tear of the Long bicep muscle tendon. In less than 2 1/2 hours I had the rotator cuff area cleaned out and anchors implanted in the humerus and the tendons sutured. Surgery was performed under a general with a nerve blocker and Oxycontin prescribed for after surgery pain relief. I weaned off the opiate as soon as possible.
Two days after surgery I was in physical therapy. Why so fast? I had developed frozen shoulder and the sooner the range of motion is restored to the shoulder the better. The therapy was, and still is, horribly painful as the arm is moved passively to try to break down the adhesion's that restrict its motion. Every day I go through two or three sessions of at-home therapy movements. Three times a week I go visit the physical therapy folks where they manually force the arm further into where normal arm motion should be but mine doesn't go. It is so painful that I now take Hydrocodone prior to these sessions so that I don't cry and thrash like a baby on the table.
The general level of pain following the surgery has been passable most days until its time to sleep. Then the pain level is enough to result in shallow and interrupted sleep. To try to help this issue, last week I started to walk or stationary bike some days, all low intensity. Unfortunately, with an arm in a sling your balance is off kilter which has led to non-injury related pains elsewhere in my body.
Following shoulder surgery I had my right hand index finger examined by a hand surgeon because the last digit no longer would bend. Turns out the accident gave me a "jersey finger" injury, so named because it typically happens in football when the tackler tries to hold on to the opponents jersey only to have the finger tendon rupture. If treated shortly after injury, the tendon can often be reattached. In my situation, the tendon has shriveled up into the palm of the hand and the "tunnel" it had traversed through absorbed. The most practical options remaining are do nothing and adapt or fuse the last digit into a partial bend. I need to ponder these options a bit.
So there it is. All the literature and medical advice indicate a 6 to 12 month recovery is typical following surgery. So, from now on its mostly therapy and unfortunately a slow process through recovery. However, I will be following the Kona race and wishing all the best to the Minnesota and Arizona participants, as well as those friendly competitors in the M70-74 age group. Mahalo.
I finally had my shoulder surgery April 13, nearly 8 weeks following "the accident". The delay was necessary to allow repair of my many other injuries not the least of which was the punctured lung and fractured hip, scapula, and ribs. During that delay I also had a plastic surgeon remove the soup bowl sized hematoma from my left thigh that had formed its own bursa. The shoulder surgeon found a "mess" in the rotator cuff of my left shoulder including complete tears of the Supraspinatus and Subscapularis muscle tendons, and a partial tear of the Long bicep muscle tendon. In less than 2 1/2 hours I had the rotator cuff area cleaned out and anchors implanted in the humerus and the tendons sutured. Surgery was performed under a general with a nerve blocker and Oxycontin prescribed for after surgery pain relief. I weaned off the opiate as soon as possible. |
| 5 HOLE SURGERY |
Following shoulder surgery I had my right hand index finger examined by a hand surgeon because the last digit no longer would bend. Turns out the accident gave me a "jersey finger" injury, so named because it typically happens in football when the tackler tries to hold on to the opponents jersey only to have the finger tendon rupture. If treated shortly after injury, the tendon can often be reattached. In my situation, the tendon has shriveled up into the palm of the hand and the "tunnel" it had traversed through absorbed. The most practical options remaining are do nothing and adapt or fuse the last digit into a partial bend. I need to ponder these options a bit.
So there it is. All the literature and medical advice indicate a 6 to 12 month recovery is typical following surgery. So, from now on its mostly therapy and unfortunately a slow process through recovery. However, I will be following the Kona race and wishing all the best to the Minnesota and Arizona participants, as well as those friendly competitors in the M70-74 age group. Mahalo.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
INDIA EIGHTYTWO -- PART TWO
It's 4 am and I'm in the shower but not getting ready for an early morning race. Instead I'm sitting on my granny shower stool with anti-bacteria soap getting ready for my early morning surgery. The hematoma formed on my hip from my bicycle accident 5 weeks ago did not re-absorb as hoped. Instead it is forming a pseudo-bursa as the scar tissue encapsulates around it. Time to remove it so I can get ready in a few weeks for the major surgery on my rotator cuff.
The surgery was performed under a "General" by a Plastic Surgeon, so it must have been a bit more consequential than I originally thought. I now have another drain and bag and complication to performing life's daily rituals. I did feel holistically better following the surgery. I had noticed that
the hematoma felt a few degrees warmer to me than the surrounding tissue, so maybe the body was working hard to defend against this unwanted bulge. Glad it's been removed so I can get on to the bigger issues.
I've also started Physical Therapy to reduce the chance of the dreaded "frozen shoulder" which can follow shoulder trauma, or just occur out of the blue, as a bodies natural protective defense. It seemed odd to me to be doing PT prior to surgery, but I've been assured it's the right thing to do. In my case, I do have very restricted range of motion. I thought it was just due to the fact that some of my muscles are no longer connected to where they are supposed to be connected, and my scapula was broken. But no, it's due to the rotator cuff capsule clamping down on the ball of my shoulder bone. Adhesion's had developed, but so far they have not called it frozen shoulder.
This rotator cuff PT is range-of-motion only, no physical loading, as all my shoulder parts are not connected or in the correct place. Already my left arm is about 3/4 the size of my right due to inactivity. The range-of-motion PT is more painful than anything I have ever experienced even when I pre-load my body with Advil. Having run marathon's at sub 6 pace, ultras as long at 100K, and numerous Ironman races, I know a bit about pain. Or so I thought. And, un-reassuring, doing this PT prior to surgery is just a precursor of the pain I'll have with PT following surgery. The normal recovery time following surgery is 6 months, putting mid-October as my back-to-normal target.
Its now approaching 6 weeks since the accident and the enormity of the emotional and physical constriction is making itself clearly felt. Only to be able to do any kind of workout, to repair small things around the house, to do anything but read, watch TV, second guess, and try to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. I am an active person, as most of you reading this are, and this type of long-term confinement is beyond frustrating. I've had bouts of self-pity and questioned whether being active after 70, at the level of intensity I've carried to this date, was part of god's design for the human body. Quash that thought, quash it, quash it.
I've found that having a race as a goal, I'll train more consistently and focused. Consequently I'm thinking about what year-end goal I should plan on tackling if I'm to progress out of this mental and physical confinement. Since it's my shoulder that will be the last to heal/recover, triathlons are not realistic racing goals for 2016. But maybe a running race? It's not an optimal goal for me as my knees have been my limiting issue in the past 10 years, but it's where I can realistically have a chance of developing fitness given my slate of injuries. My son has already registered for the Javelina 100 mile desert trail race in late October. It's just 15 miles from my house. They have a concurrent 100K race. Am I nuts?
......to be continued.....
The surgery was performed under a "General" by a Plastic Surgeon, so it must have been a bit more consequential than I originally thought. I now have another drain and bag and complication to performing life's daily rituals. I did feel holistically better following the surgery. I had noticed that the hematoma felt a few degrees warmer to me than the surrounding tissue, so maybe the body was working hard to defend against this unwanted bulge. Glad it's been removed so I can get on to the bigger issues.
I've also started Physical Therapy to reduce the chance of the dreaded "frozen shoulder" which can follow shoulder trauma, or just occur out of the blue, as a bodies natural protective defense. It seemed odd to me to be doing PT prior to surgery, but I've been assured it's the right thing to do. In my case, I do have very restricted range of motion. I thought it was just due to the fact that some of my muscles are no longer connected to where they are supposed to be connected, and my scapula was broken. But no, it's due to the rotator cuff capsule clamping down on the ball of my shoulder bone. Adhesion's had developed, but so far they have not called it frozen shoulder.
This rotator cuff PT is range-of-motion only, no physical loading, as all my shoulder parts are not connected or in the correct place. Already my left arm is about 3/4 the size of my right due to inactivity. The range-of-motion PT is more painful than anything I have ever experienced even when I pre-load my body with Advil. Having run marathon's at sub 6 pace, ultras as long at 100K, and numerous Ironman races, I know a bit about pain. Or so I thought. And, un-reassuring, doing this PT prior to surgery is just a precursor of the pain I'll have with PT following surgery. The normal recovery time following surgery is 6 months, putting mid-October as my back-to-normal target.
Its now approaching 6 weeks since the accident and the enormity of the emotional and physical constriction is making itself clearly felt. Only to be able to do any kind of workout, to repair small things around the house, to do anything but read, watch TV, second guess, and try to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. I am an active person, as most of you reading this are, and this type of long-term confinement is beyond frustrating. I've had bouts of self-pity and questioned whether being active after 70, at the level of intensity I've carried to this date, was part of god's design for the human body. Quash that thought, quash it, quash it.
I've found that having a race as a goal, I'll train more consistently and focused. Consequently I'm thinking about what year-end goal I should plan on tackling if I'm to progress out of this mental and physical confinement. Since it's my shoulder that will be the last to heal/recover, triathlons are not realistic racing goals for 2016. But maybe a running race? It's not an optimal goal for me as my knees have been my limiting issue in the past 10 years, but it's where I can realistically have a chance of developing fitness given my slate of injuries. My son has already registered for the Javelina 100 mile desert trail race in late October. It's just 15 miles from my house. They have a concurrent 100K race. Am I nuts?
......to be continued.....
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
INDIA EIGHTYTWO
INDIA EIGHTYTWO. That was the name given me by the EMT and put on my wristband prior to me being loaded on the ambulance following my bicycle accident. At 30+mph a small rub on the rear wheel of the rider in front of me in the pace line and things changed forever. Never, Never, Never cross wheels in a group ride. After 40 years of competitive bike riding I made one mistake, and there is no do-over, and it really hurts both physically and mentally.Broken Scapula, broken hip, broken ribs, collapsed lung, torn rotator cuff, huge hematoma, toe to head road rash. All on the left side. As a triathlete, I prided myself on having pretty decent pain management skills. Exercise induced pain management that is. Trauma pain is another dimension.
The group I was riding with was not into risk taking, we were following all the rules-of-the-road and behaving with courtesy. On the downhill returning leg of a Saturday morning ride Feb 20th it was pace line time and with the group now down to about 8 riders, not a cumbersome size. Just a split second of overlap and whoosh.
My helmet did its thing and I had the EMT call my wife from my functioning cell phone and we met at the trauma hospital following my being patched up. I received the cursory stitches for the gashes that were deeper than road rash and a vacuum hose (it was only about 3/16" in diameter but felt like a garden hose) was inserted through my ribs into my lung to assist in removing as much fluid as possible and aid in re inflation.
I had the normal scans for head and spine injury and passed. My bone breaks were not dislocated so surgery to align them was not required. The torn rotator cuff would have to wait until later.
It's still settling in, but my 2016 goal of winning my age group at Kona was dashed in the accident. I had previously qualified with a sub-12 hr race on a tough course and the M70-74 winning time in both 2014 and 2015 was 13+ hrs, so I knew I had a good chance if I stayed healthy. I cannot have the required surgery to repair my torn rotator cuff until my other trauma injuries have healed in about 2 months. Since recovery from rotator cuff surgery takes 6 to 12 months, the math is indisputable.
I was home from the hospital after 10 days and off pain meds after 14. This week I start the process of follow-up examinations to see how the trauma recovery is going. I will try to be a good patient and resist the temptation to "over re-hab" thus re-injuring the repairs.
So my blog this year will not be one of race experiences, but rehab and reflection. Only a fool would not acknowledge that this type of accident in this sport at this age requires serious reflection. I don't believe I am a fool..........
.........TO BE CONTINUED............
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
MUSKOKA IRONMAN -- ONE TOUGH LOONIE
PROLOGUE
I entered Muskoka with the sole intent to win the M65-69 division to qualify for Kona and race in the M70-74 division in 2016. Trying to qualify in a lower age group and then age-up to race Kona in an older age group is an ideal situation but difficult to accomplish. As such it was a solo trip with my family following my race online through Ironman Live. Since Canada is a foreign country and my cell phone would charge outrageous fees for calls, texts were the favored form of communication. Waiting for me upon my return were all the race day text exchanges between my family members, some of them humorous. Consequently this report is in two parts. The first part contains my Race Report and thoughts as the race unfolded. The second part is a transcript of the flurry of texts between me (in black), my wife in Minnesota (in red), my son in Northern California (in blue) and my daughter in Southern California (in green) as they followed my progress.
RACE REPORT
SWIM: Less than 1300 (no pro's, 290 first timers) of us lined up for the swim which had a rolling start based on your volunteered estimate of swim time. Consequently the race clock would show a different time than your actual race time based on how long it took to get to and cross the swim start timing mat. Clear and smooth water. Very non-chaotic swim start but I still took a minor kick to the jaw. At about the 2.5 km point I noticed a woman swimmer slowly passing me using a much slower cadence than I. At that point I remembered that sometimes "slower is faster" and slowed my cadence accordingly and was able to swim faster. Good learning there. The wetsuit strippers stumbled with wetsuit removal but it was still faster than I could have done by myself. It was a long run around the 18th green of the golf course and up the hill to the resort lodge to the changing room which was in the ballroom of the resort. In the ballroom you had your own numbered chair with both the bike and run transition bags there for you and assistance if you needed it. Then out the front door and to the bike corral and you're on your way. PS: swim time 72 minutes, very good for me.
BIKE: This being Canada everything was in metric. I had not driven or ridden a kilometer of the course but the talk and information clearly identified that it was hilly. At about 2 km I threw my chain into the rear wheel spokes part way up the first 10%+ grade hill on the course. dismounted and pulled the bike over to the side of the road and was able to free the chain and re-thread it on the rear cog. Starting on an uphill 10% grade is tough but I got it going. Now the adrenalin was rushing and it was at about 15 km when I scrolled through my garmin display and saw that I was averaging about 220 watts, way more than my plan. My plan was to take the first of the two loop course in tourist mode as I had no experience with the course. Then I would push the second loop a bit more only if I felt really fresh. So I throttled myself back, coasted the downhills (coasting sometimes at 45 mph) as I saw that I was in the 250-350 watt range based on the steepness of the uphills. At about 40 km I threw my chain into the spokes again on another steep uphill. I quickly dragged the bike to the side and reattached the chain again. Took me a while but I got clipped in and back in the saddle yet again. Now I was nervous, as it appeared the rear derailleur stop was slightly incorrect so I tried to avoid the largest "bailout" gear on all future hills. Shortly after that the next two largest gears started to chatter with the chain skipping between them uncontrollably. I continued to fumble along and finally realized that both my front derailleur levers (return to center SRAM) had loosened up. The only way I could now shift was to put sideways pressure on the levers as I shifted.
That was the end of any aggressive shifting and riding for the rest of the day. At about 95 km my power meter (SRM -- just recently returned from tuneup and new battery -- but they didn't fix the intermittent failure issue) crapped out. Now power blind on a hilly course with mechanical issues with the rear derailleur and both shifter levers. OK, just nurse this baby to the bike finish. At approximately 150 km I no longer trusted my front derailleur lever. I decided to leave it in the small front ring which meant I had maxed out my speed on flats and downhills well below optimal. Then at 170 km, in spite of all my precautions, my rear ring derailed yet a third time. Pull to side of road, dismount, pull chain free and re-thread, try to restart uphill, re-try to restart uphill and finally got going. Pulled into transition where they took my bike from me. I had to wonder if it just wasn't meant to be my day. PS: Garmin read 6,800 ft elevation climbing. Some of the relatively short but steep hills dropped my speed to under 5mph even in my sketchy "bailout" gear. First loop was overcast and relatively mild. Second loop the sun came out and the heat and humidity appeared. Bike split 5:52.
RUN: I had experimented with knee compression (both the neoprene and compression fabric varieties) the three weeks prior to the race to help manage my knee pains. I decided to use the fabric compression knee wraps as I thought they were more breathable and less likely to create rash areas. I believe they helped. I intend to utilize them in my future run training so that I can try to regain better run fitness. The run course is a two loop course that traverses from the Deerhurst Resort into the town of Huntsville and back, repeat. My run plan was to immediately start a jog/walk routine of 2min/1min duration and lengthen the jog portion as I loosened up. I found in my training that a 1 minute walk is adequate recovery and that longer walks create stiffness issues upon restarting to jog. I also planned to try to schedule the walk portions through the aid stations and the uphills. Didn't go as planned. The course is literally half uphill and half downhill with some sections that might have less than a 1% grade either way, so I ended up walking more than I had planned. Still, I was able to maintain an 11min/mile pace for most of the run. I was surprised that not that many racers were passing me. There is usually some part on the run where sanity and the will to finish is internally debated, that's what differentiates the full Ironman from other shorter races. My hurdle was to get past this debate and reach the 30km mark, where I figured I could finish even if I had to walk my way in. This day I didn't have to revert to a full walk-in finish, but I was counting 30 jog steps followed by 20 walk steps, repeat, repeat, repeat. PS: Elevation gain 2000ft. Run split 4:39. Total Race Time with transitions 11:56.
OBSERVATIONS: Muskoka is a beautiful resort area about a 2.5 hr drive north of Toronto; lakes, rolling hills, resorts, cabins, cute towns, cute restaurants. I would recommend staying at the Deerhurst Resort (race site) or one of the other nearby resorts in order to minimize family and race day logistics. (I registered late so I ended up in a small motel on the perimeter of Huntsville, co-host of the race). Coming from Minnesota, I was well acquainted with the term "Minnesota Nice". Well, there is an equal if not more hospitable attitude called "Canadian Nice" that seemed to be contagious to athletes, volunteers and spectators alike, as everyone I met was courteous and friendly. For first time Ironman entrants, or anybody else concerned about the toughness of the course, I would recommend entering the "Tough Toonie", which is joint entry into the Muskoka 70.3 (held in early July) and Muskoka Ironman (late August). For the non-Canadians, Loonie is a $1 Canadian coin, Toonie is a $2 Canadian coin.
TEXTS (me in black, wife in red, son in blue, daughter in green)
Friday: Flew in to Toronto from Minneapolis and drove to race site in Muskoka region of Canada
In very basic hotel but does have wifi. Taking short nap and then out for supper and meeting. Very convoluted course (ie, large hill to climb from swim to transition) so need to go to meeting. The terrain reminds me of Wisconsin Dells area so I expect very few flat areas on the bike or run.
Oh No
I'm not excessively worried
OK
Saturday: Picked up bike from Tri Bike Transport, put bike in transition, and turned in bike and run bags
Sounds like WI IM - take first bike lap easy and don't attack the short hills - use small ring on bike. I think a hilly run plays into your strength as u have practiced walking on your long runs
they have streaming video footage at finish - we will be looking for u - so smile
good luck Papa
just hate the day before. Nana talked me into bringing a trashy spy novel so I'm sitting inside drinking Gatorade eating mac n cheese n reading. Cool damp and overcast here. Don't have much excitement for this race, probably cause I'm a bit nervous about it. It doesn't get any easier for these long ones no matter how prepared. Just one small chink in the armour gets magnified.
Sunday: Race Day
Right now projected to be off bike in 7:20, 2nd place projected in 8:18 - but only splits through 64k of bike - 40 miles
I can't seem to get any info other than total bike. Whose in front of him?
Or is he in first? I'm a nervous wreck. Please keep me filled in.
Looks like Dad is in first. Is he trying to qualify for Kona?
Yes for next year when he is 70
He is in first. Kona slot for 2016 is what he's after
OK, got it
Benj u seem to know what's going on. I can only get total bike split which is showing nothing. Just text when u get info. Bike should be OK but issue is run. If he can get a huge lead on 2nd then he should be able to hold if no cramps injuries etc. thanks Mom
I am headed out for a bike ride but I have site on my phone - will check for updates
Thanks its going to be a long day
Nana, if you click on papas name, it showed you the bike splits. Looks like he has made it through 39 km (2nd split) and averaging about 30 km/hr
OK let me try hate being blind. I got it. How did u know that? Thanks!!!!
I just started clicking on stuff
Wow that is so much better!!!! Otherwise it was going to be a stressful long day. I would have never figured that out
3rd bile split looks good. Putting 1-1.5 mph into 2nd place guy
He needs as much time as he can get bc of run. Assuming the guy is good runner bc Dad beat him is swim and looks like the bike. Thanks for update!!!
They are all slow runners at that age!!
I know. Should I worry that dad's speed on bike has slowed to 26k. Is it the course?
He did say that it would be hilly and curvy in sections. Maybe that's why?
Need to wait for 2nd place guy and see - that is slow -
Top 45-49 male slowed down 1kph from 3rd split to 4th. Dad slowed .8 kph - guessing it is course.
OK that makes sense thanks for checking
FYI they have live video of run out and finish
Where do I get that I'm on the site Live coverage?
I don't see it on mobile device - look on top left menu for video
OK
2nd place guy holding strong. I am guessing dad starts run with 40-50 min lead. He just would need to average 11 on run even if guy is a strong runner
Nana, did u find the live coverage of the run out? I see it.
Yes thanks
5:52 for bike! great time. His transitions R fast
Go Papa Ben
He started run 35 min ahead. Just needs 11 min miles
First 5 miles he was doing 10, hope he slows a bit down - just needs 11. We can see how 2nd place guy does in 1st 5 miles
he is on 11:40ish pace. anything under 12 hrs would almost guarantee 1st. Even 12:30 most likely would qualify
I am back in land of coverage - anyone see dad leave T2?
No I was making lunch
I think u can scroll back on the video dad put additional 15 min into 2nd place in first 5 miles of run. now ~ 50 min ahead. Could walk last 18 miles and win! hope he realizes that!
I don't think he realizes that bc the numbering system so squirrelly hope he doesn't blow up
Because there isn't a lot of racers he might figure it out
Ur right. He said it was like a Mn race in terms of number of participants. Hope so
He put another 10 min into 2nd place! All he has to do is walk in!!
Oh I hope he knows that. I thought 2nd place guy was going to be a stellar runner
3rd run split in. Dad is crushing it - super consistent! 1/2 way done with run
Yea. Hope he can hold it
Not slowing down much! 1 more hour! I think he is going to beat all the 60-64 group too.
U think he's going to make it ok. He seems to be going strong
Should finish around 11:45 - finish like video has clock time. Start time looking at 11:40
Ok thanks. Wow he's actually going to do this.
He would win 60-64 and been 2nd in 55-59 age groups
Wow hope he can finish with no injuries. Benja does he have just 6 miles left?
Yes. should finish in 10-20 min!! Look at finish camera video. It shows race time, he should be finishing when that says 11:45-11:55
Ok I'm going to try to turn it on
He could roll on his side the last miles and qualify!
Ur funny! Where is the live feed on the site
Upper left where it says video. Then scroll down to finish line video and click Look for the hobbling old man
Ok I got it. Ur funny. Do you think next 20 min? Hey it's all young guys
Earliest will be 11:45 If he keeps last few miles pace it will be 11:48 I am guessing he slows down on purpose but tries to go under 12.
This feed is cool. Will it stay on
Should stay on - u can set it to full screen - helps a bit
Oh they all look young How do u get full screen Ok just got it much better This is even hard to wait
If he walked last 6 miles he would come in 12:10 What is he wearing?
White shirt or One team kit. Was it sunny, looks overcast What's the latest Should I worry
No - after 12:15 worry
Could he have crashed
No
I'm officially worried
Well he could be walking in
Ok then when would he get in
12:20
Oh will other guy catch him It would be so hard to lose. Over 900 still on course. Wow
No - the other guy is over an hour behind
He's in!!!!! Thanks Benj I was worried. Did u hear that they said Dad was 65-69 and anything was possible. Kinda cool. Could u tell how he looked?
Did u see him? U can scroll back and watch again. He looked fine - must have walked a lot the last 6!!
I thought he looked good at least didn't collapse. Yea
The race clock was off - his time was 11:56 not 12:07 That was the difference. He didn't slow down that much the last 6
How do u know I can't rewind but it's ok Just looked up his results 11:56:34. That's good isn't it?
Super good Very tough course
Thanks for all the help. It's stressful even if u r not there! I guess he's going to Hawaii in 2016!
 |
| AWARD CEREMONY |
RACE REPORT
 |
| BALLROOM CHANGING ROOM |
SWIM: Less than 1300 (no pro's, 290 first timers) of us lined up for the swim which had a rolling start based on your volunteered estimate of swim time. Consequently the race clock would show a different time than your actual race time based on how long it took to get to and cross the swim start timing mat. Clear and smooth water. Very non-chaotic swim start but I still took a minor kick to the jaw. At about the 2.5 km point I noticed a woman swimmer slowly passing me using a much slower cadence than I. At that point I remembered that sometimes "slower is faster" and slowed my cadence accordingly and was able to swim faster. Good learning there. The wetsuit strippers stumbled with wetsuit removal but it was still faster than I could have done by myself. It was a long run around the 18th green of the golf course and up the hill to the resort lodge to the changing room which was in the ballroom of the resort. In the ballroom you had your own numbered chair with both the bike and run transition bags there for you and assistance if you needed it. Then out the front door and to the bike corral and you're on your way. PS: swim time 72 minutes, very good for me.
BIKE: This being Canada everything was in metric. I had not driven or ridden a kilometer of the course but the talk and information clearly identified that it was hilly. At about 2 km I threw my chain into the rear wheel spokes part way up the first 10%+ grade hill on the course. dismounted and pulled the bike over to the side of the road and was able to free the chain and re-thread it on the rear cog. Starting on an uphill 10% grade is tough but I got it going. Now the adrenalin was rushing and it was at about 15 km when I scrolled through my garmin display and saw that I was averaging about 220 watts, way more than my plan. My plan was to take the first of the two loop course in tourist mode as I had no experience with the course. Then I would push the second loop a bit more only if I felt really fresh. So I throttled myself back, coasted the downhills (coasting sometimes at 45 mph) as I saw that I was in the 250-350 watt range based on the steepness of the uphills. At about 40 km I threw my chain into the spokes again on another steep uphill. I quickly dragged the bike to the side and reattached the chain again. Took me a while but I got clipped in and back in the saddle yet again. Now I was nervous, as it appeared the rear derailleur stop was slightly incorrect so I tried to avoid the largest "bailout" gear on all future hills. Shortly after that the next two largest gears started to chatter with the chain skipping between them uncontrollably. I continued to fumble along and finally realized that both my front derailleur levers (return to center SRAM) had loosened up. The only way I could now shift was to put sideways pressure on the levers as I shifted.That was the end of any aggressive shifting and riding for the rest of the day. At about 95 km my power meter (SRM -- just recently returned from tuneup and new battery -- but they didn't fix the intermittent failure issue) crapped out. Now power blind on a hilly course with mechanical issues with the rear derailleur and both shifter levers. OK, just nurse this baby to the bike finish. At approximately 150 km I no longer trusted my front derailleur lever. I decided to leave it in the small front ring which meant I had maxed out my speed on flats and downhills well below optimal. Then at 170 km, in spite of all my precautions, my rear ring derailed yet a third time. Pull to side of road, dismount, pull chain free and re-thread, try to restart uphill, re-try to restart uphill and finally got going. Pulled into transition where they took my bike from me. I had to wonder if it just wasn't meant to be my day. PS: Garmin read 6,800 ft elevation climbing. Some of the relatively short but steep hills dropped my speed to under 5mph even in my sketchy "bailout" gear. First loop was overcast and relatively mild. Second loop the sun came out and the heat and humidity appeared. Bike split 5:52.
 |
| KNEE SUPPORT |
RUN: I had experimented with knee compression (both the neoprene and compression fabric varieties) the three weeks prior to the race to help manage my knee pains. I decided to use the fabric compression knee wraps as I thought they were more breathable and less likely to create rash areas. I believe they helped. I intend to utilize them in my future run training so that I can try to regain better run fitness. The run course is a two loop course that traverses from the Deerhurst Resort into the town of Huntsville and back, repeat. My run plan was to immediately start a jog/walk routine of 2min/1min duration and lengthen the jog portion as I loosened up. I found in my training that a 1 minute walk is adequate recovery and that longer walks create stiffness issues upon restarting to jog. I also planned to try to schedule the walk portions through the aid stations and the uphills. Didn't go as planned. The course is literally half uphill and half downhill with some sections that might have less than a 1% grade either way, so I ended up walking more than I had planned. Still, I was able to maintain an 11min/mile pace for most of the run. I was surprised that not that many racers were passing me. There is usually some part on the run where sanity and the will to finish is internally debated, that's what differentiates the full Ironman from other shorter races. My hurdle was to get past this debate and reach the 30km mark, where I figured I could finish even if I had to walk my way in. This day I didn't have to revert to a full walk-in finish, but I was counting 30 jog steps followed by 20 walk steps, repeat, repeat, repeat. PS: Elevation gain 2000ft. Run split 4:39. Total Race Time with transitions 11:56. |
| DOWNTOWN HUNTSVILLE |
TEXTS (me in black, wife in red, son in blue, daughter in green)
Friday: Flew in to Toronto from Minneapolis and drove to race site in Muskoka region of Canada
In very basic hotel but does have wifi. Taking short nap and then out for supper and meeting. Very convoluted course (ie, large hill to climb from swim to transition) so need to go to meeting. The terrain reminds me of Wisconsin Dells area so I expect very few flat areas on the bike or run.
Oh No
I'm not excessively worried
OK
Saturday: Picked up bike from Tri Bike Transport, put bike in transition, and turned in bike and run bags
Sounds like WI IM - take first bike lap easy and don't attack the short hills - use small ring on bike. I think a hilly run plays into your strength as u have practiced walking on your long runs
they have streaming video footage at finish - we will be looking for u - so smile
good luck Papa
just hate the day before. Nana talked me into bringing a trashy spy novel so I'm sitting inside drinking Gatorade eating mac n cheese n reading. Cool damp and overcast here. Don't have much excitement for this race, probably cause I'm a bit nervous about it. It doesn't get any easier for these long ones no matter how prepared. Just one small chink in the armour gets magnified.
Sunday: Race Day
Right now projected to be off bike in 7:20, 2nd place projected in 8:18 - but only splits through 64k of bike - 40 miles
I can't seem to get any info other than total bike. Whose in front of him?
Or is he in first? I'm a nervous wreck. Please keep me filled in.
Looks like Dad is in first. Is he trying to qualify for Kona?
Yes for next year when he is 70
He is in first. Kona slot for 2016 is what he's after
OK, got it
Benj u seem to know what's going on. I can only get total bike split which is showing nothing. Just text when u get info. Bike should be OK but issue is run. If he can get a huge lead on 2nd then he should be able to hold if no cramps injuries etc. thanks Mom
I am headed out for a bike ride but I have site on my phone - will check for updates
Thanks its going to be a long day
Nana, if you click on papas name, it showed you the bike splits. Looks like he has made it through 39 km (2nd split) and averaging about 30 km/hr
OK let me try hate being blind. I got it. How did u know that? Thanks!!!!
I just started clicking on stuff
Wow that is so much better!!!! Otherwise it was going to be a stressful long day. I would have never figured that out
3rd bile split looks good. Putting 1-1.5 mph into 2nd place guy
He needs as much time as he can get bc of run. Assuming the guy is good runner bc Dad beat him is swim and looks like the bike. Thanks for update!!!
They are all slow runners at that age!!
I know. Should I worry that dad's speed on bike has slowed to 26k. Is it the course?
He did say that it would be hilly and curvy in sections. Maybe that's why?
Need to wait for 2nd place guy and see - that is slow -
Top 45-49 male slowed down 1kph from 3rd split to 4th. Dad slowed .8 kph - guessing it is course.
OK that makes sense thanks for checking
FYI they have live video of run out and finish
Where do I get that I'm on the site Live coverage?
I don't see it on mobile device - look on top left menu for video
OK
2nd place guy holding strong. I am guessing dad starts run with 40-50 min lead. He just would need to average 11 on run even if guy is a strong runner
Nana, did u find the live coverage of the run out? I see it.
Yes thanks
5:52 for bike! great time. His transitions R fast
Go Papa Ben
He started run 35 min ahead. Just needs 11 min miles
First 5 miles he was doing 10, hope he slows a bit down - just needs 11. We can see how 2nd place guy does in 1st 5 miles
he is on 11:40ish pace. anything under 12 hrs would almost guarantee 1st. Even 12:30 most likely would qualify
I am back in land of coverage - anyone see dad leave T2?
No I was making lunch
I think u can scroll back on the video dad put additional 15 min into 2nd place in first 5 miles of run. now ~ 50 min ahead. Could walk last 18 miles and win! hope he realizes that!
I don't think he realizes that bc the numbering system so squirrelly hope he doesn't blow up
Because there isn't a lot of racers he might figure it out
Ur right. He said it was like a Mn race in terms of number of participants. Hope so
He put another 10 min into 2nd place! All he has to do is walk in!!
Oh I hope he knows that. I thought 2nd place guy was going to be a stellar runner
3rd run split in. Dad is crushing it - super consistent! 1/2 way done with run
Yea. Hope he can hold it
Not slowing down much! 1 more hour! I think he is going to beat all the 60-64 group too.
U think he's going to make it ok. He seems to be going strong
Should finish around 11:45 - finish like video has clock time. Start time looking at 11:40
Ok thanks. Wow he's actually going to do this.
He would win 60-64 and been 2nd in 55-59 age groups
Wow hope he can finish with no injuries. Benja does he have just 6 miles left?
Yes. should finish in 10-20 min!! Look at finish camera video. It shows race time, he should be finishing when that says 11:45-11:55
Ok I'm going to try to turn it on
He could roll on his side the last miles and qualify!
Ur funny! Where is the live feed on the site
Upper left where it says video. Then scroll down to finish line video and click Look for the hobbling old man
Ok I got it. Ur funny. Do you think next 20 min? Hey it's all young guys
Earliest will be 11:45 If he keeps last few miles pace it will be 11:48 I am guessing he slows down on purpose but tries to go under 12.
This feed is cool. Will it stay on
Should stay on - u can set it to full screen - helps a bit
Oh they all look young How do u get full screen Ok just got it much better This is even hard to wait
If he walked last 6 miles he would come in 12:10 What is he wearing?
White shirt or One team kit. Was it sunny, looks overcast What's the latest Should I worry
No - after 12:15 worry
Could he have crashed
No
I'm officially worried
Well he could be walking in
Ok then when would he get in
12:20
Oh will other guy catch him It would be so hard to lose. Over 900 still on course. Wow
No - the other guy is over an hour behind
He's in!!!!! Thanks Benj I was worried. Did u hear that they said Dad was 65-69 and anything was possible. Kinda cool. Could u tell how he looked?
Did u see him? U can scroll back and watch again. He looked fine - must have walked a lot the last 6!!
I thought he looked good at least didn't collapse. Yea
The race clock was off - his time was 11:56 not 12:07 That was the difference. He didn't slow down that much the last 6
How do u know I can't rewind but it's ok Just looked up his results 11:56:34. That's good isn't it?
Super good Very tough course
Thanks for all the help. It's stressful even if u r not there! I guess he's going to Hawaii in 2016!
Sunday, July 19, 2015
LIFETIME TRI, MINNEAPOLIS, JULY 11 2015
 |
| TRANSITION PRE-RACE |
PRE-RACE: I was entered in the sprint race because I wanted to get an assessment of my condition and did not want a longish run as I was gingerly improving my run fitness in spite of my cranky knees. Sprint races are not my forte (I'm 85 % slow twitch as measured by muscle biopsy) but I did not want to get an injury setback from a long run. To make a distinction from the super sprint swim, the sprint distance swim was increased to .47 miles, while the bike was slightly over 15 miles and the run a 5K. I had perused the entry list within my age category and noticed that the prior year winners were entered, as well as Duane Millslagle, a local fast athlete, who had aged-up into the 65-69 age group. Since the prior winning times were not impressive, I imagined that Duane would be my main threat. He is a faster swimmer than I and had a faster run pace at the USAT National Duathlon Championships three weeks earlier. However, he raced the sprint with shorter runs while I raced the standard distance. My strategy was to catch and pass him on the bike and build a cushion prior to the run.
RACE: Because of the numerous races within a race, and with only one transition area, everyone had to vacate the transition at the same time resulting in some long waits for various wave starts. Because the weather was benign, this was not a big issue. But, for example, my wave didn't start until 8:15 while we had to exit the transition at 6:30. The start was a blend of wave and time trial. Age groups were clumped into the same wave, and two athletes from each wave were sent off in 3 second intervals first passing over a timing mat. This worked well to ease the swim frenzy that would normally exist compared to a 1500 athlete short distance triathlon with either a large wave or mass start.
 |
| SWIM FINISH |
 |
| BIKE START |
I was running scared, had forgotten to tighten my speed laces on my shoes, but did not want to stop and waste valuable seconds so I ran in somewhat floppy shoes. At the turnaround on a short out-n-back I saw that I had what I estimated to be less than a 30 second lead with 2 miles to go. By this point I was soaked in sweat from running in the humid air but did not want to take any water at the aid stations for fear of losing valuable seconds. After all, this was just over an hour event and the body, if properly pre-race hydrated, can put out that long without additional fluids.
 |
| DUANE and BEN |
Now I'm trying to refocus on some more serious endurance training for my next race, an Ironman. Only a few of those left in me both mentally and physically. I've raced at Kona 6 times, reaching the podium twice (5th and 2nd), trying to get there for lucky seven.....
Thursday, June 11, 2015
USAT NATIONAL DUATHALON CHAMPIONSHIP , 3RD PLACE
 |
| TRANSITION |
I raced this National Championship primarily because it was held in St Paul, Minnesota, 20 miles from my summer home. Since I was 69 years old in the 65-69 age group I did not have illusions of winning unless some bad luck occurred to some of the other competitors. I ended up 3rd to two great athletes and was very satisfied with my effort.
The course was a 5K run, 34K bike, 5K run format, with both runs being a repetitive 2 looper and the bike a repetitive 3 looper with a 320 ft hill at the start of the loop. JP Bacle, who just aged-up to 65, won the 65-69 M age group in 1:44:03 followed by Kerry Mayer in 1:45:54 with me coming home 3rd in 1:47:38.
My runs were 21:31 and 22:57 while the bike was 1:01:05. Generally, I was pleased with my effort relative to my training commitments. I keep experimenting with how to manage my complaining knees which primarily hinder my ability to run train as much as is required to maintain competitiveness. Right now I'm taking Niacin amide which has some anecdotal reports regarding its ability to reduce the pain caused by arthritis. I'm also following my swim sessions with shallow water pool running as the water partially supports my body weight and thus reduces the compression impact on the knees. Since I only started both of these changes last month, its too early to know if they will be beneficial. In the meantime I continue to jog between 10 and 20 miles/week using a 4min/1min jog/walk routine.
I have entered a race later this year that I have only shared with my family as it relates to a longer term goal that will not be achievable unless I can successfully resolve my complaining knees issue. Before the year is out I will share, for better or worse.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
ST GEORGE 70.3: I'M SLOWING DOWN
 |
| GETTING TOUGHER EACH YEAR |
I won the 65-69 age group with a 5:38, but slower than last years 5:33 on an easier weather day. So, what is happening?
Well, I'm just getting older. It's tough to compete at the "old" end of the "older" age groups. In a prior post I compared the relative performance of the best age-groupers as a function of age. I did this utilizing the USAT ranking system, and the USAT statistics for 2014 reaffirmed the general trend of an accelerating decline after age 40. To further smooth the recent 2014 USAT statistics, I averaged the scores of the top 5 ranked athletes in each age group. The results were as shown below:
AGE-GROUP MALE FEMALE(1)
20-24 104.3 102.0
25-29 104.6 104.1
30-34 105.3 103.1
35-39 105.8 103.7
40-44 103.9 101.7
45-49 101.2 99.4
50-54 97.9 99.6
55-59 93.8 94.8
60-64 90.2 85.9
65-69 84.0 79.4
70-74 76.2 72.9
75-79 66.8 (2)
(1) Females are given an extra 10 points in the USAT ranking methodology
to account for gender
(2) Insufficient data
Since in the older age groups its mostly the younger bunch that finish in the top 5, you could reasonably calculate that, for example, a 65 year old male should expect to be approximately 7% slower than a 60 year old [(90.2-84.0)/90.2 = 6.9%]. If you assume a linear degradation within age group with age, you can make this comparison and calculate an age-adjusted index for any age athlete. For example, a 69 year old male (me) would have an index of 77.8 [ 76.2+(76.2 - 84.0)/5 = 77.8]. You can age-handicap your buddies!!!! You can race for who buys the beers!!!!
THE RACE: Drove up from Scottsdale with my younger (66 yr old) friend from Houston who was interested in the qualifying slot for 70.3 Worlds to be held August 30 in Austria. We both achieved our goals, me to gauge my fitness level and friend George Rux got the slot on a roll down. The swim
 |
| GEORGE RUX CELEBRATING |
 |
| ST GEORGE 70.3 VOLUNTEER CEREMONY |
MY AGE-ADJUSTED FINISH: Since I spent the front end of this blog on calculating age-based indexes, how should you apply it to see who buys the beers? Lets compare me to the overall Amateur winner on an age-adjusted basis? The Amateur winner was Ken Peterson, M30-34, time 4:12, Age Index 105.3. This would give him an age-adjusted time of 4:25:24 (4:12 x 1.053 = 265.4 = 4:25:24). My time was 5:38, with an index of 77.8, my age adjusted time would have been 4:23 (5:38 x .778 = 263 = 4:23). I like this indexing system. Don't know you Ken, but next time lets race for beers????
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
LIFETIME MARQUEE SPRINT -- FIRST TRI OF 2015
Lifetime sponsors the first triathlon each Arizona season in Tempe Town Lake in April. The venue is in the same general location as the November Ironman race. The major difference outside of the distances, is that the bike is completely on city roads. Also, the photo's you see here are provided free (well, not really free since you paid for the race, but they are provided at no additional charge as part of the entry fee).
I've been slowly getting back into shape, shape for a 69 year old that is, and this was a good opportunity to see how I was coming along. I entered the sprint (750 meters, 13.9 miles, 3.08 miles) as I did not want to adjust my training for this race. And because my knees were still limiting my ability to run train any significant miles.
I had an auspicious start. Half way down to the start from my house I realized I forgot to bring either a watch or my garmin bike computer. That meant I would be racing by feel and blind to technology. Glad it was only a sprint distance.
The swim was wet suit legal and my split of 15:24 was slower than my practice time trial of 13:30 (with pull buoy to simulate the wetsuit buoyancy). Partly slower because the timing mat used for the swim split may have been at the transition entrance which was a jog from the water and after I had been stripped of my wetsuit. However, I was first in the 65-69M by 3 seconds.
The first transition was best described as clumsy. Struggled with the race belt. Almost left transition without the helmet chin strap clasped. Dropped the bike and had the water bottle pop out. I was in second exiting transition.
The bike is always a challenge on this course. Last time I counted it had almost 20 turns of which at least 3 were 180's. There are many expansion joints and occasional paver stone stretches. But it is always fast if you survive because it is flat and crowded which gives you unintended legal draft as you catch and pass. I quickly regained first after mounting the bike. I averaged 25 mph.
The second transition was gratefully smoother than the first. As I started to leave the bike rack another old guy was racking his bike. I was not sure of his age but I knew I had to be minutes clear of anyone in my age group to hold onto the lead through the run.
Into the run I was passed by this old guy going significantly faster than I knew I could hold. Since he had compression socks on no age was visible on his calf. Since my training runs have all been done with a run/walk routine (either 4 min/1 min or 3 min/2 min splits) and I planned to run this whole 3.08 miles, I was in no shape to chase him down. I just had to run my run. I was able to average just over 8 min miles. It was a flat run course and a mild temp day. The old guy in front of me? He was only 62...
So I finished first in the 65-69M category in 1:16:43, 52nd out of 370, being gaped over 16 minutes to the winning time of 1:00:17.
I've been slowly getting back into shape, shape for a 69 year old that is, and this was a good opportunity to see how I was coming along. I entered the sprint (750 meters, 13.9 miles, 3.08 miles) as I did not want to adjust my training for this race. And because my knees were still limiting my ability to run train any significant miles.
I had an auspicious start. Half way down to the start from my house I realized I forgot to bring either a watch or my garmin bike computer. That meant I would be racing by feel and blind to technology. Glad it was only a sprint distance.
The first transition was best described as clumsy. Struggled with the race belt. Almost left transition without the helmet chin strap clasped. Dropped the bike and had the water bottle pop out. I was in second exiting transition.
The bike is always a challenge on this course. Last time I counted it had almost 20 turns of which at least 3 were 180's. There are many expansion joints and occasional paver stone stretches. But it is always fast if you survive because it is flat and crowded which gives you unintended legal draft as you catch and pass. I quickly regained first after mounting the bike. I averaged 25 mph.The second transition was gratefully smoother than the first. As I started to leave the bike rack another old guy was racking his bike. I was not sure of his age but I knew I had to be minutes clear of anyone in my age group to hold onto the lead through the run.Into the run I was passed by this old guy going significantly faster than I knew I could hold. Since he had compression socks on no age was visible on his calf. Since my training runs have all been done with a run/walk routine (either 4 min/1 min or 3 min/2 min splits) and I planned to run this whole 3.08 miles, I was in no shape to chase him down. I just had to run my run. I was able to average just over 8 min miles. It was a flat run course and a mild temp day. The old guy in front of me? He was only 62...
So I finished first in the 65-69M category in 1:16:43, 52nd out of 370, being gaped over 16 minutes to the winning time of 1:00:17.
Monday, March 2, 2015
DESERT CLASSIC DUATHLON DUOVER
 |
| EARLY MORNING IN THE DESERT |
The race is held in the McDowell Regional Park and consists of two 3.65 mile trail runs sandwiching either an on road bike or off road bike leg. I chose the on road option of approximately 24 miles. The annual rainfall in the Phoenix metro area is about 7 inches/year, but when there is a hint of a storm the local media launch into overdrive. In this case they were predicting that a major storm would start Saturday and rain through Monday with 100% probability. They were wrong. While the clouds threatened, the rain really didn't hit until Monday noon.
I had been slowly getting back into training but had worked back to only about 7 hours per week. Just enough to make such a race distance as the Desert Du feasible. Most of those training hours were spent swimming, some biking, and a little running so I was appropriately apprehensive regarding the race, especially the run portions. So I planned on "completing" the event not "racing" the event, something that is not natural for me. I even chose to not wear a watch so that I would not get carried away. I was wrong.
I started out on the run near the back and was holding my slow pace as planned until a guy with the number 68 on his calf went past me. OK, why not try to stay in sight of him? After a while I thought, OK why not pass him? And that was the end of the "completing" versus "racing" strategy. Post race I found out that my split was 29:55, good enough for a 8:12 min/mile pace. Not fast, but faster than my planned 9 min/mile pace.
 |
| FINISH LINE IN SIGHT |
Returning to the trail run my legs were ever so clumsy and with the reality setting in that I was indeed not "race" ready, I chose to walk the rockier and steeper uphills. My second run turned out to take 32:58, good enough to average a shade over 9 min/mile and stay ahead of the guy with 68 on his calf.
 |
| JUST THE TWO OF US |
As an aside: My total consumption during the race was 12 ounces of "Perform" sports drink. This is consistent with a cool and overcast day (60 degrees), and that the body muscles and blood naturally contain all the energy you need to compete for 2 hours.
Glad I did the race, knees are very sore. Guess I have to put some more time into training as there is only 2 months until the St George Half.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
2015, ANOTHER TRANSITION YEAR
TIME OFF WITH NO WITHDRAWAL
Well, I actually had no withdrawal symptoms during my 4 month sabbatical from training and racing. The exercise sabbatical was not so kind to my general energy levels or body composition, but I had much more time to enjoy and experience other aspects of living. In addition, the lack of withdrawal gave me pause, and caused me to contemplate what I get out of triathlons.
This is not my first triathlon sabbatical. I took 13 years off during the years before my retirement. That sabbatical was driven both by physical injuries and work obligations, and was consequently reasonably "practical". This short sabbatical, although I have been nagged by minor injuries, was primarily due to a decline in interest.
While I have had some serious successes in multisport, I never dominated at the national level in the age-group categories like Steve Smith did (60-64, now battling cancer). In my 60's, I have won USAT national championships in Trialthlon and Duathalon, finished 2nd in Aquabike, 3rd at the 70.3 worlds (Henderson), and finished 2nd and 5th at Ironman Worlds (Kona). So, clearly, racing just to complete events is not going to motivate me, especially to train at a level that would support the longer distances. And, as I will race at age 69 this year, I will be at a severe disadvantage to all those hungry 65 yr olds who just aged-up. If you read my prior post on the impact of aging on performance (HERE WE GO 2014), all things equal, from 65 to 70 you will be 10% slower even if you are the dominate age-grouper in your category.
WHAT NOW FOR 2015
I haven't put together a real plan for 2015. I'm partly posting this blog just so its readers know I'm still around. I have registered for two WTC events, St George 70.3 and Ironman AZ, mostly because they are close to my home and easy/cheap except for the registration fee's. I am sure to do a few other shorter races, but probably on short notice and based on what is happening in my life. At 69 I am at a serious disadvantage to win the 65-69 age category at races. I tinker with getting serious about turning 70 and making one more shot at earning a podium spot at Kona, but maintaining health, motivation, and luck all have to align for that to happen. So, that's why 2015 is another transition year as I think about turning 70 in 2016. But, to make it worth your while to have read this far, below are a few of my training learning's from nearly 60 years of training and many hundreds of races.
MY TRAINING LEARNING'S
SWIM: As an experienced but not professionally trained swimmer, more time in the pool has only made me marginally faster and not worth the extra time. In addition, the swim is the easiest part of most triathlons due to it being proportionally under-represented compared to either the bike or run segments, and since it is normally the first leg. Consequently, I spend only enough time in the pool to get me comfortable with the expected race distance. Even when approaching an Ironman event, I rarely exceed 3,000 yards in a workout or 10,000 yards in a week. And, I swim freestyle with a pull buoy 90% of the time (why practice breast stroke, back stroke, etc with a limited time resource). In addition I feel that I'm saving my legs for the other segments. Besides, I'm slower when I kick than pull. Obviously I love wetsuit legal races. While these practice distances may seem silly-short, even in my serious marathon days I found I could run mid 2:30's on 60-70 mile weeks with a long run of 15 miles. So, total weekly training of just over twice the race distance worked for me.
BIKE: I've found that weekly training at slightly over twice the expected race distance applies to all three of the legs of triathlon. So approaching an Ironman I will try to average around 200 miles of biking per week. Again, I do not over-emphasize the "long" bike at the expense of consistency. 4 rides of 50+/- miles gets me in great shape. And most of it is on a road bike. Probably just a mental thing, but if I can get fit and efficient on a roadie, then on a tri-bike I'll be about1 mph faster. I do bring out the tri-bike and alternate road/tri bikes as I approach the race to confirm my tri-bike comfort level.
RUN: If I wasn't so prone to running related injuries, I would try to aim for twice the weekly training distance as the event race distance. But, I can no longer safely absorb 50 miles/week of running approaching an Ironman. And, for most people it's not necessary. I averaged perhaps 25 miles/week leading up to my second place finish at Kona in 2011. The longest run was 10 miles. And, when I did my run training, I mimicked my plan to run/walk on a pre-determined schedule that I believed I could maintain for the race. For me that was a 4 min run followed by a 1 minute walk. Enough to hold a 10 min/mile pace and place the every-other-walk at the aid station.
GYM: Usually in the "off" season I spend some time in the gym on strength and flexibility. I do this out of guilt, or maybe its fear, because most "experts" emphasize its benefits, not because I enjoy it or even believe it is that helpful. I believe that to become a faster more efficient runner you need to run, to swim faster you need to swim, to bike faster you need to bike. Muscle specific exercises. I don't think its debatable that of two equivalently talented people, if A spent all his time lifting weights and B used an equivalent time running, B would beat A in a running race. So, unless you are a PRO or an ELITE with unlimited time/resources looking to gain those incremental seconds, I wouldn't overdo the gym thing.
NUTRITION: Like the gym, I don't overemphasize the nutrition. No mater how "nutritionally" or "naturally" you eat, if you don't swim/bike/run you will not get better. I try to eat balanced but feed any cravings that develop, believing that the body knows best. I do occasionally "fast" for short periods. This is a carryover from my marathoning days when, perhaps mistakenly, I thought that fasting while training would teach the body to easily convert from carbo to fat burning in support of long distance races. Old habits die slowly.
YOGA/PILATES/CROSSFIT/MASSAGE/ETC: Gym category.
HAVE A GOOD AND HEALTHY YEAR EVERYONE
Well, I actually had no withdrawal symptoms during my 4 month sabbatical from training and racing. The exercise sabbatical was not so kind to my general energy levels or body composition, but I had much more time to enjoy and experience other aspects of living. In addition, the lack of withdrawal gave me pause, and caused me to contemplate what I get out of triathlons.
This is not my first triathlon sabbatical. I took 13 years off during the years before my retirement. That sabbatical was driven both by physical injuries and work obligations, and was consequently reasonably "practical". This short sabbatical, although I have been nagged by minor injuries, was primarily due to a decline in interest.
While I have had some serious successes in multisport, I never dominated at the national level in the age-group categories like Steve Smith did (60-64, now battling cancer). In my 60's, I have won USAT national championships in Trialthlon and Duathalon, finished 2nd in Aquabike, 3rd at the 70.3 worlds (Henderson), and finished 2nd and 5th at Ironman Worlds (Kona). So, clearly, racing just to complete events is not going to motivate me, especially to train at a level that would support the longer distances. And, as I will race at age 69 this year, I will be at a severe disadvantage to all those hungry 65 yr olds who just aged-up. If you read my prior post on the impact of aging on performance (HERE WE GO 2014), all things equal, from 65 to 70 you will be 10% slower even if you are the dominate age-grouper in your category.
WHAT NOW FOR 2015
I haven't put together a real plan for 2015. I'm partly posting this blog just so its readers know I'm still around. I have registered for two WTC events, St George 70.3 and Ironman AZ, mostly because they are close to my home and easy/cheap except for the registration fee's. I am sure to do a few other shorter races, but probably on short notice and based on what is happening in my life. At 69 I am at a serious disadvantage to win the 65-69 age category at races. I tinker with getting serious about turning 70 and making one more shot at earning a podium spot at Kona, but maintaining health, motivation, and luck all have to align for that to happen. So, that's why 2015 is another transition year as I think about turning 70 in 2016. But, to make it worth your while to have read this far, below are a few of my training learning's from nearly 60 years of training and many hundreds of races.
MY TRAINING LEARNING'S
 |
| early morning outdoor swimming in Arizona |
 |
| never too many bikes |
RUN: If I wasn't so prone to running related injuries, I would try to aim for twice the weekly training distance as the event race distance. But, I can no longer safely absorb 50 miles/week of running approaching an Ironman. And, for most people it's not necessary. I averaged perhaps 25 miles/week leading up to my second place finish at Kona in 2011. The longest run was 10 miles. And, when I did my run training, I mimicked my plan to run/walk on a pre-determined schedule that I believed I could maintain for the race. For me that was a 4 min run followed by a 1 minute walk. Enough to hold a 10 min/mile pace and place the every-other-walk at the aid station.
 |
| lycra and tv free zone |
NUTRITION: Like the gym, I don't overemphasize the nutrition. No mater how "nutritionally" or "naturally" you eat, if you don't swim/bike/run you will not get better. I try to eat balanced but feed any cravings that develop, believing that the body knows best. I do occasionally "fast" for short periods. This is a carryover from my marathoning days when, perhaps mistakenly, I thought that fasting while training would teach the body to easily convert from carbo to fat burning in support of long distance races. Old habits die slowly.
YOGA/PILATES/CROSSFIT/MASSAGE/ETC: Gym category.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monday, July 28, 2014
CHISAGO CITY SPRINT TRIATHLON, WHAT A DEAL
 |
| EARLY MORNING ARRIVERS |
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)