I've been training and racing hard for the last few weeks, and all has been going well. Ive been hitting the intensity with the boys here at school. Its painfull, but i'm seeing results.
In the past two weekends, I raced the Niles, MI Olympic distance race, and the Mighty Mississinewa (500yrd/16.6mile/4mile) tri. I went into both of these races less than fresh, thinking of them more as hard workouts than actual races. I'm pleased to say, even though I felt like shit during both races, I won them both. I'm extremely pleased, especially with my 2:00:07 at Niles ( an 8 min PR for me). I'm hoping this speed is going to help me this coming weekend at USAT Long Course Nationals in St. Louis. I'm hoping to set another PR and go sub 4:20, which would give me a motivation boost going into Clearwater in Nov
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Latest Training 8/26-8/29
I've recovered from Timberman, and its back to the grind. I am building up for USAT long course nationals in 2.5 weeks.
Sun- 4:04 ride- moderately hard and steady. No power meter, just feel
1:02 run, relatively easy ~ 7 min pace
Mon- 35x100 w/10 sec rest, start easy, build into the set
3:24 ride, hard! 278 watt average
:42 run easy
Tues- 30x100 w/10 sec rest as 1x100 hard, 1x100 easy
2 hr ride, very easy
35 min easy t-run
Wed - 1:32 run, average 6:15 / mile
1:01 recovery spin, average 145 watts
:31 min run average 6:50/mile
Tomorrow will see a good high intensity group ride. Fri will be my off day to rest for the Niles
Olympic on saterday.
Sun- 4:04 ride- moderately hard and steady. No power meter, just feel
1:02 run, relatively easy ~ 7 min pace
Mon- 35x100 w/10 sec rest, start easy, build into the set
3:24 ride, hard! 278 watt average
:42 run easy
Tues- 30x100 w/10 sec rest as 1x100 hard, 1x100 easy
2 hr ride, very easy
35 min easy t-run
Wed - 1:32 run, average 6:15 / mile
1:01 recovery spin, average 145 watts
:31 min run average 6:50/mile
Tomorrow will see a good high intensity group ride. Fri will be my off day to rest for the Niles
Olympic on saterday.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Ironman Lake Placid
Its now been a week since Ironman Lake Placid, which was my "A" race for the season. Here's how it went down:
I arrived in LP on thursday evening after a few days of rest and recovery. I was feeling fresh and relaxed, and arriving in town thankfully did not make me too anxious. Of course, seeing 2300 other athletes in top shape can be a bit intimidating, but I remained pretty calm until race day. I kept it pretty low-key in the few days before the race, waking early, doing some easy training, and then relaxing the rest of the day.
I awoke at 4:15 am on race day, after a decent nights sleep, to eat breakfast, do my thing, and be out the door to transition by 5am. The sun was on the rise, and the weather looked like it was going to be perfect. I did the usual at transition - bodymarking, final prep of my gear, and finially I went over to the swim start and got suited up and into the water.
This year I was signifgantly less nervous than my first Ironman last year. I got out into the water, and before you knew it, the cannon fired, and the race was underway. The swim at LP is notoriously chaotic. The end of the lake where the race begins is very narrow, and everyone heads straight for the bouy line (there is a rope under the water that all the bouys are tied to, and it makes for easy navigation). I stayed relaxed and made my way over to the bouy line at the turn around on the first loop of the swim. My swim stroke was on, and the whole swim felt effortless. I was hoping to go sub 1hr for the 2.4 mile swim, but I exited in 1:00:28, about 30 seconds faster than last year. I wasn't totally happy with my swim, but I had expended minimal energy.
I trucked it into T1, got all my bike gear on, grabbed the ride, and it was on. I felt like I nailed my race taper this year, and my bike legs felt amazing. My goal was to take it easy on the first 56 mile lap, as the second lap always gets winder, and the legs never feel as good (I think the adrenaline wears off). I did just that. My first lap came around in 2:35, while the second lap was a 2:44 for a 5:19 bike split. I was pumped, as I wanted to ride a 5:20, and I had done slightly better without pusshing myself too hard. Even more exciting was the fact that I was leading my age group, and was in 13th place on the road out of 2200+ people.
Into T2 and out a minute and 38 seconds later, the hardest part of the race had begun. The first few miles of the marathon always seem slow, as you are now going 8 or 9 mph as apposed to 20+ mph on the bike. Since I was leading the age group, the strategy was to ease into a comfortable pace after the first few miles. The first lap of the run went well, but the hottest part of the day was setting in, and with no cloud cover, and minimal shade on the course, the second lap was going to be tough. The second 13.1 mile loop was definately pure pain. In the end, I ran a 3:19 marathon, less than a minute slower than last year, but it was tough conditions.
I finised the race in 9:46:01, 10 minutes and 5 seconds faster than last year. I won the 18-24 age group by over 35 minutes, and (this shocks me) was 9th overall of over 2200 competitors. I am very happy with this result. I wish the swim and run had been a little faster, but I cant complain. It leaves me hungry for next year. I earned a Kona slot, but have not accepted it. This fall I will be busy finishing school, and interviewing for jobs. I plan on going to Kona in '08, assuming I can qualify.
Next on the schedule, are a few smaller races, then Timberman 70.3 at the end of August.
Thanks for reading
~Mike
I arrived in LP on thursday evening after a few days of rest and recovery. I was feeling fresh and relaxed, and arriving in town thankfully did not make me too anxious. Of course, seeing 2300 other athletes in top shape can be a bit intimidating, but I remained pretty calm until race day. I kept it pretty low-key in the few days before the race, waking early, doing some easy training, and then relaxing the rest of the day.
I awoke at 4:15 am on race day, after a decent nights sleep, to eat breakfast, do my thing, and be out the door to transition by 5am. The sun was on the rise, and the weather looked like it was going to be perfect. I did the usual at transition - bodymarking, final prep of my gear, and finially I went over to the swim start and got suited up and into the water.
This year I was signifgantly less nervous than my first Ironman last year. I got out into the water, and before you knew it, the cannon fired, and the race was underway. The swim at LP is notoriously chaotic. The end of the lake where the race begins is very narrow, and everyone heads straight for the bouy line (there is a rope under the water that all the bouys are tied to, and it makes for easy navigation). I stayed relaxed and made my way over to the bouy line at the turn around on the first loop of the swim. My swim stroke was on, and the whole swim felt effortless. I was hoping to go sub 1hr for the 2.4 mile swim, but I exited in 1:00:28, about 30 seconds faster than last year. I wasn't totally happy with my swim, but I had expended minimal energy.
I trucked it into T1, got all my bike gear on, grabbed the ride, and it was on. I felt like I nailed my race taper this year, and my bike legs felt amazing. My goal was to take it easy on the first 56 mile lap, as the second lap always gets winder, and the legs never feel as good (I think the adrenaline wears off). I did just that. My first lap came around in 2:35, while the second lap was a 2:44 for a 5:19 bike split. I was pumped, as I wanted to ride a 5:20, and I had done slightly better without pusshing myself too hard. Even more exciting was the fact that I was leading my age group, and was in 13th place on the road out of 2200+ people.
Into T2 and out a minute and 38 seconds later, the hardest part of the race had begun. The first few miles of the marathon always seem slow, as you are now going 8 or 9 mph as apposed to 20+ mph on the bike. Since I was leading the age group, the strategy was to ease into a comfortable pace after the first few miles. The first lap of the run went well, but the hottest part of the day was setting in, and with no cloud cover, and minimal shade on the course, the second lap was going to be tough. The second 13.1 mile loop was definately pure pain. In the end, I ran a 3:19 marathon, less than a minute slower than last year, but it was tough conditions.
I finised the race in 9:46:01, 10 minutes and 5 seconds faster than last year. I won the 18-24 age group by over 35 minutes, and (this shocks me) was 9th overall of over 2200 competitors. I am very happy with this result. I wish the swim and run had been a little faster, but I cant complain. It leaves me hungry for next year. I earned a Kona slot, but have not accepted it. This fall I will be busy finishing school, and interviewing for jobs. I plan on going to Kona in '08, assuming I can qualify.
Next on the schedule, are a few smaller races, then Timberman 70.3 at the end of August.
Thanks for reading
~Mike
Monday, June 4, 2007
Mooseman Half
This sunday I raced my first, long awaited, tri of the season. The Mooseman Half Ironman distance, at beautiful Newfound Lake in Bristol, NH.
I was signifigantly less nervous than previous years at the swim start, as my swimming has come a long way over the winter, and I was in wave 1 with the big guns. Race started, and as usual, it was more like crawling over bodies than actually swimming. This is always my least favorite part of the race. I am usually thinking "why the hell am I doing this!" Anyway, I made good time out to the first turn bouy and had joined a good group of swimmers, so I thought. Unfortunately the group I was with somehow got way off course (I knew I should have sighted more!) and it cost me a few minutes. Exited the 1.2 mile swim in 28:53. Not my best time, but it could have gone worse.
Onto the bike, which is my strong event. The 2 loop, 56 mile bike course was extrememly hilly and punishing on the legs. I got out onto the bike course in about 30th position, and immediately started hunting people down. I consumed about 2o of these people in the first 15 miles, and came through the first lap of the bike in 9th position. I kept the pace high through the second lap, in search of more victims, but was unable to catch any other riders. It got quite lonely riding alone for the last 41 miles of the race. Two riders caught and passed me in the last 5 miles or so, but I let them go, to be hunted down on the run. Came off the bike in 2:27, with an average speed of 22.8mph, 5 minutes faster than last year.
I headed out onto the 13.1 mile run in 11th position. The first mile of the run usually feels like I am running through water - painfully slow and taxing. I did a lot of run training this winter, and it paid off. First mile - 6:15! I actually felt great on the run and was having a great time. I hunted down 3 people ahead of me , including both guys that passed me on the bike. I had a 4th in site, but I ran out of course, not that I am going to complain about there not being more running involved. I had a 1:23 run split, my fastest half IM run to date, and finished in 4:21, also a PR and 7 minutes faster than last year.
In the end I finished 10th overall of the 700+ that started, and won the 20-24 age group by 15 minutes. Next race is in 7 weeks - Ironman Lake Placid. This is my big race of the season, so the next 7 weeks are devoted completely to training, and I am looking forward to it!
- mike
I was signifigantly less nervous than previous years at the swim start, as my swimming has come a long way over the winter, and I was in wave 1 with the big guns. Race started, and as usual, it was more like crawling over bodies than actually swimming. This is always my least favorite part of the race. I am usually thinking "why the hell am I doing this!" Anyway, I made good time out to the first turn bouy and had joined a good group of swimmers, so I thought. Unfortunately the group I was with somehow got way off course (I knew I should have sighted more!) and it cost me a few minutes. Exited the 1.2 mile swim in 28:53. Not my best time, but it could have gone worse.
Onto the bike, which is my strong event. The 2 loop, 56 mile bike course was extrememly hilly and punishing on the legs. I got out onto the bike course in about 30th position, and immediately started hunting people down. I consumed about 2o of these people in the first 15 miles, and came through the first lap of the bike in 9th position. I kept the pace high through the second lap, in search of more victims, but was unable to catch any other riders. It got quite lonely riding alone for the last 41 miles of the race. Two riders caught and passed me in the last 5 miles or so, but I let them go, to be hunted down on the run. Came off the bike in 2:27, with an average speed of 22.8mph, 5 minutes faster than last year.
I headed out onto the 13.1 mile run in 11th position. The first mile of the run usually feels like I am running through water - painfully slow and taxing. I did a lot of run training this winter, and it paid off. First mile - 6:15! I actually felt great on the run and was having a great time. I hunted down 3 people ahead of me , including both guys that passed me on the bike. I had a 4th in site, but I ran out of course, not that I am going to complain about there not being more running involved. I had a 1:23 run split, my fastest half IM run to date, and finished in 4:21, also a PR and 7 minutes faster than last year.
In the end I finished 10th overall of the 700+ that started, and won the 20-24 age group by 15 minutes. Next race is in 7 weeks - Ironman Lake Placid. This is my big race of the season, so the next 7 weeks are devoted completely to training, and I am looking forward to it!
- mike
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Collegiate Cycling Nationals Road Race
This past weekend I traveled to Lawrence, Kansas with the University of Notre Dame cycling team to compete in the collegiate cycling national competition. The team did not have a strong showing in the TTT, and I did not compete in the criterium (im not much of a sprinter), but I did have great results in Saturday's road race.
The road race was 84 miles long - three 28 mile laps around lake Perry. The course was relatively hilly, and became ever more challenging by the addition of 1.5 miles of gravel road every lap, and temperatures in the lower 90's. I started in the division II mens race, along with 3 of my team mates, and 116 other riders. The first two laps of the race were relatively uneventful, other than the mayhem that took place on the stretch of gravel. I decided to take my time through the gravel section, even if this meant falling off the back a bit. This turned out to be a good decision, as I avoided any flat tires or crashes that ended the race for many of the other riders.
The end of the second lap saw the first successful attack, with 8 riders getting about a 20 second lead on the peleton. The peleton pushed the pace through the gravel at the beginning of the third lap, which lead to a massive pileup. Two of my ND teammates were involved, while I narrowly escaped, and was able to form a chase group with about 6 other riders, one being my teammate Matt. Matt is a strong sprinter, so I drove the chase pack ever harder in an effort to get him into the lead group. We eventually integrated with the leaders about 4 miles later, forming the final pack of 14 riders that would ride to the finish.
Notre Dame was one of two schools with 2 riders in the final 14 , and thus some responsibility to do work for the group fell on my shoulders. I ended up doing most of the pace setting for the pack in the remaining miles, in an effort to keep the group together for my teammate. At one point, I pushed the pace up one of the climbs on course, and found myself with a gap, that I exploited, riding about 200 meters off the front for a few miles. The heat and tough course had taken a toll on my legs though, and I made the decision to sit up and reintegrate with the group.
We all stayed together until the final climb just before the finishing straight. I was unable to stay with the leaders in the final surge, due to cramping legs, but managed to beat one rider, taking 13th place, while my teammate took 8th place. I am elated with my 13th place finish! It was my best performance on the collegiate scene to date. Training lots of volume during the season in preparation for Ironman did not always leave me fresh to race on the weekends. Pre-Nationals I took a week of rest, and finally all the long rides and hard training paid off on the longer course and under tough conditions. My next race is the Mooseman Half Ironman in a few weeks. I am training ever harder, and am hoping for some top results.
~Mike
The road race was 84 miles long - three 28 mile laps around lake Perry. The course was relatively hilly, and became ever more challenging by the addition of 1.5 miles of gravel road every lap, and temperatures in the lower 90's. I started in the division II mens race, along with 3 of my team mates, and 116 other riders. The first two laps of the race were relatively uneventful, other than the mayhem that took place on the stretch of gravel. I decided to take my time through the gravel section, even if this meant falling off the back a bit. This turned out to be a good decision, as I avoided any flat tires or crashes that ended the race for many of the other riders.
The end of the second lap saw the first successful attack, with 8 riders getting about a 20 second lead on the peleton. The peleton pushed the pace through the gravel at the beginning of the third lap, which lead to a massive pileup. Two of my ND teammates were involved, while I narrowly escaped, and was able to form a chase group with about 6 other riders, one being my teammate Matt. Matt is a strong sprinter, so I drove the chase pack ever harder in an effort to get him into the lead group. We eventually integrated with the leaders about 4 miles later, forming the final pack of 14 riders that would ride to the finish.
Notre Dame was one of two schools with 2 riders in the final 14 , and thus some responsibility to do work for the group fell on my shoulders. I ended up doing most of the pace setting for the pack in the remaining miles, in an effort to keep the group together for my teammate. At one point, I pushed the pace up one of the climbs on course, and found myself with a gap, that I exploited, riding about 200 meters off the front for a few miles. The heat and tough course had taken a toll on my legs though, and I made the decision to sit up and reintegrate with the group.
We all stayed together until the final climb just before the finishing straight. I was unable to stay with the leaders in the final surge, due to cramping legs, but managed to beat one rider, taking 13th place, while my teammate took 8th place. I am elated with my 13th place finish! It was my best performance on the collegiate scene to date. Training lots of volume during the season in preparation for Ironman did not always leave me fresh to race on the weekends. Pre-Nationals I took a week of rest, and finally all the long rides and hard training paid off on the longer course and under tough conditions. My next race is the Mooseman Half Ironman in a few weeks. I am training ever harder, and am hoping for some top results.
~Mike
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