Monticelloman Olympic Triathlon - 5/3/15

Just a week after my first completed Sprint Tri I did my first Olympic Triathlon. During this week, I also did my first Tuesday Evening IOS Ride. This would become a regular thing for me while training for IMCHOO. Below is a snapshot of my week of training leading up to Monticelloman.

Now, if I had thought about it more, I'd have done one a little closer to home, but this one must have struck my curiosity because I signed up for it. This race took place in VA, Lake Monticello. It was between home and family, so I didn't think it would be all that bad. I had to drive up the day before to check in, pick up my packet, and attend the pre-race briefing. After that, I drove up to stay with some family for the night in northern VA. I had to get up kind of early race morning to drive back down to Lake Monticello.

There isn't a whole lot about the swim or bike sections that I remember, other than it was sunny and I made sure I put on sunscreen. It was also wetsuit legal, so I know I had to strip out of that in transition, so I likely had my kit on underneath. I do remember the run, however. It sucked! It had a lot of "rolling" hills and it was hot. I remember trying to take water at every aid station, and that each time I did I felt worse than before. Looking back, I realize that I was not taking in any salt or electrolytes with the water, so I was over hydrating. I felt like crap by the end, and had a really shitty run split, like 1:05 for a 10K. There was food and drink at the finish, and I remember feeling sick and not being able to eat or drink anything for a good 15-20 min. I did force myself to eat some pizza and oreos, which by the time I finished ended up being a good thing and I started to feel better.

Lessons learned: It was after this race that I really got to thinking about my salt intake (or lack thereof) and decided then and there that I was going to meet with a nutritionist. I also learned that I didn't want to have to drive that far again on race morning or the day before. I don't have cruise control, so it really did a number on my legs, which I'm sure didn't help on race day.

From a results standpoint, I'm happy with how I did overall, and my swim and bike were really good. But that run, I finished 4th in my AG by 3 min. You can see below all the other stats. At least I have a starting point, and something to try to improve on at the Nickel City Tri in July! 

Below are my race results, data, and pictures.

 Results:

Data:

 Pictures:

Triangle Orthopedic Sprint Triathlon and the month of training leading up to it - 4/25/15

There isn't a whole lot that I can recall from this month of training, but a snapshot is included below. The one ride that really stands out for me is my first long solo ride. It was a 3 hour ride, just under 50 miles, and I did it right after a noon RAM swim practice. To do the math, I left around 2:15 PM which got me back at approximately 5:20 PM (aka rush hour). Whoops! Anyway, it was a pretty good ride, I had to stop a few times to figure out where I was going and to grab some more water, but otherwise it was good. Oh, and after I finished the ride, I loaded up my stuff and headed right downtown for the run club run, which starts at 6 PM. Essentially that day I did a broken triathlon. I know food after the run was probably something I thoroughly enjoyed. So, below is the Ride data.

I also did a ride with Doug's group on 4/22/15, the Wakefield Tri's. A really nice group of people and I was hoping to ride with them more. Timing just didn't seem to work out, especially it being such a far drive from home. It really is amazing how many tri and cycling groups there are around Raleigh.

Speaking of meeting new people, I finally got to ride with the Ridin' Dirty crew for the first time the next day. It's the group Andrea rides with on Thursday mornings. Leaving from Blue Ridge and riding into Cary and back. I remember this ride pretty well actually. Well, not so much the ride, but the fact that I didn't have a headlight for my bike yet, and that was kind of a necessity. Thankfully Andrea rode with me to light the way until the sun was up enough that I didn't need it. The ride was pretty dark and I wasn't a strong cyclist yet, so I definitely fell behind and I felt bad holding Andrea up. I went out and got a headlight shortly after that ride. Everyone in the group was cool though, and really into riding and riding fast. Breakfast after was a nice touch too. Hanging with George, Matt, and the rest of the group was fun. I know I rode with them a few more times, and did a couple of bricks too, but with my work schedule, getting up that early after an evening shift, or finishing before a day shift were both pretty hard to do. I actually have a picture or two from those rides.

Ridin' Dirty crew minus a few 4/23/15

Wow, I guess there was more memorable stuff in April 2015 than I thought. Good thing for Garmin Connect and Strava keeping track of my workouts so I can remember the things I did.

Triangle Ortho Sprint: This was my first attempt at a tri since my failed attempt at the Rex Wellness tri. I had some worries and there was plenty I was unsure of, but I was also excited. If I remember correctly, it was kind of cool that morning, and I know it started raining after I finished, so weather-wise, not the best day, but it could have been worse. I don't remember a whole lot about the race. The swim probably went well. I do recall on the bike thinking "damn, am I really averaging that speed?" Also, my run was fast. Faster than I had done a 5K in a long time, and that was after the other stuff. So, looking at my Garmin data, I apparently didn't wear a HRM, which I guess is fine, especially since I'm sure it was uncomfortable at that point. Below are some data grabs from that race. I thankfully made it through the race without any issues of any kind, no flats or anything else. Yay!!

Well, that's it for April!

Training Log from April 2015: