Gregtay's Triathlon Blog

2011 Beaver Lake Triathlon

2011-11-01T22:10:00.001-07:00

Bringing home some hardware from the place that started is all…. And an example of why you never, ever give up!

The summery:

Beautiful weather for the BLT this year! I started this sport 5 years ago and never thought I would be very competitive… today I proved I was wrong. I wasn’t on the swim team in collage, I didn’t run cross country in high school.. and I never really had much in the way of athleticism... I’m just not “that guy”… I was the computer geek kid who got really fat in collage eating too many pints of Ben and Jerry’s while programing late at night and trying to figure out why cheerleaders didn’t like geeks. So… today I proved that if I can do this, anyone can. If you are thinking of picking up this crazy sport of triathlon and think you don’t have the body type, aren’t athletic enough, can’t swim, can’t run, etc… well, know that you can overcome all that with some discipline, hard work, pain, and a good team to train and learn with. It won’t happen overnight.. but give it a few years (and a ridiculous amount of money) and you can stand on the podium and see your name near the top of the finishers list (and you can even complete the swim without the breast stroke and drinking half the lake!) So how did it go at the BLT? I raced in the elite wave for the first time and managed to pull off 2^nd AG and 15^th OA (and this was the 3^rd consecutive sprint distance race I snagged 2^nd(Black Diamond and Issaquah) so I guess I can’t say it was just a fluke anymore.(and I raced BLT on 7 days rest from a 5:24 performance at Lake Stevens 70.3) There are still plenty of guys out there that are way faster than me.. no question… but after a few years of learning and training I realize I have reached a level in this crazy sport I never dreamed was possible and it’s so much fun! So… never give up and never stop… ever.

The long boring race details (so I can pull them out and read them next year…) .seriously.. if you are reading the below then you have too much time on your hands.. go ride your bike instead.

The Beaver Lake race is where my passion for this silly sport all got started back in 2008. That’s the year I decided to do the race two days before the event.. showed up that morning, registered, then my friend Kevin told me to go set up my “transition”… I looked at him and said “my what?” I really had no idea what I was doing… couldn’t swim (I swam on my back the entire way), I was decent on my bike, and you would be really generous if you called what I did that day a “jog.” I remember looking at the top finishers and their times thinking I could never be that competitive… I wasn’t very athletic and really only knew how to cycle… and there guys showed up with strange looing bikes and racing in a position that looked miserably uncomfortable. Well… I did cross the finish line that day (I think I almost cried when I did!) and I fell in love with the sport… but I figured I would never get to the point where I would be competitive… I guess I was wrong.

Pre-Race – Normal drill.. wake up , breakfast to plan, jump in the car, show up early. Warmed up and everything was coming together according to plan.. but then I had to go change things. I realized the elite wave was really just a chance for the top racers to have a clean race without any wave traffic… so the elite wave was still racing for the normal AG divisions. I’ve never gone in the elite wave.. intimidated of looking like a fool I suppose.. but I figured I have finished 2^ND AG in my last two sprint races and if the guys I was racing against for a podium spot were getting the advantage of the elite wave then I wanted in. I ran over to the check in table and asked if I could switch to the elite wave.. they said sure… I was assigned a new number… #3.. wow.. so now I guess I better put together a race worthy of a super low number. Then I realize that instead of 40 min before my wave I now have 15 min before the elite wave.. and I still need to move my bike to the elite rack.. yikes.. a little panic but I moved, got set up.. threw on the wetsuit and I was all set to either look like a total fool racing with pros or I was set to have a good race…

Swim: 6:09 - (3rdAG/61^st OA)

Standing at the start of the swim with the other 25+ elite wave racers was certainly different.. the thing I noticed most is that all the other guys looked like they were about 20 pounds lighter than me and about a foot taller… yikes.. this should be interesting. Gun goes off and I decide to swim the fastest 400 yards of my life (okay.. it’s the BLT.. so it’s more like 350 yards!)… at the first turn I had settled into a nice draft off a guy and I was really surprised that we were in the lead pack of 4 or 5 guys.. crazy. At the second turn I finally started to feel the effects of going as hard as possible and not really doing much swim training the last two months so my stroke got sloppy and I was in desperate need of oxygen. Headed towards swim out I could see the guys in the lead who had accelerated off the front… they went into T1 and it seemed like I was out there all alone.. I was still 75 yards out and there was no one else left in front of me… I really was going to be that guy in the elite wave that everyone claps for because he finally got out of the water and as he runs by they whisper “what the heck was that guy doing in the elite wave?” I finally get to shore, run out and I hear a few people start to clap for me.. in my head it was a golf clap not a “you rock” clap… Oh joy.

T1: 1:12 (1^st AG)

I run up into T1 and notice quite a few guys still running around the TA.. sweet… I’m not out of this yet… I guess I wasn’t as far back as I thought. I run to my bike, wetsuit off, glasses on, helmet on, set into shoes, run out of T1…. Absolutely flawless execution of the plan and the numbers back that up… 2^nd fastest T1 in the elite wave (someone was 1 second faster.)

Bike: 0:39:09 21.15mph (4thAG/15thOA)

I was most worried about my ability to perform on the bike since my legs hadn’t really recovered from hammering out a 2:42 at the Lake Steven’s race just 6 days earlier. The first 5 minutes on the bike were about getting my HR down and settling in.. my HR and breathing were sky high after the swim and I needed to get things back under control. After a bit things normalized and I brought the power up. Passed a few guys and then I went back and forth with a guy in my AG… and as far as I knew he was the only 35-39 in the elite wave. We screamed down the big hill and I passed a few more guys and hammered it out to the big climb. I’d rate my climb as “okay”… this is where I really noticed that my legs weren’t recovered from last weekend’s race and I just didn’t have the power and acceleration needed but I hung in there. I was passed by most of the guys I had passed earlier and that of course included the guy in my AG but we finally hit the top of the hill and I was able to pick things up a bit. Heading towards T2 I chased down 3 guys and thankfully one of them was the 35 year old I was racing… so hammered into T2 in 1^st place and I realized I was actually hanging with the elite guys. Average watts came in lower than planned at 247w.. was aiming for the 260-270 range but the legs didn’t have any more today.

T2: :38 (1^st AG)

Dismount, helmet off, shoes on, hat on and run run run. Flawless again and this time I was the fastest elite T2 time.

RUN: 0:30:38 7:06/mile (4thAG/40thOA)

Heading out of T2 I knew I was in for a long (4.3 mile) and painful run but I was really in this thing and had a good shot at getting on the podium so I had to just find the pace that would get me to the finish line without passing out at mile 3. The guy I was racing followed me out of T2 and stayed right on my heals… he seems perfectly content just sitting there waiting to make his move and when we got to the little embankment you need to climb up to get out of the park I moved over and left him pass. I didn’t want to do this but I experiencing the early signs of cramping in my quad and I knew that sprinting up that little hill might just do me in.. so I let him by and I climbed up conservatively which was the right thing to do. The course finally started downhill and that allowed my body to recover from the bike and get into run mode… the cramping was gone and now I just had to hang in there as best I could. I was about 30 yards behind the 35 year old and I actually started gaining on him a bit… hmmmm.. maybe this will work out after all. Well… nope… this wasn’t the day for that as he eventually run off out of reach. The rest of the run went fine… I kept a steady pace throughout and I was on the verge of passing out but I was staying to the good side of that outcome.. legs felt good and the brain was telling me I should be sitting on the sofa with a beer not out trying to kill myself. The Garmin says I clicked off Mile #1 at 7:27 and picked it up a bit to a 7:15ish pace for the rest of the race… slightly slower than my normal 5K race pace but that’s probably about right… since this isn’t a 5k! I had planned to go all out at the 4 mile mark which meant 1/3 of a mile at all-out sprint speed. I wasn’t sure my legs, lungs, and heart were up for that but I have been learning to push myself further and so why not go for it. I hit the 4 mile line and kicked it up… surprisingly I felt great… ran sub 6 for the last 1/3 mile and didn’t let up at all. I wanted to finish strong but didn’t think it really mattered.. the 1^st place guy was out of reach and I didn’t think there were any other 35-39’s in my wave.. and I hadn’t heard anyone coming behind me. I sprinted into the park and across the finish line… a very different experience than the first time I did this race!.. there is nothing like finding that finish line! I crossed and stopped to catch my breath and some guy puts his arm around me and says “awesome race”… I had no idea who this guy was.. but he then tells me he was in my AG and had been tracking me down for the last mile and he thought he had me till I started my final sprint and he just couldn’t make the pass. So how close was he?.... he missed catching me by 1 second. Had I let up even a little bit at the finish or started my sprint a second later he would have caught me… so never give up.

Overall:

OA 1:17:47 – 2^nd AG / 15^th OA (9^th Elite wave)

I ended up crossing the line in 9^th place overall in the elite wave (15^th OA for the race as 6 people in the AG waves were faster) and I had a solid performance on some tired and sore legs. Most importantly.. I went off with the elite wave without embarrassing myself.. and of course I had a blast out there on the course. So now I’ve snagged 2^nd place in my last three sprints… 1^st place continues to elude by that really doesn’t bother me one bit… one day it will happen(maybe when I am 70 and the only guy in my wave!) and until then I am going to keep learning and training. I’m not sure what’s next… our first baby is due in a few weeks so his arrival will determine my race schedule this fall. and yes, I have already started planning his first kid’s triathlon .

Something new… CycleCross!

2011-10-28T09:15:00.001-07:00

So I came up with something new this year to help me in stay in shape during the off season… which is usually when I gain too much weight and really don’t even want to look at my bike or my running shoes. So… I went off to Mr. Crampy’s and come home with the new Redline Conquest Team.. yummy! I am still getting use to a cross bike and hope to do my first race soon(finding time with the new baby adds to the challenge.) Riding the cross bike is certainly a different feeling… for the last five years anything but asphalt under my tires meant that really bad things were about to happen. I will post back after my first cyclecross race (which likely means my first few crashes.)

2011 Issaquah Salmon Days 10K

2011-10-06T14:54:00.001-07:00

October 2nd, 2011

Here’s a fun little race to finish out the race season… and strangely it was my first “run only” 10K. My son Kayson was born two weeks before this race and our new little addition to the Taylor family has been consuming all my time… so this race was purely a “wake up and go do it without much thinking” kind of event… my favorite! The Issaquah 10K course is mostly flat (at least they compared to some of the other course around here) and is part of the big Issaquah Salmon Day’s festival… celebrating the return of the amazing Salmon. Anyway… on with the race…

Typical breakfast then met up with my teammate James to carpool to the race. Registered, then sat around chatting with teammates and then a little warm up. Didn’t feel great after the warm up… blah.. oh well. Race time finally comes and James and I are up front… Gun goes off and we are running… and I can tell I am running WAY too fast but didn’t really do anything to slow down. At mile #1 I see Coach Jill cheering us on and I am still about 15 feet behind James.. which is a really bad sign since he runs much faster. Mile one clicks by at 6:10… opps.. way too fast. things when fine till mile 2.5ish.. it’s a bit uphill along a trail.. really started to feel the effects of going to hard on mile one. Finally turned around at mile 3 and I recovered a bit as we headed back to the finish. Around mile 5 I remembered that 6.2 miles is actually not a short distance to be running at sprint pace and I was really really looking forward to the finish line! Pace stayed about the same to the finish.. managed to sprint the last 50 yards to prevent a few people from passing me. Crossed the line and thought I was going to lose my breakfast. That really hurt! I went sub 7’s and I did PR for a 10K but all the other 10K’s I have run were preceded by a swim/bike.. but I like every small victory I can get.

The numbers:

Time: 42:47
8th AG / 53rd OA
Average pace: 6:54

Mile 1	6:10
Mile 2	6:40
Mile 3	7:03
Mile 4	7:09
Mile 5	6:54
Mile 6	6:56
Mile 6.2	6:42 pace

2011 Seafair Olympic Triathlon

2011-07-25T14:47:00.001-07:00

1 mile swim | 20 mile bike | 6.4ish mile run
July 24^th, 2011

Olympic distance races have always been a bit of challenge for me… I just have a difficult time figuring out how to pace this distance. This race was exactly 4 weeks after IMCdA so it seemed like a good step back as a prep for Lake Stevens 70.3 next month and I couldn’t get over to Chelanman this year… so the seafair oly fit the schedule. I hadn’t raced the Seafair sprint course and the oly was new this year… so lots of unknowns.. but sounded like fun. Not a ton of goals going into the race other than putting together a solid race and crossing the finish line with nothing left (something I admittedly didn’t do at IMCdA.)

Wake up 3:45a, eat, and head out to Seward park. Got a close parking spot 1 block from transition (really not sure where people park that show up at 6a!), let someone scribble some numbers on my legs and then set up transition which only took a few minutes. This gave me plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful morning, chat with Sean from Mr. Crampy’s who was racing the sprint (and went 1AG/6OA.) Went for a quick warm up run, threw on the wetsuit and jumped in for a warm up swim. Water was nice.. not as warm as Sammamish right now.. but still nice. Elites go off at 6:30 and 35-39M are the 4^th wave… so here we go.

SWIM (1 mile): 26:01 (105^th/383 AO)

Wave starts.. so about 50 in my group, double loop. There were a few areas that looked like things could get tight as we started the second loop but wasn’t an issue. Overall I felt fine on the swim, paced it correctly and felt strong.. or at least as strong as I was going to feel without a ton of swim training the last 4 weeks. Thing got a little crowded on the second loop as the Sprint waves had started going off.. so we had to deal with a lot of people on the swim course (but after the IMCdA swim I felt like I had the lake to myself!) Came out of the water checked my watch and knew I was way back off the lead pack but I would try to make up a few places on the bike. Swim felt good but the numbers said it was wasn’t all that great.

T1: 1:32 (2^nd/51 AG - 18^th/383 AO)
I typically have very quick transitions… wetsuit off, helmet on, step into shoes, glasses on, grab bike, run… bike starts dragging?? Rear wheel locks up. I rolled the bike back and some grass came out.. figured must have just been some grass.. start running.. wheel locks up again???.. clear, run, locks up again… I wasn’t sure what was going on so I just picked up my bike and started running (not sure what I was thinking here… cycle cross? Run the entire bike?) I got out of T1 (so now any time I waste on the problem is “bike time”.. brilliant! :-/) and rolled the bike forward on the pavement… wheel still locking up. Before the race I checked everything out and everything was perfect… so I had no idea what was going on. Locked up much harder than a brake rubbing.. the tire would not turn.. even if I tried to force it with my hand. Now guys are running out of T1 passing me and I am standing there. The spectators could see I was having issues and started yelling out suggestion… I finally spotted the issue… as I was running with the bike I rolled over a gel block in the grass… it stuck to the tire and rolled around and made its way into the very narrow clearance between my seat tube (which is curved along the rear wheel) and the rear tire.. Okay.. I’ll just grab it… nope.. even with my fingers I couldn’t get it out.. it was solidly stuck (which just didn’t seem possible.) After wasting WAY too much time I just jump on and start pedaling and figure it will fix itself (bike must win over gelblock, right?).. and sure enough after a 100 yards everything felt fine and there didn’t seem to have any extra drag… but I wasted about 15-20 seconds in T1 and about 20-30 seconds on “bike” time working on this. Even with the issues I had the 18^th quickest T1 overall and 2^nd quickest in my AG (someone was 1 second faster.) Opps.

BIKE: 52:15 (20 miles) (3^rd/51 AG - 16/383 AO) 22.97mph(based on clock time) The bike was short for an Oly and it was mostly flat… a few rolling hills and some small short climbs. I was targeting 235-245 watts for the ride. The Oly course was the same as the sprint but we rode all the way to the east edge of Mercer island, turned around and rode to the west end of I 90 at Safeco/Qwest field (or whatever they call it now.) Both turnarounds were at the bottom of hills.. oh joy. Oh.. and lots of tunnels… loved it! There was a good wind blowing south.. so a headwind to start, cross wind on the i90 bridge, and a tailwind back to T2. Nothing too eventful on the bike. I hit my power numbers for most of the ride, didn’t get passed by anyone during the bike (always a good feeling,) and passed 4 or 5 guys in my AG. 3^rd fasted bike in my AG (even with the gelblock issue time factored in) and made up a few spots from the swim. Back to T2 I go.

T2: 1:08 (3^rd/51AG – 19^th/383 AO)
Far less exciting than T1. Bike racked, helmet off, shoes on, grab hat and go.

RUN: 46:30 12^th/51AG – 71/383 AO – 7:15/mile (for 6.38m ish)
I’m not a great runner.. the goal is always make up some time on the bike and then run as fast as I can and hope I find the finish line before the guys I passed on the bike can find me.…. And the oly distance gives the guys behind me a lot more time to catch me! I felt good off the bike and settled in around a 7 min pace.. at some point Rusty flew by on his second lap.. he was flying! Then I hit the first hill climb (yes, hill climb) just after 2 miles… didn’t mind it much and the downhill run made up for any lost time.. lap one done.. still hitting a 7/min pace. I have to do this again! I passed a 26 year old guy who decide to hitch on… I didn’t mind but the sound of footsteps on your heals is the sound I dread during the run, but at least I knew who it was. Passed lots of people on the second loop but couldn’t tell if they were sprint or oly.. assumed most were sprint or first lap oly. Then the dreaded moment happened… at mile 5ish.. just before the second hill climb I got passed by one guy .. and of course the one person to run by is in my AG. He was really moving and latching on wasn’t an option. So…. I hammered out the second hill climb, shot down to the bottom and pushed hard with everything I had for the last ½ mile. Very happy to cross the finish line. By far my best 10k… oh.. and the Garmin said closer to 6.4 miles…. Hmm…. That’s not a 10K even with my poor American conversion skills. Shortly after crossing the finish line “Jonas” ran up to introduce himself after the race.. this is the guy who was running on my heals during the second lap.. he just wanted to say hi an thanks for pulling him along… very cool (although I think I needed the pull!) Official results show 7:30 pace over 6.2.. Garmin shows closer to 7:15/mile over 6.38ish. I’ll go with the Garmin .

OVERALL: 2:07:26 4^th/51 AG – 37/383 OA (6^th AG if you count the elite wave guys)

I had a blast, enjoyed the course and the beautiful day. Best Oly performance so far and a good training race for Lake Stevens. Oh.. and the Gel block… well it was still wedged in there after the race.. but now black, not red. No longer in any contact with the rear tire… but it took some effort to get the smashed ball of energy free of my bike.

Beaver Lake Triathlon 2010

2010-08-24T13:44:00.001-07:00

.25m swim / 13mi bike / 4.3mi run
Aug 21^st, 2010

The return to the BLT … in 2007 Kevin talked me into doing this race… with no training… and I mean NO training… I signed up the morning of the race and I had never done a triathlon… didn’t even really know how it all worked. I couldn’t swim freestyle, hadn’t put on a pair of running shoes in 2 years… all I knew how to do was bike… so I figured why not! Three years later it finally worked out to put this race back on the schedule.. this time I showed up with a fancy red bike, fancy red running shoes, aero helmet, aero wheels, a power meter, a wetsuit and many other “tri geek” toys… let’s just say it’s been an expensive 3 years. I didn’t spend much time training for BLT this year, after the Chelan ½IM I got busy and didn’t get in much training but that was okay, I wanted to take a very relaxed fun attitude into BLT.. this one was for fun, no expectations… well.. okay… I had a few… beat my 2007 time by A LOT! Go sub 40:00 on the bike and run a sub 7 pace.

PRE-RACE: Woke up early, loaded up the car, picked up Kevin, and we were off. Breakfast: bagel with PB, pop tart, EFS Pre-Race, and a Gu 30 min before the start. Set up transition (I actually knew what that was this time!) Warmed up and strolled over to the lake. In 2007 I thought the swim looked impossible… this time around it looked really really short!

SWIM: 6:56

I hadn’t swam since Chelan and even at Chelan I felt slow… just haven’t found my swimming groove this year. I started in wave #4… which wasn’t much different than starting in wave #1… the BLT course never really jams up. Nothing too exciting out there, slower than I wanted to be but right where I expected to be. Came out of the water feeling good… in 2007 I came out of the water after breast-stroking and laying on my back for 10 min about to puke and pass out right there on the beach.

T1: 1:27

Not super fast… I was slow getting the wetsuit off and my shoes didn’t go on as fast as normal (they are worn out and starting to lose shape… I picked up a new pair last week but didn’t want to race in them without a few more rides.).. but soon I was running out of T1 with my shiny red bike.

BIKE: 40:42 PACE: 20.43mph (26/383 OA bike split)

The BLT bike course isn’t a leisure ride… I think it’s the most difficult sprint bike course in the Seattle area. The first mile I tried to take it easy and get the HR down… only to start hammering it on mile 2 and get the HR back up. My goal was sub 40:00 which I knew would be difficult but I believed my legs could pull it off. I passed quite a few people and realized the speed differential between me and some of the slower riders caused a few close calls. Almost took a girl out at the bottom of the big hill but I managed to swerve to the outside of the cones to avoid a crash (didn’t make mr. Sheriff very happy, but I figured it was better than my face on pavement. I hit the big climb feeling good but a little worried I had gone too hard too early… turned out I was just fine… I have ridden this hill a lot and I had my best climb up the beast… legs felt great and I was able to attack the entire length of the hill. Kept the speed up on top as I rode back to T2… feeling good. As T2 approached I realized I hadn’t been passed… not on the hill, not on the flats… things were looking good. I looked at my time and sadly watched 40min tick by just as I turned into the park.. grrrr.

T2: 0:47

I was a little slow dismounting and while running in T2 I was passed by a guy in my AG. Dropped off the bike, threw on the shoes and headed out… re-passed the guy who passed me… never saw him again.

RUN: 31:20 PACE: 7:16 (61/383 OA Run)

The run started out on an uneven trail… I passed the 100 yard mark.. significant only because this is where I started walking in 2007 and almost passed out… no problems this time around. The trail took us up a very short but very steep little hill… legs wanted to cramp but I slowed know to avoid that. Finally got my legs under me and felt good… and I started passing people! Not a big deal for most.. but I really can’t run and I am usually not passing ANYONE… and the other odd thing was that I wasn’t being passed by anyone… Go me!!.. I can finally sort of run! At the end of mile 2 I realized I wasn’t at the 1/2 point of the run and I was still running my 5K pace…. so I backed off the pace a bit… I hadn’t really thought about what pace to run for a 4.3 mile run. I ran mile 3 way too slow… got passed by a guy in my AG and let him go… more of a mental breakdown than anything else… I felt good, just worried about running out of gas before the finish line. I picked it up a bit for mile 4 but since I hadn’t done any recon of the course I had no idea how much further I really had to go to the finish… again.. more of a mental error. Finally got back to the park and went into a full out sprint when I realized I was actually at the finish… felt great and I had plenty left in the tank. I simply ran the second 1/2 of the course too slow out of fear of burning up. Next year I am going to stick with my 5K pace… the extra 1.2 mile hurts, but it shouldn’t change the game as much as I let it.

OVERALL: 1:21:13 AG: 5/26 OA 27/362

At the end of the race I realized I had only been passed by one person on the bike and run combined.. and that guy was of course in my AG… opps. I snagged 5^th AG and 27^th OA… 1^st-3^rd AG were way out of reach, but 4^th was within reach if I hadn’t let that guy sneak by and get so far head in the run. I had a blast and really got to see how much I have improved in this silly little sport over the last 3 years. Did I accomplish my goals?... let’s see… sub 40:00 on the bike… Nope. Sub 7/min pace on the run… Nope. Had fun… absolutely, and I tied for my best finish yet. It was fun to return to the BLT 3 years later… once again with Kevin who talked me into doing this race the first time. As an added bonus some old friends I hadn’t seen in a while showed up and did the race… and my friend Maggie was living the dream I did back in 2007… her first triathlon. She finished with a smile and said she was hooked on the sport… I know the feeling.

Oh.. and just for fun… here’s my 2007 results compared to my 2010 results:

5. Greg Taylor 1:21:13 0:06:56 55 1:27 0:40:42 0:47 26 0:31:20

31. Greg Taylor 1:47:22 0:10:09 325 3:18 0:46:50 1:57 222 0:45:07

2010 Issaquah Triathlon

2010-06-07T15:55:00.001-07:00

Sprint – 1/4 swim / 14 mile bike / 5k run

This is our first Triathlon every year and it’s something I always look forward to. The course isn’t great, but it still a lot of fun. Just like last year, Angela decided to join me for the Duathlon… she does the same race as me, but she skips the swim. This year was a bit different… Seattle hasn’t seem much of the sun this year… in fact it’s been cold and rainy and the days leading up to the race flooded Sammamish State park… so this was the first time I raced in the mud… and a mud fest it was!!!

Pre Race:

We woke up and headed out to the park. I had two pop-tarts pre-race and sipped on some Gatorade. I forgot to take my Gu 30 min before the race and I think I really could have used the extra energy. We set everything up, waded through the mud and puddles, and managed to find the new JFT2 team tent. I went for a warm up run, then tried to swim… just couldn’t stay in the water. I have a sleeveless wetsuit and my arms were just frozen.. so didn’t get much of a warm up in.

SWIM: 7:38

Not a great swim.. mainly because I was just so cold. My arms were frozen. No problem with face/head.. just my arms and it made my arms feel sluggish. Time to FINALLY purchase a full wetsuit. I didn’t have any problems with traffic.. didn’t get kicked and didn’t kick anyone… but I also didn’t find anyone to draft off of. Came out of the water feeling fine except for being really cold

T1: 1:38

Ran through the mud, wetsuit off, shoes on, glasses on, helmet on, go. Just as I was heading to the TA out I felt my helmet come unclipped. I stopped and leaned my bike against the fence and to snap my helmet (and Angela was right there headed out on the Du, so she was cheering my on)… helmet fixed, but now people are yelling at me that I dropped something… yep… my mini-aero bottle straw was laying in the mud about 5 feet back. I decided to go ahead and run back and grab it.. straw retrieved (covered in mud), and finally out of T1… longer that I had hoped.

BIKE: 40:50 22.1 mph

I had a rather uneventful bike.. things went well but I never managed to get my power up. My legs just felt sluggish from the cold swim and I just couldn’t turn them over as fast as normal, I never felt tired.. just sluggish. I was only passed by one person on the bike (I think it was Chris and he flew by like I was standing still!) so things went okay out there, but overall I didn’t feel like I had a great performance, but I do love the new bike and it performed flawlessly for this race. Luckily I managed to avoid any flats… 5 out of the 7 people I raced with ended up with flats. Bummer day. Back into T2 and back into the mud.

T2: 1:01

Nothing noteworthy… by this point I knew I wasn’t having my best race and I still felt a little sluggish in T2… but shoes on and I put on my muddy running hat and off I went.

RUN: 19:41

Feet were completely numb but that’s nothing new and didn’t bother me. I really wasn’t sure where I was headed since the course was just rerouted an hour before the race… parts of the run were super muddy and very slick and my Zoot’s don’t have a lot of traction. I managed to stay upright and the legs felt good. Turned out to be one of the best runs of my life and I was close to 7 min miles (I am a SLOW runner!) I crossed the finish line feeling good… maybe too good. I didn’t really push myself enough on this race and I recovered very quickly. Overall I am happy.. had a good race.. not great, but the conditions weren’t great either. Finished 13th in my AG, last year I was 19th. I had a great day racing with Angela who took 4th place in her AG in the DU. I was great seeing all my JFT2 teammates. Next race is in 2 weeks, 5 Mile Lake.

Age Group: 13th place out of 114

Overall: 57th Place out of 837

Issaquah Triathlon 2009

2009-06-01T10:33:00.001-07:00

Sprint – 1/4 swim / 14 mile bike / 5k run

Saturday May 30th, 2009

I really look forward to this race every year.. maybe because it signals the beginning of triathlon season in Seattle or maybe because it’s a course i ride on almost every week. This years race was made even more special because my beautiful wife decided to race along side me:)… Angela signed up for the Duathlon.. so she was doing the same race minus the swim. We couldn't have asked for better weather!

Alarm went off at 4am, eat pop tarts, throw gear in car, throw wife in car, start driving. We arrived at the park nice and early (i like being there EARLY) and managed to be the first few people into transition. Everything was set up, went on a warm up run, then a warm up swim… everything was looking good. I had a bit of time to socialize with my teammates (www.fjt2.com) and talked Angela through the next 90 mins one more time… i knew she was going to do great! I had long debated starting in the elite wave this year but a last minute change deleted the elite wave… so i was starting in my AG Wave #3.

For the swim i lined up on the inside at the front. Not sure what i was thinking.. I am not an elite swimmer and last time i was anywhere near the front i got run over, but i never liked the battle that goes on in the middle of the pack so this seemed like a better idea. When the gun went off i swam inside a little further and managed to stay away from everyone.. in fact i had no contact at all at the start and I was able to focus on swimming vs. water polo. I swam around the first marker buoy with a few guys then things opened back up during the long straight away. I passed a few guys from my wave who had let up and clearly when out way too strong and then some traffic from the previous wave. I rounded the final buoy which seemed to have come way too soon and picked things up for the final push to shore. Soon i was on my feet and running into T1. Swim seemed really short.. not sure what distance they had set up but i don’t think it was 1/4 mile.

SWIM: 6:07

As i ran through T1 to my bike i heard coach Jill yelling and cheering me on waiting for her bike relay to start. Found bike, wetsuit off, sunglasses on helmet on, shoes on, grab bike, run w/ bike. I have always tried to make my transitions as efficient as possible… clearly you can win or lose a race in T1 and T2. I have a process down and I try not to think in transition.. i simply “do”. If i start to think i will second guess myself. This is clearly working as i ended up with some great T1 and T2 times.

T1: 1:26

I mounted up my QRoo and headed out of the park. I started a little slow trying to get my HR back down and under control while getting the legs warmed back up. A few minutes into the race my teammate Blake zipped by as well as a few guys going what seemed like 30+ with their WHOOP WHOOP rear discs… I was feeling slow out there on the course but i was racing my plan and i wasn’t about to panic. As we left Issaquah i picked up the pace a bit more and started to go to work. I arrived at the first hill and attacked according to plan.. things were going well, legs were feeling good. After the hill i was lucky enough to see Angela heading the other way.. she was smiling and said hi… that was a good sign things were going well for her. I continued increasing my effort as i approached the u-turn and i managed to catch back up with Blake and other other guy. I approached the second hill and again things went as planned… with the hill behind me it was time to push it all the way to the end. My legs were feeling good and i was trading places with Blake and other rider for a few miles. I would drop back 20 or so bike lengths and then somehow with no effort change i would be passing them. I was worried the mentally i kept pushing to pass them (and not following my plan) but the numbers were right on and i was consistent in my power. I kept the speed up as much as possible towards the end of the bike… difficult to do with the narrow paths and some novice cyclist on the course. Soon i found myself back in the park and headed into T2… and the biggest surprise of all… as i approached the dismount line I looked over and saw this really cute girl also getting off her bike… it was Angela!… I had caught her just as we entered T2:) Overall i was very happy with my bike. Going into the race i felt undertrained compared to last year and I was worried i wouldn’t beat last years time.

BIKE: 37:46 23.83MPH

My body was certainly tired from the effort on the bike but i managed to fly through T2 Shoes off, Shoes on, helmet off… run run run.

T2 0:42

My run has been improving over the last year but i am still not a sprinter. As i left T2 i felt my left calf start to cramp… grrrr the first 200 yards i had to stop twice and rub it out.. didn’t help much but i just wanted to stop it from full on seizing up. The last time i stopped was coming back to the park from the little out and back they added this year.. i got a nice view of the 10 guys that were about to track me down! I started running again and i even had a course worker comment that i looked like the rabbit being hunted by the dogs.. yikes! Not much longer the pack of guys (including Blake) ran by and my moment of being near the front of my age group in a race became a memory:). The calf cramp went away and the rest of the run was uneventful… just listened to my fast breathing and my heart screaming for 20 mins… the finish line was a very welcoming place to be! I finished 16th in age group (out of 116) and 67th overall (out of 929.) I am happy with the results and my performance.

RUN: 22:20 7:28/m

TOTAL TIME: 1:08:21
AG:16/116 OA: 67/929

Oh… and Angela had a great time with the Duathlon! She even man aged to finish 2nd in her AG!! It was so much fun being out there with her!

Next up: Cascades Edge Oly June 20th.

Ironman Arizona 2008

2008-11-28T17:05:00.001-08:00

2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run November 23rd, 2008, Tempe, Arizona
http://www.ironmanarizona.com/

My brief thoughts on the day:

Around 8:25pm on Sunday November 23rd I heard the most wonderful words ring out across the dark Arizona sky. This was all after a day in which I watched the sun light up the dark horizon over the lake while I swam chasing the sunrise, later I was on my wind cheating leg powered rocket ship and the sun had moved higher into the sky, now beating down heating up the Arizona desert, soon I left the speedy bike behind and relied on my exhausted legs to carry my into the sunset, the sun had done it’s job today but my challenge was far from over. Into the darkness I ran, but I was far from alone and any time the fatigue or pain overcame my thoughts I would find myself surrounded by people who I had never met, people who didn’t know my personal challenge of the moment, but they would call out my name with encouragement and all of this simply helped pushed me along. I was surrounded by others who had come to the desert to chase their own 140.6 mile dreams… some were lightening fast, others were slow and steady, and there were some who lost their battle with the desert today… the day ended early and along with it their dreams slipped away. The miles continued to tick away fueled by chicken broth and cola until I approached a little sign with a great message… “to Finish”. I turned left and the night sky was lit up with with the glow and glory of the finish chute. All the pain faded away from my exhausted body as I approached the finish tape stretched across the road as one final barrier… then time seemed to stand still as Mike Reilly’s voice cried out those sweet little words, “Greg Taylor, 34 years old from Redmond Washington, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!”. I crossed the magical line marking 140.6 miles and the lights flashed from the camera and my legs were finally relived of their duty as I was crowned with a medal and a silver cape to wrap my exhausted body. Within moments I was joined by friends and family and my day was finally over. Today I won the battle over my mind and my body, today I endured the desert, today I became an Ironman.

And now the details of the day…

My goals for my first Ironman were simple: finish before midnight. Take it slow, take it easy, survive the swim, keep it slow on the bike, and endure the run.

3:30am – The alarm goes off… not really needed since I had been awake just waiting for it to finally signal it was time to get out of bed. Breakfast = 1 bottle Ensure, 1 bagel (cinnamon raisin of course!) and a bowl of granola. While in the car I sipped on a bottle of CarboPro and 45 min before the swim start I tossed down an espresso gel. I would have loved some coffee but I have had mixed results with coffee before a race so I just stuck with what I knew worked.

5:00am - Arrive at transition with an incredible amount of excitement in the air… this was the first time I had ever been at an Ironman event and it was just amazing to experience the buzz in the air. I dropped off my special needs bags then checked over the bike, added air to my tires, filled my aero bottle and sort of just stood there in awe of what was about to take place. With everything taken care of I returned to my amazing support crew. The JFT support crew consisted of my mom, my wife Angela, Kevin Christian and John Marquis. I ran into Steve and we both wished each other well (last time I would see mr. speedy all day.) Time flew by and it was time to climb into my wetsuit and head over to the swim start.

SWIM:

I jumped into the water 12 minutes before the AG start. The water was on the cool side but I thought it was perfect… certainly not cold once you started swimming. I managed to find a place along the wall where I could stand in ankle deep water and watch the pro start. With a 4 minutes to go I jumped back into the water and made my way to my start position. I had decided that I would start along the wall.. bad idea… seems everyone decided they would also start along the wall. The gun went off and IMAZ was underway. For the first 2-3 min I swam with my head above water just making sure I didn’t get kicked in the head. Eventually I was able to really start swimming but 5 min in I realized I had practiced the wrong sport.. this wasn’t swimming, it was a cross between rugby and sumo wrestling. I had an advantage in this situation since I grew up playing with my friends in our pool… you know “try to drown your friend” kind of games:)… well that is what this sort of felt like. I felt like a salmon trying to swim up river with a 1000 of my closest fish friends. Thankfully the people I had contact with were respectable and we just kept swimming without any aggressive punches, kicks, head butts or wetsuit wedgies. My plan was to swim along the wall until the lake turned, then I would head directly for the turn buoy. Surprisingly most people stayed near the wall and i found clear water with a few people to draft as I headed towards the red turn buoy. Thankfully i reached the turn just as the sun came over the horizon, which meant I didn’t have to deal with the sun in my eyes during the swim. I used a little trick Jill taught me at Lake Stevens 70.3 this year… when you approach the turn buoy swim under it vs. trying to squeeze around it with all the traffic.. it worked perfectly at both turn buoys and allowed me to have the inside line which was fairly open water. I was surprised to see how far some people swam around the buoys… I saw a bunch of people making their swim a lot longer than 2.4 miles. About 2/3rds of the way into my swim I really felt great and I was on cruise control.. HR was low, breathing rate was low, arms felt great and I started drafting and passing swimmers as we swam the return leg. I made the final turn towards the stairs and i still felt great, not sure I could have felt much better actually. I was hoping for a 1:20 but would have been happy with anything under 1:25. I was really happy to see 1:15 on the clock. I passed the JFT support crew cheering me on as i headed into the wetsuit strippers. Wow.. how there is a new experience. They tell you to sit down and the next thing you you know your wetsuit flies off :). You have to wonder if they ever pull off too many layers and leave someone sitting there naked. Yikes! Into T1 i go.

Swim: 1:15:59

T1: Since my goal for IMAZ was to simply finish I planned on taking a very relaxed attitude towards transitions and i valued comfort over speed… therefore i made my way into the sweaty naked man filled tent and changed into my cycling shorts and jersey. I put on my pointy elf helmet and headed out to find my trusty QR.

T1: 8:06

My goal for the bike was simple… go slow and consistent, ride 112 miles and keep the legs fresh for the run (my weakest discipline.) My wanted to keep my wattage around 140-150 during the ride and I managed to come close to this. The course was 3 out and back “loops”… the ride out was a climbing false flat into the wind with a slightly more significant climb just before the turn around.. unfortunately not really enough of a climb to get you out of your seat. I rode aero for most of the 6+ hours ride which really took a toll on my back, I simply didn’t have enough long duration aero riding in my training. My nutrition plan went well but it became clear that i was overhydrating and had to make a pit stop on each of the three loops. I didn’t really let this bother me since they were very short stops and i kind of needed the opportunity to stretch my back out a little. I did learn a very useful bit of information out on the course… when they tell you during the race briefing that water bottle at the aid stations will fit in your cages that doesn’t mean they will actually STAY in your bottle cage! On one of the course corners i ejected a full bottle of water onto the course… luckily it rolled well out of the way. I grabbed another bottle but it too ejected out of my cage.. after the second torpedo launch i elected to grab a bottle, fill my aero bottle, then toss the bottle before reaching the end of the aid stations. I was a bit shocked at the number of things i saw littering the course… countless baggies full of salt tablets (bummer for them), water bottles still in cages, aero bottles, gloves, sunglasses, and other random bike parts. I had my own “bike part ejection” near then end of my second lap. I hit a bump and my PowerTap computer flew off my bike and skidded across the pavement. My initial thought was “just keep riding” then i came to my senses and pulled off into the median. One of the course volunteers grabbed my computer and ran down handed it back to me. My special needs bag contained a small brownie and some Fig Newtons… a much needed relief from gels, blocks, and CarboPro. Overall i was happy with the calorie intake and felt like my nutrition plan(mainly CarboPro and Accelerade) was on track. My legs felt great the entire ride… I was really not pushing very hard and the legs felt about as good as they did when i headed out on my bike… my butt on the other had was screaming at me. One of my largest concerns headed into IMAZ as my seat comfort on the bike. I have been playing the “find a comfy saddle” game and i still haven’t found one that works for long distances. About 2 months ago i had to just pick one and go with it for the race but i knew i hadn’t found a long term solution. Around mile 80 I was really feeling the seat and i couldn’t get comfortable… I am sure if you were following me you would have thought i had ants in my pants because i just kept moving around on the seat attempting to find something that worked. Eventually I cruised down the final stretch of the course and into T2… very happy to be out of the aero position and off my seat. Overall it was a good ride and i was feeling fresh headed into the run. My back was sore but i was hoping that getting off the bike would solve this problem.

Bike: 6:13:52 18.0 mph

From PowerTap (numbers omit my pitstops!)

Ride Time: 6:04:50

Average power: 134 watts

Avg speed: 18.46mph

Work: 2943 kJ

Distance: 112.21 miles

Avg HR: 129

I jumped off my bike and once again the JFT support crew was right there to cheer me on (I couldn’t have asked for a better support crew out there!) I ran into the tent, changed into my tri top and running shorts, then headed out on my 26.2 mile asphalt pounding journey.

T2: 8:09

And in what seemed like just a flash of time I was headed out on the run. I was really surprised how fast the day was moving along and that fact that the only thing that stood between me and being an Ironman was 26.2 miles of running(well.. better add in some walking.) As i headed out on the run the JFT support crew once again showed up and cheered me on. There is really no way to describe how it feels when you pass your family and teammates in their JFT gear cheering you on. As i left the transition area and hit mile #1 i realized for the first time just how hot it was and i was thirsty and hot. The first aid station couldn’t come fast enough and I grabbed sponges and tossed water on my head in an attempt to cool down. It was barely enough to get me to the next aid station where i could repeat my little shower activity. This time i grabbed a cup of ice… mainly because someone handed it to me. I really didn’t know what to do with it so i poured it down my shirt… brrrrrr. It certainly cooled me off but i soon realized that it would have been better to eat the ice as i ran along.. My first few miles flew by at just over a 10min pace, I knew that would be short lived and i soon found myself managing the heat but also slowing down. Around mile 6 I began to really struggle. I felt very uncomfortable and I was having problems breathing. My lower back had a big knot on the left side and as i breathed in it would cause my back to spasm a bit. my HR was low (about 145) and i wasn’t out of breath, but i found the one way i could get comfortable was short shallow breaths. This seems to work fine but it was rather annoying to breath that way. Eventually my back pain got worse and i could no longer run while leaning forward so the only thing that seem to provide relief was switching to a heel strike and standing more upright to support my back. So there i was breathing shallow and fast while leaning back and pounding the pavement.. not exactly a pretty way to run and i am sure if you saw me you would have thought i wasn’t going to make it another 20 miles but it seemed to work and while my pace had slowed down i was still moving the right direction. I had a little party in my head when the sun finally dropped below the horizon(even found a kid holding a bowl of peanut M&M’s to help celebrate the occasion) and heat was no longer a factor in my silly looking survival run. The volunteers and the fans truly make this a great event. Each aid station was filled with people willing to do anything to help me in my quest to find the finish line… often someone would run up to me and ask what i needed, they would then quickly return with their hands full of goodies. It was simply the best treatment anyone could ask for and when i had thoughts of “what the heck are you doing out here, why are you doing this, and wow.. everything on my body hurts” I would run into someone who provided encouragement, kind words, and simply some reinforcement that I can actually do this. Somewhere around mile 12 Kevin tracked me down and ran with me for a bit offering up some much needed encouragement. At this point my body was really starting to feel the effects of my goofy new running style and i was doubting my body's ability to keep things together for another 15ish miles. Kevin took my mind off of things for a bit and that was really helpful and broke the course up. My next challenge came when i realized that my toe on my left foot felt a little funny… kind of felt like it was sticking through my sock. I just keep running (bad idea!) because it felt funny.. didn’t really hurt. About 4 miles later i realized that my shoe was loose and with each heel striking step my toes we jamming into the front of my shoe.. yikes. I stopped.. tightened my laces and kept running but the damage was done and i soon had a lot of pain. I badly bruised my toe to the point my toenail is toast and ready to fall off. Once again i adjusted my running style and just dealt with it. The rest of the race was basically a run from aid station to aid station with a nice slow walk picking up soup, cola, pretzels, and Gatorade. On Doug Thompson’s advice i stashed a bag of vinegar and salt potato chips in my run special needs bag… YUMMY!!!… they were the best. As i made my final bridge crossing i met up with John and he ran along side me and cheered me on as i made my way down the final 1.5 miles. Soon i passed the sign that stated “Finish go left" and i was on my way to the finish cute. Once again i found the JFT support crew cheering me on as i made my final push towards the big bright lights. As i turned the corner i heard my name followed by the ever so sweet “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!” All the pain and fatigue was gone, my legs carried me down the final shoot and across the finish line. The run didn’t go exactly how i had planned but i managed to keep things together long enough to complete my first marathon. At the end of this blog is a video of my finish as i came across the line:).

RUN: 5:38:53 12:56/mile

Total Time: 13:24:58

My thoughts and looking forward

I met my goal of finishing IMAZ and my finishing time was faster than i had expected. I am looking forward to Ironman Canada this summer and improving on many areas and cutting some time in all area’s except maybe the swim. Except for the beating my legs (and toes!) took on the run my body survived quite well, so I will work to avoid those issues next time and hopefully raise my time and wattage goals a bit. I learned an incredible amount this time around while at the same time having a lot of fun.

And a big thanks

Okay.. so this is a REALLY long race report, but it wouldn’t be complete (or fully cheesy) without my list of ‘thank you’s’ (finishing your first IM is sort of like winning an Oscar, right?) So a huge thank you to the JFT support crew on Sunday in Arizona, that would be Kevin Christian, John Marquis, My mom Donna, My sister Debbie, brother-in-law Chris, my nieces Taylor and Dylan, and my beautiful bride Angela. Also thanks to Doug Thompson for all his advice… he is the one I blame for getting me into this crazy sport. And a huge thanks to Kevin Christian for flying down to support me on Sunday… and for dragging me out to train on those days i really didn’t want to train (and Kevin gets the credit for teaching me how to swim last year.) I also want to send out a huge thanks to our amazing team leader and coach, Jill Fry. She has provided me with endless advice and encouragement and she created the best tri team in the world. And lastly and most importantly a huge thank you to my beautiful wife who supported me through all the countless days of training and flew down to cheer me on at the race. She she is the best support crew in the world.

Here’s a little video of that glorious final few moments as I crossed the finish line:

Bring on Canada!

Cascade’s Edge Olympic Triathlon 2008

2008-06-24T01:58:00.001-07:00

1.5k Swim - 40k Bike - 10k Run
http://racecenter.com/cascadesedge/

Alarm went off at 5:45am and I packed up the truck and headed out to Enumclaw to attempt my first Olympic distance triathlon. It was a beautiful morning.. the kind of weather you expect for the longest day of the year… (certainly not the kind of weather we have been seeing in Seattle this year!) I went with the pop tarts – no coffee breakfast since that seemed to work well for the Issaquah race. It really was a wonderful drive through the woods out to the race… sunroof open, windows down, and a smile on your face kind of drive. I was careful about how much I was hydrating... didn’t want to over hydrate and have to pee every 10 minutes during the race… but this turned out to be a mistake since I started the race dehydrated… opps. I hadn’t pre-registered so I walked up, registered, and headed in to transition to set up. I was actually one of the first people they let in to transition and the volunteers were still “learning”… they reversed the markings on my leg, so as I was setting up my bike someone runs over, scribbles out the numbers on each leg and re-writes the correct numbers…. Looked really funny ‘cause I have big black scribbles on my legs… looks like I let my niece Taylor draw all over my calf muscles (and as you read you will see those calf muscles took center stage in this race!) This was the first race with our snazzy new Team JFT uniforms… and boy do we look fast!! It was easy to find and meet up with the team before the race. Michael showed up as our team JFT Paparazzi (HUGE THANKS!) and I everywhere I looked I saw him snapping photos (maybe now I know what Britney Spears feels like?) I warmed up by running and then threw on the wetsuit and jumped in the lake to get the blood flowing to the arms. Surprisingly the lake was nice and toasty compared to what I have been training in… so no worries about cold feet or hands. YEAH!

I few things before I dig in… first, my nutrition was a bit messed up for this race… first I didn’t hydrate nearly enough and was dehydrated from the start. Second, I usually mix carbo-pro into my Accelerade, but the night before the race I realized I had managed to empty my enormous Accelerade canister and it was too late to pick some up… so I went with carbo-pro only. This shouldn’t be a big deal, but I would have preferred to have everything the same as I have it for training. Also, this wasn’t an “A” race for me and my goal was to learn as much as I can about “longer than Sprint” tri’s and to train for Lake Stevens in 2 weeks, therefore I didn’t have a race plan… it was pretty much just “go out there and give it your best shot without getting hurt” Okay… onto the details…

The Oly was a mass start.. all men and women together on the beach I think there were about 130-140 of us standing there ready for the start. I started near the outside and I was committed to a slow consistent swim. At 9:15am we were off and it was a bit of a mad house as we approached the first buoy. I realized right from the start that I had a problem with my goggles… I have learned to wait till the last possible moment to put my goggles on or else they tend to fog up.. somehow I ended up cutting it a little too close and with 30 seconds to go I put my goggles on but discovered my swim cap was all bunched up. I fussed around trying to get things right and when they said “go” I jumped in and started swimming. Within a few seconds my goggles started filling up with water.. it was a slow leak but clearly that wasn’t going to work for the whole race. I was in pack of people but I still managed to pull up and quickly clear my goggles. Still leaking… grrrr. I pulled out of the draft and quickly fixed my cap and sealed up the goggles.. problem solved… sort of. With the moisture inside the goggles and the heat from my face they started fogging up and within 5 mins I couldn’t see a darn thing.. they were completely fogged over. I had to clear them a few times during the beginning of the race but eventually the problem seemed to go away. For the most part my swim I had someone directly in front of me, behind me, and on both sides. A few times I swam wide just to get some breathing room but I think this really hurt me (I think I ended up swimming much further than 1500!) As we approached the beach I was feeling fine, still swimming strong and not really having any problems. I tend to swim without using my legs much which I have heard can be a plus and a minus. Some say learn to use your legs and others say if you have good balance and your legs aren’t slowing you down (drag) then it’s okay not to kick… it will keep them fresh for the bike/run. I started kicking as we approached the beach to get some blood back in my legs and when I did I felt the beginning of a cramp in my left calf. I just took it easy and tried to use my legs a bit more to get the blood flowing. I arrived at the beach (yeah!) jumped to my feet and started running, pulled down my wetsuit and headed into T1… everything felt good.

SWIM: 31:47 Slower pace than I expected but it was great training for Lake Stevens.

As I ran into T1 I felt my left calf start to cramp up.. yikes. I arrived at my bike and as I pulled my wetsuit off my left calf completely seized up… this was a super sized cramp that basically crippled me. I just stood there on one leg hanging onto the bike rack in serious pain. I tried to reach down and work out the cramp but I was in too much pain to do anything. I started having serious doubts about my ability to ever get out of T1.. heck.. I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to get my wet suit off. I just stood there for what felt like 5 minutes while the last few competitors headed out on their bikes. Eventually I was able to work out the cramp and remove my wetsuit. I threw on my helmet, slipped into my shoes, and started the painful trek out of T1. Michael was there to cheer me on and had observed the whole cramp episode (even took a great shot of me just standing there in pain!) In reality I only spent 4 minutes in T1 so it wasn’t that bad considering everything that happened.

T1: 3:59 (most of that was just standing there not moving… that’s a great way to use up valuable time in T1!)

I managed to mount up and headed out not really sure if my leg was going to hold together. I had thrown some long fingered gloves on the ends of my aerobars and figured I would wear them during the bike. I prefer no gloves but I was expecting the water and the air to be much colder than it was and I wanted to be able to feel my hands in T2. Turned out I didn’t need the gloves but I had them so why not. I was pedaling slowing and still trying to pull myself back together from the cramp which somehow managed to effect my entire body… I felt very fatigued and sore… due to this I didn’t have great balance on the bike and when I attempted to slip on my gloves I managed to drop one.. opps. If this were an “A” race I won’t have worried about it, but considering I had just spend a few minutes in T1 I figured it really wasn’t going to change the outcome if I took a few seconds to stop and retrieve my glove… so I did. It was just one more thing to add to the mounting challenges and frustration in this race (and I was only 1 minute into the bike!) I am not someone who let’s that stuff bother me so I made a decision to put all the little things out of my mind and pushed forward… I was here to race. I slowly started bringing the speed up on the bike but I could tell my left leg was doing 20% of the effort and my right leg was doing 80%. My left calf seemed to be working “normally”, meaning I didn’t feel like I was on the edge of getting another cramp… which was a good thing… but unfortunately it still felt as if someone had just hit my calf with a baseball bat… lots-o-pain. My HR was way too low but I just didn’t have the leg strength to push it up. The longer I was on my bike the more things started to improve and I was able to speed up. The last 8 or 9 miles I managed to pass quite a few people and I felt like I was back in the race. As I approached T2 I tried stretching my calf a bit as I was concerned about how it was going to feel as I transitioned to running. I made the final turn into the park and headed to the dismount.

BIKE: 31:47 20.01 MPH (Not as fast as I had hoped, but all things considered I am happy that I was able to pull things together and have a good ride)

Enough things had gone “not exactly as I hoped” up to this point so I decided to take it easy on the dismount. I pretty much stopped on the dismount line and slowly crawled off the bike and slowly started walking to see how the leg was going to hold up. Still lots of pain, but walking didn’t seem to make it any worse… again.. just felt like someone had taken a bat to the back of my leg. I racked the big, changed shoes, and headed out of T2 for a nice 10K run.

T2: 1:52

I headed out of the park and surprisingly I felt pretty good. I could feel my legs (could really feel the left one!) and I didn’t really feel the typical numbness during the first mile. I wasn’t going blazing fast but I was running my typical slow-ish but consistent pace and I felt like the throbbing calf muscle wasn’t going to be a factor (YEAH!) I really started to feel the dehydration and my attempts to hydrate on the bike weren’t enough to get me ahead. I grabbed some water and Heed from all 3 aid stations in an attempt to keep things moving to the finish line. Out on the run I was able to pick out JFT’ers in our super fast uniforms… Heli flew by me around mile 4 as she headed towards her AG#2 finish!! SWEETNESS! As I entered the park for the final 1.4 mile loop I really started to feel good and the legs were working well. As I approached the finish line I picked things up and passed a few people in the last 100 yards. It felt great to run across the finish line and then promptly down a bottle of water:).

RUN: 55:46 8:58/mile (not the fasted 10K… but it was a nice consistent run so I am happy with the result)

OVERALL: 2:47:55
AG#17 (out of 22)
OA#90 (out of 136)

I learned a ton from this race and it really boosted my confidence for Lake Stevens. Showing up and racing my first Oly was very educational and I learned that I will ALWAYS hydrate before a race… I’d rather pee every 10 min vs. cramping up and racing with the constant need for water. In T1 I thought my race might be over but I am super happy that I was able to pull things together and push through it. I am always amazed what our bodies are capable of and how they can recover and keep going. On to Lake Stevens 70.3…. just 2 weeks to go!

Issaquah Triathlon 2008

2008-06-01T19:15:00.001-07:00

Issaquahtri.com - 1/4 swim, 15 mile bike, 2.8 mile run
May 31st, 2008

The alarm clock went off at 4:45 and I had everything loaded up and headed out to pick up Kevin by 5:55am. We couldn’t have asked for better weather… no rain and no clouds… it was a bit cold for the end of May, but overall it was warm enough that weather wouldn’t be a factor. I decided to do things a bit differently this time.. no Starbuck's to wake me up.. and keep breakfast simple.. very simple. On Coach Jill’s suggestion I turned to PopTarts for my source of nutrition. I honestly think this was the first time I have ever had a PopTart!.. they are actually quite tasty! Kevin and I arrived at 5:30am, unloaded and headed to transition. I arrived early enough to secure the end position on my assigned rack. I set up my transition area and then found Jill and a few other JFT2’ers, dumped my transition bag at the team tent and then went for a short warm up run. Just before 7 am I threw on my wetsuit and went for a quick warm up swim. Everything was feeling good and it was time to put all that off season training to work!

The Elite wave kicked off at 7am and I had to wait till 7:18 for my M30-34 wave… again, something new. In my previous races my wave was immediately after the elite wave and therefore I never had to worry about “traffic” on the course from previous waves.

I made a bit of a mistake by lining up in the front of the swim pack… in all previous races I started in the very back. I didn’t want to be in the middle but I know I was fast enough that the back wouldn't work. READY, SET, GO and my 2008 Triathlon season was underway. The beg inning of the swim was very shallow but I decided I would rather swim verses run in the water… being in the front of the pack was complete chaos! People were running, diving swimming, pulling, kicking and few guys looked like they were dancing. The sprint to the first buoy had me fighting with other guys for position and trying to avoid a kick in the head. I was beginning to rethink my decision to start in the front of the pack, but once we turned the first buoy things calmed down and most of the guys that sprinted in front of me in the first 30 seconds faded as they learned that you have to swim your fastest 440 yards… no 50 yards. I never really hit my groove on the swim… I think the chaos of the start and overtaking swimmers from the previous wave had me a bit frazzled… I was spotting way too often and I wasn’t getting my head down in the water (wanted to keep my eyes forward.) I calmly turned the final buoy, but still not really hitting my groove. The last 80 yards were directly into the sun and I had caught a large group from the previous wave… I just headed towards the splashing and sunshine and hoping it was the exit. I swam until knee depth and then jumped up and run into T1. My time was a bit slower than the day before but a huge improvement over last year (when I didn’t even know how to swim!)

Swim - 7:20.2

I ran into T1 and went down the wrong aisle.. opps.. might have cost me a few seconds but nothing major. I arrived at my transition area and went through my checklist.. Sunglasses: on, Helmet: on, shoes: oh wait!.. I still have my wetsuit on! During transition practice I didn’t’ have my wetsuit and I was about ready to shove my shoes on without fully removing my suit. I ripped the wetsuit off but it got caught up my timing chip… grrrr. I had to reach down and pry it free, finally got my shoes on, then I was off. I was sure all my little mistakes added up but somehow they didn’t have much effect on my time… couldn’t be happier with the T1 time… practice and having a plan clearly pays off!

T1 – 1:15.1

I headed out for T1 on my shiny new QR, tightened the straps on my shoes and started to pick up some speed. Quick check of the HR… 171… too high so I just took it easy as I exited the park and tried to bring my HR back to 165. As I hit the main road I brought the speed up a bit more, went aero, and put my plan to work. Legs felt great, HR was on target, and the bike performed like an exotic sports car. I was in traffic from the previous waves the entire race and I probably passed 60+ riders over the 15 mile course. My speed on the flats was around 22-23 which was on target for my plan. I was able to crest both hills under full power and enjoy the quick descents on the other side. The bike seemed like a blur and I was back in the park headed towards T2. I was happy with my ride and I learned the value of having a plan, practicing that plan, then racing to that plan. Hopefully I can train and bring the speed up a bit more later this season.

BIKE – 41:30.3 21.7mph

I wish I had my T2 dismount on video! As I approached the dismount line I put a foot down and unloaded the bike while holding the front brake. The rear tire flipped up and basically launched me over the aerobars YIKES! Somehow I managed to land of my feet still holding my bike and I just kept running... it might have looked like some highly practiced stunt to save a few seconds but in reality it was the result of too much excitement and I thought both the bike and I were going to end up on the ground. Hmmm… maybe I should practice this stunt a few more times… seemed to work the first time! Bike racked, shoes off, shoes on, run run run!

T2 – 1:06.0

I run out of T2 and something didn’t feel right… I realized that I must have made a huge mistake and in all the excitement I must have grabbed someone else’s shoes! No wait… maybe I just forgot to grab my feet… I don’t know what I forgot, but I forgot something because it felt like I was running with cement blocks on my feet! My feet were numb from the bike and I really couldn’t feel anything for the first mile or so… I just kept running and waiting to get through mile #1. Running is my weakest link in a tri and I am still learning how to best attack these 5K sprints. Half way through the course I was greeted with a muddy trail and a nice big sprinkler attacking me as I ran by… it served as some good humor and I found myself laughing which was good. HR was right on target and I was finally starting to feel my legs under me.. oh look.. I really do have on my shoes. I started to feel good and picked up the pace a bit only to find out that my practice of “running without socks” didn’t quite prepare my feet for “running without socks”. I could feel the blisters start to form on the arches of both feet and with each step it felt like little jagged saw blades cutting into my feet. Two choices.. slow down (and I am not sure what that would have accomplished but it sounded like a good idea at the time) or just ignore it and push forward… I came to race and so I decided to just keep racing. My pace was still slow, but I wasn’t being passed by people at the rate I am use to from my races last year which I took as a good sign. At my “start sprinting here” spot I picked it up a bit, but never really hit a full sprint… I didn’t have anyone around and the pain in my feet kept me from going all out… had there been someone to race at the end I am sure I would have just pushed through the pain. Overall I was very happy with my run… still lots of room for improvement. Last year I was running 10min/miles in my Sprint tri’s so my sub 8 min/mile effort this time around has put me a lot closer to being competitive.

RUN: 22:01.0 7:30+ish min/mile (still waiting on the exact course distance)

This was a great start to my 2008 season and I am very happy with my training and progress... HUGE improvement over last year when the challenge was to simply find the finish line! Lake Steven's Half Ironman is a month away!... and I can't wait!

TOTAL TIME: 1:13.12

19th AG (out of 72),
95th Overall (out of 635)

Lessons learned:

Find a solution for blisters on the run… either give up a few seconds and put on some socks (and run faster to make up for it!) or use more lube!
A race plan can really pay off!
Starting at the front of the swim pack can be brutal… start to the side or back and when everyone fades then make a move.
Unloading the bike while grabbing the front brake is a quick way to dismount, but not recommended!
More lube needed for the wetsuit around my ankles
PopTarts really are a great pre-race breakfast!

“Firsts” for me!

No gurgling stomach or burps due to a much better breakfast!... POP TARTS!
I didn’t have to go pee the entire race!!! A first! (much better hydration plan this time around!)
Passing competitors from an earlier wave was a new challenge
New spiffy bike = new spiffy speed

Why i Tri!

2008-05-06T12:39:00.001-07:00

So why do I do this crazy sport? And why do i need three different sports to train for.. why not focus on just one? Well… first, i am a bit ADD (as they call it these days)… i get bored quickly and three different sports tends to cure that:). Second… well.. as you can see by the photos below I had to find something to help keep me in shape and training for triathlons tends to do the trick.

Not too long ago i was pushing 245 pounds (YIKES) and really had no idea how to eat right or how to exercise. The 20/20 program at the Pro Sports Club fixed that about 4 years ago (basically think of “America’s Biggest Loser", except you pay them money to yell at you vs. trying to win some money.) I have been around 175-180 pounds since the program and i feel great! Yikes! I never want to feel or look like that EVER again!

A few years ago i stumbled on to cycling… something i loved doing back in collage but gave up when i got out of shape. Cycling was great but I wanted something that was a bit more goal oriented. My friend Doug Thompson had just completed his first Ironman and talked me into joining a new triathlon team that his coach was forming… so i did. I joined team JFT2 and started learning about the sport. When i competed in my first triathlon last year i didn’t know how to swim(really.. i managed to breast stroke and float on my back around the course!) and i hadn’t ran in about 18 months… it was a bit painful but i made it to the finish line and fell in love with the sport of triathlon. Now at the start of my second season i have started to figure out what i am doing and this year i will be competing in my first Half Ironman race (Lake Stevens 70.3) and my first full Ironman (Ironman Arizona November.)

Training ride on the Lake Stevens 1/2 IM course on the QR (thanks to Triumph Multisport!)

A new ROO is arriving! "Panta Hypomenei."

2007-12-14T08:34:00.001-08:00

I was thinking the other day.... how can I make a complete fool out of myself while competing in all these crazy triathlons... what can i do to really make people wonder why in the world is "he" out there doing this. Here's what i came up with: Start riding a full carbon tri-specific race bike with fancy carbon race wheels... and still ride at the same speed as my old bike and watch guys on Mt bikes pass by me during the race. That should do it (and make the guys passing me feel pretty good in the process!.) Well the guys down at Triumph Multisport were a huge help and now I have a new donkey to ride for next session. Everyone says you need a name for your race bike... I think mainly because you need "someone" to yell at and blame when the hills get too steep.. and last time i checked bikes don't yell back. So my new Roo will be given the name "Panta Hypomenei" -Translated from Greek is means: patently enduring, always continues strong, never gives up, and endures through every circumstance. When i start yelling at the carbon fiber below me (if i can actually remember the words and say them!) hopefully i will be reminded of the significance of the words and find encouragement.

2008 Race Schedule

2007-12-13T23:23:00.001-08:00

Race	Distance	Location
5/12 Wildflower	Olympic	California
TBD Issaquah	Sprint	Issaquah, WA
7/6 Lake Stevens 70.3	1/2 Ironman	Lake Stevens
7/19 Chelan Man	Olympic	Chelan, WA
Black Diamond	Olympic or Spring	Enemclaw, WA
11/23 IM Arizona	Ironman	Tempe, AZ

2007-12-13T22:55:00.000-08:00

JFT2 Cougar Mt training loop (w/ East Lake Sammamish)
Find more Bike Rides in Redmond, Washington

Gregtay's Triathlon Blog

2011 Beaver Lake Triathlon

Something new… CycleCross!

2011 Issaquah Salmon Days 10K

2011 Seafair Olympic Triathlon

Beaver Lake Triathlon 2010

2010 Issaquah Triathlon

Sprint – 1/4 swim / 14 mile bike / 5k run

Pre Race:

SWIM: 7:38

T1: 1:38

BIKE: 40:50 22.1 mph

T2: 1:01

RUN: 19:41

Age Group: 13th place out of 114

Overall: 57th Place out of 837

Issaquah Triathlon 2009

Sprint – 1/4 swim / 14 mile bike / 5k run

Saturday May 30th, 2009

Ironman Arizona 2008

2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run November 23rd, 2008, Tempe, Arizona http://www.ironmanarizona.com/

My brief thoughts on the day:

And now the details of the day…

SWIM:

Swim: 1:15:59

T1: 8:06

Bike: 6:13:52 18.0 mph

From PowerTap (numbers omit my pitstops!)

Ride Time: 6:04:50

Average power: 134 watts

Avg speed: 18.46mph

Work: 2943 kJ

Distance: 112.21 miles

Avg HR: 129

T2: 8:09

RUN: 5:38:53 12:56/mile

Total Time: 13:24:58

My thoughts and looking forward

And a big thanks

Here’s a little video of that glorious final few moments as I crossed the finish line:

Cascade’s Edge Olympic Triathlon 2008

Issaquah Triathlon 2008

Why i Tri!

A new ROO is arriving! "Panta Hypomenei."

2008 Race Schedule

Race

Distance

Location

2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run November 23rd, 2008, Tempe, Arizona
http://www.ironmanarizona.com/