Another race cancelled :(

Ok, so the 2011 season is not off to the start in which I had invisioned :( Actually, the season has not really started for me at all, as yet another race has been cancelled. The rain was just too much again this past weekend, and the race was called off again. 2 cancelled triathlon's in 2 weekends, and I am not a happy triathlete.

The good thing is that these were not my "A" races, but were a pretty important part of my training leading into my "A" races which will start to hit in about a months time. I was however, able to drive home late Saturday night after sitting in my car and watching the rain in San Luis Obispo. I knew there would be a running race for me on Sunday morning in San Francisco, and so that is what I opted for as I needed more racing under my belt.

The race I found was the Bay Trail 4 Mile run. I awoke at 7:45am, ate a banana and 2 cups of coffee, and was out the door to the race. Got registered, warmed up, and never really gave much thought to my race strategy. I was simply happy to be racing!! I struggled to get into the zone for the first 1.5miles, although I was going at a good pace. I then started to feel like my old self racing. I felt that I was able to push myself, and at the 3 mile mark, I was actually able to kick it up a gear and really went for it. My final time of 25min 31sec was good enough for 13th place overall, and a personal best by over 40sec at the 4 mile distance. I was really happy that I was able to average under 4min per km (3:57/km), and that I was able to hold a hard pace for the entire race.

The next block of training will see an emphasis on the longer workouts, as I have some longer distance races quickly approaching. I guess as the saying goes "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade". Hopefully the next set of training and races will make up for the 2 consecutive cancelled races. My mom told me that "my day will come soon enough", so back to training it is :)

Train hard y'all!

RACE THIS WEEKEND!!!!

So, after the disappointment with the cancellation of my first triathlon of 2011, the Santa Barbara Sprint tri, the forecast looks to be ok for my next race this weekend. YA!!! However, now the reality is sinking in that I will indeed be racing this weekend, and it is time to get my game face on and committ to the challenge. The race is the MARCH TRIATHLON SERIES Sprint Triathlon near San Luis Obispo, California. This is a new race for me, and I am pretty excited to be fit and injury free, with a number of PR time trials and running races under my belt early in the season :) In terms of my goals, that is difficult to judge at this point. I have no idea who I am going to be racing against. And, here in California, there are ALWAY'S super fast and competitive age groupers at every race! So, my goal first goal is to have fun! My second goal is to have a smooth, all out effort. I want to be with the lead pack on the swim, rock it out on the bike while being safe, and then to negative split the run. One of my long term goals has been to run sub 20min 5km in a sprint tri. Last year, I was able to run 20min 20sec-ish. So, we shall see how things go. Let the 2011 Tri season commence..... And here is another rockin dance track to keep you groovin thru your training: See you at the races, and be happy and healthy Steve

Race Cancelled :(

So, I was pretty worried about the Santa Barbara triathlon all week. I was busy studying the forecast to try and figure out my race wheel set for Sunday - disc rear or not. It quickly was becoming apparent that weather was going to be a major factor for the race. As the week progressed, so did the TERRIBLE weather forecast. Everytime I checked, it got worse. I am not kidding. On Saturday morning, I had to decide whether or not to drive the 6+ hours to Santa Barbara to race. With a severe weather advisory including 40mph gusting winds, 100% chance of showers, and heavy rain, I decided this was NOT safe, and the beginning to my 2011 triathlon season would be postponed. I then recieved an email this morning from the race director stating the race had been cancelled due to weather :( There was only 1 other time I can remember having a race cancelled - Canadian National Championships in 2004 - Kelowna. There was a freak thunder/rain storm that only lasted the morning of the race, then cleared up immediately after. But, the race was cancelled. I am happy that my intuition was smack on for this one. I want to be healthy and injury free for my upcoming series of "A" races - Wildflower, Hawaii, Great White North. On a good note, I did a 750m time trial in the pool this week as a lead into the race, and was able to crank out a 9min 55 sec personal best. My training appears to be going really well :) So, I have decided to purchase a ticket for the monthly dance circuit party here in San Francisco called FRESH. This party is alway's alot of fun, and I look at it as getting a great 3-4 hour cardio workout with great music and an electric atmosphere. Next up is the San Luis Obispo Sprint triathlon Mar 27. Looking at the forecast, it is calling for rain :( We shall see what happens, and hopefully we will not have another cancellation!! Keep happy and healthy, Stephen

Santa Barbara Tri Preview and What Do U Listen 2??

Hey :) Thanks for checking in! So, my first Triathlon of 2011 is upon me! YEA! The Kendra Payne Memorial Sprint Triathlon will be held on Sunday March 20, 2011 near Santa Barbara, California. This will mark my 3rd appearance at this race. I was able to finish 11th Overall in 2008, 7th Overall and First Men 30-34 in 2009, and was unable to race last year due to injury. So, this season I will be back with a vengance and am looking to see where my triathlon skills are at thus far. This year the race will be a sprint race consisting of a 0.5mile ocean swim, 16mile bike, and 3.1mile run. I know the course pretty well, and my training has been pretty consistent, minus a 2 day bout of food poisoning last week :( Going for a quick ocean swim tomorrow, and am getting my final race wheel set up (Zipp 808 Front, and Zipp Disc Rear) done tomorrow as well. My goals for the race are simple. First and foremost to have fun. I am really lucky to be healthy and able to have such great equipment! I am feeling confident, and ready to dig deep to pay the piper this Sunday for a sub 20min run! I am not sure who or who is not racing this weekend, so hard to have goals in terms of placing. I would really like to have a solid swim/bike/run, and will focus on smooth efficient transitions. Also, I will not give into the pain at the end of the run. I will keep everyone posted on how it all plays out Sunday..... To continue with my previous blog post - What Do U Listen 2 - I am posting a second music video which gets me motivated. The track is Eric Prydz - Call On Me. This is one of those tracks where I was in love with it the first time I heard it, and obsessively tried to find it after. The video is a bit risque, but I like that kinda stuff :) Hope you enjoy the beats, and see everyone at the races!! Stephen

The torture of the 10km!

The Embarcadero 10km was my second race of the season, and was another step forward in my build into the 2011 Triathlon season! I cannot believe that my first few triathlon's will be happening within a few weeks. YAY! I am really excited to be back racing, and in good form this year!!! Back to the 10km. Arrived in plenty of time, registered, had a descent little warmup, and the legs were feeling good and responsive.

Race Start - Aquatic Park

The gun went off, and my plan was to run the first 5km in around 20min, and go for broke on the way home.

Sky view of the Embarcadero

I was running really well, and passed the 2 mile mark. Then, the rough patches started to happen. I was having some issues staying focused mentally on the task at hand, and my mind was wondering all over the place. I was making an effort to stay in the moment, but each time, I would find myself thinking of things other than my run form and running fast. However, still got to the turnaround point at my goal time, and was ready to rip thru the last 5km.

5km Turnaround Point

Mile 3-4 was ok, but the pack of guys ahead of me were really pulling away now, and I could no longer see them. Mind wonders some more. Then mile 4-5 the wheels came off the wagon :( I passed my lactate and mental threshold, and had to pull back on my pace a bit to recover and knew that I lost some time there.

Mile 5 - Trolley and Palm Trees

At mile 5, I again committed to giving it all till the end, and this time, I did not win the sprint across the line, and had 1 guy pass me right at the end.

There were some issues with the course and the timing. Apparently the course as a bit short, with the turnaround point being marked at 3 miles, instead of 3.2 miles. And somehow, the timing of the race was modified to account for this??

My "adjusted" result time for 10km was 40min 22sec. I was initially disappointed with this, but then I thought about it. It is only Febuary, this is a "C" race for me, and was only 9 seconds off my all time personal best 10km time of 40min 13sec. Also, who really knows what my actual time would have been for an accurate 10km? This one was all about going thru the race motions, putting out a race effort, and getting ready for the triathlons in the next few weeks!

http://dserunners.com/results/2011/embarcadero10k.html

I am content with the results and the effort for early season, and know what I need to do to get to where I want to be. I still cannot believe how incredibly difficult running races are! For me, the mental challenge of just a running race is so much more diffucult than doing a triathlon. I must admit, the running races are more torture than enjoyment for me, but that is all part of the challenge :)

Happy training and thanks for checking in.

Next up - Santa Barbara Sprint Triathlon Mar 20....

Stephen