Eagleman Race Report

The song “Hot, Hot Hot” aint got nothing on race day at Eagleman.  For some reason, every year the weekend of Eagleman, the temperature rises to levels in between white hot flame and molten lava.  To put It in perspective, the week before the temperatures were 74 degrees and perfect and the days after Eagleman the temps went back down to 76 degrees.  So what were they on the race day?  A nice cool 96 degrees with the feeling of 114 coming off the asphalt.  Yeah, fun race conditions.  But you know what, everyone had to deal with the same elements so we were all in the same boat.

How’d the race go? Let’s find out.

I headed down to Maryland Saturday morning on a 4.5 hour drive to get there, check in, get my packet, rack my bike, and get in a practice swim.  I was able to practice in my Speedsuit just in case the water temps became nonwetsuit legal.  I was freaking out about it all week, since clearly swimming with a wetsuit makes you faster.  After having a quick dinner by myself, I headed back to my hotel to try and get some sleep

Race morning:

By the time I woke up at 3:45am, it was already 82 degrees outside.  Since I stayed about 30 minutes away from the race, I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to the venue.  I have to say, it was a very nice drive and got my nerves to calm down.  Once at the venue, I set up my transition area, met some of my Big Sexy Racing teammates and a few others that I knew and just relaxed.  With the Pro’s going off at 6:45 and my wave going off at 7:16, I didn’t have too long to sit there and bake in the sun.  So I jump in the practice swim area and warmed up and was ready to go.

Swim:

My goal for the swim was to go under 36 minutes.  It’s not a great time, but I still haven’t became a great swimmer so I knew I could make up time on the bike and run if I stayed in that range.  The swim bouys were set up about every 100 yards so I felt great and was just mentally checking off bouys in my head and counting down until the swim was over.  Looking at my watch every so often I knew I was having a good swim for me.  I wasn’t flying, but the swim felt easy so I was happy.  The water so so shallow that by the time we got to about 75 yards out, everyone starting walking.  Not me. I learned my lesson a few years ago.  So I kept swimming and dolphin diving and passing a lot of people.  I have no clue why people were just walking and making it harder for them.

Swim time: 35 minutes

Bike:

This course is flat.  When I say flat, I mean like so flat that a teenage boy with a face full of pimples has more bumps on it than the course.  So it was time to get on my bike and go.  All my long rides this year have seen me average about 23-24 mph on a much hillier course so I really wanted to test my bike skills here.  After the first few miles clicked off, I was in this some times things felt great and I was cruising at 27-28 mph, and others, I was struggling to keep a 19 mph pace.  I have no clue as to what was going on.  Not to mention I had to stop for about 30 seconds since the shield on my aerohelmet came off and I had to clip it back on.  So weird.  That has never happened.  Anyway, I felt good until about mile 43 and then just couldn’t keep a good rhythm going.  After that, I was struggling.  My fluids and gels were on point so I know it wasn’t that, so it was probably the heat affecting me.  But, I was able to crank out the last 13 miles and get on to the run.

Bike 2:35

Run:

This is where I wanted to be.  Heading out onto the run and catching as many people as I could.  The only problem with this is that it was soooooo hot at this point everyone, including myself, was so drained from the heat.  Normally, I am ok in the heat and can run through it.  Not here.  I knew within the first 2 miles it was going to be a brutal run.  At that point, it was just get to the next aid station, grab sponges, ice, water and douse myself to keep my body temp down.  While I was running, I was able to hold a 6:50 mile pace but I spent so much time at each aid station that my miles ended being about 8 minute miles.  I didn’t care.  I needed to cool down no matter what.  And when I saw pro’s walking, I didn’t feel bad either.  Anyway, as slow as I was going, I was still able to pick off 25 people in my age group and manage the 11^th fastest run time of the day.  Kind of weird since it was 20 minutes of my PR.  Like I said earlier, everyone had to deal with the elements.

Run: 1:44

Overall, it was not my best race day, but it was good considering the heat.  I wanted a higher Age Place but it was not in the cards and there were some quality racers this year.  I was able to meet a bunch of my Big Sexy teammates and was actually the first finisher so I’m glad I got to represent that way.  All in all, I’m happy I did the race and would recommend anyone do Eagleman.

Race Week Giveaway

It's race week this week. 

Ironman Eagleman, I'm coming for you. To kick off a great race season, I'm running a contest with 2 of my amazing partners. 2 different giveaways here. 

HoneyMaxx is giving away a bag of their awesome product to the person who guesses closest to my bike split for the 56 mile bike. 

Skora Running is giving away a $50 gift card to the person who guesses closest to my run of 13.1 miles. 

3 ways to enter.

Enter in the Comments section below.
Enter on my InstaGram comments @trirunningdad
Enter on my Facebook page

Also, check out Skora website Skora

HoneyMaxx website is HoneyMaxx


Guesses have to be in by Saturday 11:59pm EST

It's Race Week!!!

It's Race Week everyone.

Just a very quick post as it is the start of Eagleman Week.

Stay tuned this week for 2 very cool giveaways this week.  

Ironman Eagleman build up

So we are exactly 1 month out from Ironman Eagleman in Maryland.  I have been dedicating a lot of training for this race.  I don't think I have spent this much time working out as I have in years.  There has been a significant time on the trainer dialing in my power numbers and FTP settings, and since this course is pancake flat, I won't have to worry about rolling hills.  This way, I can have a pretty steady race plan.  It makes training a lot easier this way.  I've been noticeable stronger, and able to hold a higher wattage for longer than ever before

As for my other training, it really has gone well.  The interesting part is I feel I am not being as structured as I normally am every single year, but every workout is done with precision and a lot faster and easier than I normally train.  My run splits are lightning fast.  It's actually scaring me.  My last long run was 12 miles, and I finished that in 1 hour and 14 minutes. That equates to about a 1:21 half marathon pace, which would be a PR for me if it was race day.  I know I can't hold that pace for a half marathon after 56 miles on the bike, but even if I lose 4-5 minutes, that still would be about a 1:25 half.  Not too shabby.  I can't slow down even if I tried.

I have also found something in my swim that I am faster than in previous years.  I don't know if I have improved my stroke or I'm just getting stronger, but when doing a time trial in the pool, I am well below my race pace which is pretty exciting.  I still hate being in the pool for long periods of time, but at least when I'm in the pool, the workouts are faster and really spot on.

The one thing that could possibly derail me is that past few weeks.  There has been a magnitude of things that have taken me away from having a nice solid training block.  We had some health scares in the family which led to a few days of making sure everyone is ok.  There was a ton of travel, where it rained constantly so I was only able to run on the treadmill for a few days straight with no swim or bike workouts.  And apparently my weight went from dropping 7 lbs in one week the week of the health scare, to not being able to put any weight back on, to then all of a sudden, me gaining 8 lbs.  Not exactly ideal for stabilizing weight and training.  All this while trying to get down to race weight and see what is the best weight for me to stay at to be in optimal shape for the race.

In fact, I was supposed to have my first race of the season 2 weeks ago, but it rained so bad that I didn't feel comfortable being on a bike for 40 plus miles in those conditions, so I actually had my first DNS of my career.  So going into Eagleman, I will have no way of knowing what I need to work on for race prep.  I don't have anything to base it on.  Looks like I'm flying blind here.

I know "life happens", and that everyone goes through things, but all this happened in about a 2-3 week span.  Luckily, I still have exactly 1 month to dial everything back in.  That means 3 weeks of one last hard training block, and 1 week of recovery/taper for the race. 

Sometimes things go perfectly, and other times, life happens and you have to adjust.  Here's to figuring out exactly how to adjust.

What is strength

This week I have learned a new meaning of strength. How do we all define what strength means.  Is it, how much weight you can put up in the gym?  How many watts you can hold on the bike and for how long?  What about how high your IQ is?  There are so many ways to define strength, but this week I have found the one that is the most important.

Becoming a father was obviously a life changing event.  How could it not be?  But when things are going well, it's easy.  It's easy to run through a finish line with Riley in my arms, or to put him to sleep and have him sleep 12 hours and us be the ones to wake him up.  It doesn't take strength to do these things.  It takes being a father.  It's when things go slightly (or more than slightly) off kilter that strength is needed.

I have learned that having the strength to keep it together and be there for my family far out powers any strength that I have amassed during my years of training.  No 20 mile run, 100 mile ride, 95lb dumbbell.  Let's just say this week has been worse than the week from hell.  When you get information that cuts you like a knife but with the pain of cutting like a spoon you are left with only so many options.  No parent wants to hear news about their child, and no parent wants the week that the wife and I have had. 

As a result, I continue to reevaluate what strength is and how is it evaluated.  I have seen the strength that is needed to be there for not only Riley, but also the wife, the grandparents, the aunts/uncles and pretty much everyone else. Strength is needed to be there both emotionally as well as supportive while not allowing myself to digest, feel, or process things personally.  I have to be the one who holds it together so others don't lose their shit.  What I've found is that if I can't find the strength to make sure everyone is ok, then everyone won't be ok.  This also means that I need to find the strength for myself to be able to hold it together.  If I can't muster it up, then there are a lot of people who will have a difficult time. 

I wish that no one would ever have to be in a situation to find that inner strength, though I know that is not the case.  There are people who have to go through things a lot harder than I have to, which I wish wasn't the case, and these people have to find either more strength than me.  It's doesn't make it easy to say that, but it's true.

I considered myself a strong individual before this week, but nothing compares to the strength that I have developed this week.  Here's looking at never having to do it again

It's time to get some higher education and get a PhD

The good stuff

I have rarely been into supplements in my lifetime.  Yeah, the occasional protein powder when I was in college to bulk up (like that worked), but other than a few things here or there, I haven't really been in to the whole supplement game. I do take a multivitamin and fish oil daily, and then with the exception of Beet Powder for long workouts, that's really it.  Since joining Big Sexy Racing team, one of our great supporters is PhD Nutrition.  As a result, I have been introduced to some amazing products, so I wanted to write a quick review of some of the products I have been using, which I can say they have really increased the intensity of my workouts and training.

Pharma Greens:
The first thing I do in the morning is make a glass full of the Pharma Greens.  You're supposed to take these on an empty stomach and wait about 20 minutes before eating or drinking anything else, so I make a mixture, drink it, then go walk thunder and by the time I get back, I am ready for my morning coffee.  The Pharma Greens acts by balancing PH levels in the body, helps in post workout recovery, and cleanses the digestive system, which allows your body to digest important nutrients throughout the day. 
Pharma Greens is also about 7-8 amounts of vegetable servings for an entire day, so you know that if you take this, you are getting the nutrients you need every day. 
What I can honestly say is that within a few minutes of taking my Pharma Greens, I can feel my body getting healthier.  I know that sounds weird, but while I'm out walking Thunder and I don't have anything in my body, I feel a jump of energy and a clean feeling throughout my body.  It's hard to explain, but I definitely feel my body is better after eating these.
I recommend the Green Apple flavor, but have also had the Lemon-Lime which is good also

Battery +/-:
Battery is an all natural sports drink mix.  It replaces the electrolytes that you lose while working out.  I readily admit that I don't use it for the recommended usage.  What I do is add the Battery to my other drink mixes to help increase the electrolyte and salt that I am losing while working out.  I have my drink mix that I have been using for years and love, so the Battery is a really nice compliment and has helped solve some of my cramping issues that I had trouble with last year.

Glyco-Durance:
Glyco-Durance is a drink mix as well, but different than the Battery.  The Glyco-Durance is more of a carbohydrate mix to help deliver these plus calories during workouts.  It is a lot thicker than most other drink mixes that we're used to, but that's a good thing.  The Glyco-Durance gets absorbed in to the body faster than anything else on the market so you're not going to get the crash during long workouts/races as often happens.  In fact, you can freeze the Glyco-Durance overnight and then it will be a perfect mixture by the time you get to the bike leg during a race. 
What I do is mix the Glyco-Durance, the Battery, and my other electrolyte mix (HoneyMaxx) and this is the best tasting mix I have had and actually look forward to it on the bike leg.  I know I'm getting the calories, carbohydrates, electrolytes that I need so I can continue my training strong and get to race day in one piece.
I recommend the Strawberry Kiwi flavor

Pharma Pure:
This is a protein mix that I use after my workouts.  I won't go into much detail into the Pharma Pure since everyone has their own feelings about protein powders, mixes, what they like/don't like etc.  What I will say is that the taste is great, especially the Peanut Butter Chocolate Caramel.  It is like eating a great milkshake.

Ultra Durance:
And we saved the best for last.  The Ultra Durance.  This is possible the greatest supplement known to man.  The purpose of Ultra Durance is many.  It reduces Lactic Acid by 18%, increases VO2 Max, speeds recovery, reduces muscle soreness, or basically everything that a distance athlete would want.

In about 20 minutes after you drink Ultra Durance, your body gets this tingling sensation.  That means its "go time".  There is no caffeine in this, so I mix it with my Crystal Light Energy for the perfect cocktail of caffeine and awesomeness.

I can honestly say that when taking the Ultra Durance, my workouts are seriously kicked up though I don't feel it.  They feel easier to me.  I'm able to sustain a better pace for longer on the run, I swam the farthest I ever had last weekend, and I'm able to hold higher watts on the bike.  I cannot recommend the Ultra Durance any more.  I know that when I take it, I am going to have a great workout and be able to really take my training to the next level

I recommend the Orange Flavor

So that's really the gist of some of the new supplements that I have been taking.  I also want to share that every product at PhD is tested and are in compliance with every testing agency so there are no questions that what I am putting in my body is up to standard and legal.

I can go more into detail about any of the above products but I wanted to give a quick recap of some amazing products and keep this post relatively short

Check out all the products at
http://phdnutrition.ca/en-us/

My first win!!!

For the WIN

Last week I did something I have never done before.  Win an ENTIRE race.  Not an Age Group win, not make the podium, but be the first person to cross the finish line and break the tape.

I signed up for the Taconic Runner's St. Patty's day 10k to see how my fitness is leading into triathlon season. I thought it would be a good test and since my running this off-season has been going better than ever, I wanted to really see what I was capable of.

For the sake of keeping a 10k race report short, here's how it went down- abridged version.

The gun went off and 3 of us went out of the shoot like a bat out of hell.  All under 5:50 pace for the first mile.  I thought there was no way that I could hold this pace for the entire race, but I stayed with the other 2.  One was a 25 year old shirtless runner, and the other a 45 year old guy.  So I split the middle age group and all of us stayed together the entire way.  How close you ask?

That's as far apart as we were the entire race

Shirtless boy would surge on the down hills, but he fell back at the uphills.  This is where I excelled. It was like a yo-yo.  He would surge, then we would pull him back.

Since the course was a 2 lap course, at the 2.5 mile mark, there was a big hill.  Seeing shirtless boy couldn't hang on the hills, I took a mental note for the second lap. As the second lap went, it was the exact same as the first.  We were no more than 2 feet from each other.  I realized I felt good so at this point, I thought a win might be possible.

Fast forward to mile 5.5 at the hill. It was exactly as I thought.  I am a strong hill runner so attacked the hill and no one could stay with me.  With half a mile to go, I turned on the jets and went for the finish line.

I crossed in first, pumped my fist, and led out a HUGE yell. My first ever win.  Even though it was a local 10k, there were still over 5-600 runners and I was the first one.  Not too bad.  It was even better that this was the first race I was representing Team Big Sexy Racing, so I was happy to perform and get a win for the team.