Pumpkinman Sprint Triathlon

Race info: Pumpkin Man


Las Vegas, Nevada
United States
BBSC ENDURANCE SPORTS

Triathlon - Sprint
Total Time = 1h 50m
Overall Rank = 66/340
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 11/29

Pre-race routine:

I'd been coming into my recovery phase for the year and my workouts have been lame. Mostly run focused.

Event warmup:

A little stretching and a quick out and back swim.


Swim
Time: 19m 39s - 874.89 yards - Pace: 02m 15s /100 yards
Comments:

All men 34 and under swim start from in the water/waist deep. This was my strongest swim to date. I had a great time, was focused and stayed on course. Sighting was right on, though I almost always had someone somewhat near me so I could double check my path. After I rounded the last buoy I hit it hard. I felt strong and felt like I was cruising! I've never felt so good during a swim... Oly/HIM will be in next years plans!

What would you do differently?:

I still need to work on my swim. While I felt good, I still only had an avg speed of about 2:30's = slow! But I was comfortable for the first several hundred yards in the middle of the pack.


T1
1:37 for the Overall fastest T1 time!!
Comments:

I forgot to put rubber bands on my shoes and I couldn't get a full revolution of my cranks without my shoe dropping down to the ground. I actually had to stop and reposition myself and my shoe to get going. Someone is going to have a terrible T1 exit photo!!

What would you do differently?:

Remember to put my shoes in position! Time was great considering the distance of T1.


Bike
About 14 miles - Pace: 12.8 mph avg
Comments:

Torture and pain! This was great! Such a challenging ride and yet so much fun. I got passed a lot. For a guy in Mid-Michigan heading out the the mountains to do a race with no previous hill/mountain work... I did alright :)

All climbing with minimal rest time... uh, no rest time.

What would you do differently?:

I could have/should have swapped out for my compact crankset, but didn't want to have to mess with the derailleur.


T2
1:22
Comments:

T2 went very well. Easy in/ easy out.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. 1500 athletes at this event made for a rather large transition set up.


Run
Time: 23m 14s - 3.11 miles - Pace: 07m 28s/Mi
Comments:

Nice out and back course. Ended up hitting all 3 aid stations for water, but still felt thirsty and warm. It wasn't near my best run, but given the conditions and course I'm happy!

What would you do differently?:

Good run after a brutal ride.


Post race

Warm down:

Lot's of water and Vitamin Water (maybe a beer too)


What limited your ability to perform faster:

Course difficulty (climbs) and heat.


Event comments:

BBSC did an awesome job on this race. Nothing like what I'm used to for event organizations here in Michigan. Plenty of happy volunteers who cheered me as I passed them. Course was very well marked. Website had everything including elevation charts to prep my mind for the oncoming pain.

Sprint, Oly and Half Iron distances. Award ceremonies after each events winners completed the course. Great prizes and cool finishers medal.

By the end of the race my quads were done, I was totally spent. I couldn't have run any faster across that finish line. This is the effort that I now expect for myself in future races. I pushed beyond any race that I've done before.

Livestrong Day 50 Mile Ride Update

Livestrong Day 50 Mile Ride

We now have a page on the Livestrong Day site. If you plan to attend, please register so we can plan for the number of people attending. Again, there is no fee or cost to ride, but registering will allow us to know if we need to coordinate and facilitate multiple paces and/or groups.

Also, on Monday the 28th I plan to ride the route just to make sure all of the intersection are clear. I've rode this route before, the roads are typical Michigan roads with minor, but clearly visible, potholes. The traffic volume is low and for the most part area drivers are respectful of riders.


Thank you all for your support! I look forward to riding with you.

Livestrong Day 50 Mile Route

10/02/2009 - Livestrong Day 50 Mile Ride from Sleepy Hollow State Park in Laingsburg, MI. Here will be our route for the ride. This is a great route that I have rode a few times before. Low volume of traffic and mostly smooth roads. There are some rolling hills.

The event is also listed on Map My Ride

What are YOU Doing on October 2nd?

October 2nd 1996 is the day Lance was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer and began the fight of his life. This year on October 2, we celebrate LIVESTRONG Day. It’s the day members of our community celebrate the spirit of LIVESTRONG by organizing hundreds of events and raising awareness about the fight against cancer in communities across the globe.

LIVESTRONG Day is critically important this year – and we need you to step up and help. We’re making a major push to world leaders this fall, urging them to close the huge gap in global cancer funding. By joining an international wave of coordinated grassroots activity on LIVESTRONG Day you can make world leaders and the media sit up and pay attention to this disease while educating your own community about the fight against cancer.

Ride your road, mountain or tri bike with me for 50 miles to help increase awareness of cancer in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. There is no cost to ride this event, it is simply a gathering of like minded people out for a ride; just wear something yellow.

We will meet at the Sleepy Hollow State Park in Clinton County at the beach parking lot and ride a scenic route around the area.

Sleepy Hollow State Park
7835 Price Rd
Laingsburg, MI 48848

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

I look forward to seeing you there.

**Plan to leave by 10am**

July 2009

August is here, what's the deal? This month and the next few months, I'm only planning 1 race per month. I'm not saying that I won't race an additional race should it come up, but I'm only planning these last 3 races.

Last month I joined a virtual Tour de France Challenge. I met my 300 mile goal for the 2.5 weeks of the tour. Just after the TdF I did an impromptu 100 mile bike. I really wanted to get past the mental block for distance on the bike. I had fun, did well on nutrition and felt good the following days. Mental was on 100%. I didn't get stuck on the distance, I just went out and followed the route. I was thankfull to have a friend to ride that distance with, I train with her fairly regularly GoTrixie.com I'd like to do it again, but I'm not quite ready to commit to it yet. I think I could do it with a couple of days for prep. I'd like to push the pace next time. So the details of my 100 miler - 5 hours 19 minutes put me at a pace of 19 mph average. Per the GPS I burned more than 6200 calories - which is on track based on my previous rides.

This weekend I'll be racing the Lansing Legislator. I will do better in the swim this year than I did last year. I'm hoping to be at 12 minutes for the swim... we'll see. I'd also like to see my bike split to be above 22 mph and I'd like to break the 20 minute mark on the 5k run.

So my totals for the month of July are:

Bike: 23h 18m 40s - 412.91 Mi
Run: 6h 50m 24s - 38.64 Mi
Swim: 1h 19m 07s - 1746.81 Yd
Strength: 42m
Elliptical Training: 40m
Massage: 1h 00m
Yoga: 30m

Inter-Rockin' Triathlon

Race Report from Interlochen's Inter-Rockin' Triathlon

Click the image to view full size / readable image.

RR from BeginnerTriathlete.com

Rawk Squad Training

Rawk Squad Training - Michigan


A new group on Facebook that I hope will serve the purpose of a central location to plan training events. Check it out.

Starkermann TT and Du

This past weekend I had the Starkermann 40k Time Trial and Duathlon (5k/30k/5k). I did very well and placed in both races. For the TT I placed 1st in my AG, and in the Du I placed 2nd in my AG.

Race Reports on BeginnerTriathlete.com:
40k Time Trial
Duathlon

This was a lot of fun and challenged me physically and mentally. The hills were shear pain... That's it, pain. Part of the TT involved climbing what is locally called the "Big Nasty" hill, it's part of the Tree Tops Resort ski hills.

During the TT I had more than 1100 ft of climbing and for the bike portion of the Du there was more than 660 ft of climbing. The runs for the DU were the same out and back course that entailed more than 100 ft of climbs.

I did hit 46 mph on my bike during 1 portion (downhill, of course). That was just plain insane!!

All in all I had a good time. I will consider this event in the future. Today I'm pretty sore, so I went for a very easy trail run at Sleepy Hollow State Park (MI). Nice trails and lots of mud. Put in an hour and covered about 4 miles.

Here's a photo of one of the hills, not the 'Big Nasty'


2 weeks out from now is Hawk Island Sprint Triathlon. I'm so excited for this race because I know I'll hit the bike and run hard. I feel very confident that I'll do well. I'm still leary about the swim, but I've spent some good time in the water over the last few months. I need more time in the water and need to practice some open water swims over the next two weeks. But I am expecting good things. My goal will be to finish in under 1 hour. Last year I finished in 1 hour and 9 minutes. Since the course is pretty flat and I've done this before, I should do well.

Steelcase Grand Duathlon

Sunday (4/26/09) I ran my first multisport event this year. It was the Steelcase Grand Duathlon. It was a 5k run, 30k bike and a second 5k run. I feel like I rocked it!

I've spent a lot of time on my bike this year, both outside and on the rollers. In fact I've put out over 650 miles on the bike alone. I've been running about 40 miles per month in hopes of hitting the 600 mile mark this year.

For the Steelcase Du I planned to race the first 5k as a race in itself. I've felt strong in training doing bike/run bricks. So pre-race I went near the front of the group... not in the front, near the front. The gun went off and I took off. I felt strong, looked at my FR305 and found my pace to be sub 6min/mile... Wow! My first mile was 5:46. I had to slow down or my heart was going to pop out of my chest. I hit the turn around and took another quick sprint. I was able to keep my eye on the front runners, so I knew I was in good pace.

A quick side note: I've had great anticipation of running a sub 21min/5k. I didn't think it was within my reach this year as I've been focused on my biking.

As I neared transition 1 I saw the clock - 20:56! I crossed the chip mat into T1 at 21:03. I was so excited about my time that my fingers were shaking! I actually had a hard time putting on my biking shoes. Grabbed my bike and I was out of T1 in 55 seconds.

The wind was a cross/head wind for most of the route. Good thing I spent some windy days on my bike charging into the wind. I faltered climbing some of the hills. The course didn't have huge climbs, but with the wind I did have to stand up a few times. I was only passed once on the bike, by another Cervelo owner, he deserved to pass me as he was flying. My fastest speed on the bike was only about 34mph. We never really got a tailwind. As I neared T2 I started to get my feet out of my shoes so I could hop off the bike and run into T2. I had a hard time getting my left foot out of the shoe and I actually had to unclip, stop and dismount and carry my left shoe into T2. My time for the 30k was 53:20. Not outstanding at an avg speed of 21mph.

I still ran into T2, racked my bike, donned my running shoes and I was out like a bandit in 33 seconds. Yeah!

As I rounded the first turn on the run I felt slow. I looked at my FR and realized that I left it on my bike, no big deal, I just wouldn't be able to tell my pace and heart rate (2 keys I use to help me run and finish stronger). I do normally feel slow running after my biking. So I figured that I was about an 8ish pace per mile. I could feel my calves were a bit sore, nothing bad, but I could feel them getting tight. I didn't want to bomb my second 5k as it would prove that I went too hard on the first run. I pushed on. There was a group of 3 guys just ahead of me, I couldn't catch up to them, but I figured that if I could keep the distance between myself and them that I would be ok. As I neared the finish I started to sprint again. I heard the announcer call out "Jeremy Hagerman of Saint Johns with the RACING GREYHOUNDS finishing strong!"

After first round of results were posted I saw my overall time of 1 hour and 38 minutes. I was pretty stoked. I thought that I surely medaled. Nope, the 30-34 age group is hardcore! The third place finisher in my AG finished more than 12 minutes ahead of me. Wow! I'm still excited. My previous fastest 5k time was 23:54, so I broke that by more than 2 minutes.

Steelcase was a fun race with a good course. The run was on a totally closed course. The bike was good and the intersections were well covered by the police. I had a lot of fun and will plan to run this race again!

March 2009!

March of 2009 has been a great month for me in the training department. I got my new Cervelo P2 - A carbon triathlon bike. With all of the excitement surrounding my new bike and a biking challenge through the BeginnerTriathlete.com website, I logged more than 279 miles in the month of March.

My total biking mileage for 2009 so far is 451.57 Miles. This is great because that means that I have already surpassed my total mileage for ALL of 2008. Craziness!!

My total running mileage for 2009 so far is 136.19 Miles. This puts me right on the baseline goal for the year. I wanted to have an average of 41 miles per month by the end of 2009.

My swimming total so far is 7700 yards. This is by no means great, hardly even good. However this is almost half of the total distance that I got in 2008. So while I still need more time in the pool, I feel more comfortable.

This year I have already competed in 2 races. The first was an indoor triathlon at a local YMCA. I took first place in my age group. For me personally, the higher achievment in this was that I swam for 20 minutes straight. I had not done that before. In this race I ended up with 975 yds. This gives me hope for the upcoming race season.

I also competed in a 28k Time Trial at Fisk Knob (near Grand Rapids). I placed 61 of 120 Overall. So right in the middle of the pack. That's not bad for my first ever TT. The weather was 38 degrees F and per Weather.com it felt like 27. We had snow flurries mixed with some light misty rain. It was rather miserable weather, but I raced well. I hit my fastest speed on my new bike at 39.6 mph per the Garmin Forrunner 305 gps. The hills were hard, but I feel confident that I will improve my overall biking ability this year.

Upcoming races that I am already registered for:

4/05 Martian Half Mary
4/26 Steelcase Duathlon
5/16 Starker-Mann 40k TT
5/17 Starker-Mann Duathlon
5/31 Hawk Island Triathlon

That completes the first half of the race season for me. I hope to race 1 to 2 races per month. We'll see how these first few races go and then I'll complete my schedule for the rest of this year.

I'm excited about some new opportunities. This year has great potential!

Thank you all for your encouragement and support! I look forward to racing this year. Give me a call and let's ride sometime.

Base Building

I should be maintaining my base for fitness right now, but with new toys and the excitement of things to come this year, I feel like I'm actually base building.

Today I did my first interval cycling session on my rollers with the Forerunner 305. I haven't actually 'seen' my cycling layed out like this before. I find this encouraging because it will give me motivation to become a better cyclist and at the same time help me build that endurance that I need on the bike.

Here's what you see:
2' WU
6x30" @ 100+ (45" Rest)
5x1' @ RPE 6 / 70+ (1' Rest)
2' Easy
5' CD

2008

2008 has come and now gone. As many of you know, this year has proved to have moments of extreme joy and a few moments of sadness. It's hard to believe that my mother passed away almost a year ago. A friend once told me that the days never get easier; however, each day you find a new way to get by. I have found the joy of life displayed through laughter, hugs and kisses of my daughter; love of my wife; the never ending love from my family and the support of my friends.

This past year I accomplished fitness goals that I set for myself over a year ago. A few goals I even exceeded. My first goal for this year was to complete a triathlon, and that meant that I had to learn how to swim. I also planned to train harder than I ever have before by increasing my endurance and speed in running and biking. I hoped to be in the best shape of my life by my 30th birthday.

I completed 2 sprint distance triathlons in 2008. I finished just above mid-pack in both of those races. I also ran a half marathon and set a new personal best for the 5k distance run. I placed first in a 10k race and also took medals in two 5k races.

My annual goal for running in 2008 was to complete an overall average of 1 mile per day, totaling 366 miles: My final total was just over 400 miles running.

2009 brings new challenges and while I haven't set any specific goals for training, I do plan to complete with the RACING GREYHOUNDS. I was accepted onto the team this past week. I'll compete in 5 races / events that include cycling as per my contract. Ideally I will race in the same 2 triathlons that I completed this year and then I will also add another tri and enter into a couple of cycling events.

This month my family will grow with the birth of our second child. I will need to learn to balance my family with work and training. This may be my single most difficult goal of this year. I am excited to see what the future holds for my family.

As always, thank you all for your support. I look forward to this coming race season, meeting new people and learning more about the sport of triathlon.

400 Miles

Today I went for a MTB ride with a friend from the BT Group. She also brought along a friend who is going Pro as a Triathlete with Team USA this coming season... which explains why he was so fast on the bike. We rode at Sleep Hollow park. Rode out and back for 10.5 miles in just over an hour.

Today's ride puts me just over the 400 mile mark for biking this year. While I didn't have any specific distance goals for biking this year, seeing that 400 mile mark was pretty exciting.

I hope to build my bike base this winter so next year I will have more endurance to maintain faster speeds. Right now I average about 18 mph during races and 16 mph for training rides. I hope to push that up into the low 20's, let's say 22 mph race average. That will be average over a 15 to 20 mile ride as right now my distance rides go from 20 to 35 miles.

And as my friend Lisa says: "It’s what you accomplish in the off season that wins races."

Rollers Trainer for a bike

After a long search for what I wanted, I was informed that I was searching for the wrong type of bike trainer... So here is a steal of a deal that I was given at the local bike shop. After about 10 minutes of attempting to figure out how to stay on the rollers (you know, balance and all) this is how I did: