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.

Race: St. Johns Pumpkin Trot 10K

Where do I even start for this event???

I started off real strong. I started at a 5:20 pace per mile - way too fast to maintain for 6 miles, but I figured that if I could maintain a super fast pace for the first mile, then I could settle in to my groove (7:15) and finish well. Last year I took 1st in my AG at this race so I assumed I could do the same again. I quickly found out that there were only 4 of us in the lead pack. We stuck relatively close together... let's say that at the farthest - the leader was in sight. First climb was up the city sledding hill. I powered up it, and looked back. The next closest person wasn't even at the bottom of the hill yet. I've been training on this hill over the past 2 months, so I knew what to expect. First mile was a mix of paved walkway and trails.

Mile 1 at 6:22 - ok, time to settle in. Paved road for about a half mile, then dirt roads to the turn around. Return back towards town and run into the residential area of the city. Mile 4 was just back into the city with an aid station... but NO marking telling us which way to go. So I yelled out to the 1 guy at the aid station - he shrugged his shoulders in disconcern. The runner in front of me yelled back saying that the pavement had markings to go straight. So I followed them. Mind you, still in 4th. At the next main intersection 2 volunteers pointed us to our left. Ok, we're good... I thought.

This was the poorest race course marking I've ever seen. We followed what we assumed was the course as it was marked 10 with an arrow. Then later realized that those markings were from the 10 mile run earlier this year. At the point where we neared the city park (starting point of the race) I yelled out that we had to be going the wrong way. I KNEW that this race did not have any loops. We stopped for a quick second and agreed to head back towards the last main street. As we rounded a quick corner, we realized that about 10-15 people were following us.

Got back to the main road and past the volunteers who told us the wrong way. Ran north to the point where we figured the course crossed back over. I had my Garmin Forerunner, so as we talked between breaths we assumed we would still be close to 6 - 6.5 miles at the end of the race.

Then two guys sprinted out and left me and another guy back. I picked it up, dropping the other guy. I wasn't sure whether to just walk back to the start/finish or keep running. This had never happened to me before... being in the lead group or getting lost. I kept at the race and found the cross street that the course takes back to the park. I turned left. The 2 leaders went straight. They were too far ahead to hear me yell. I caught up to another guy and asked if he was in the 5k or 10k - 10k it was. I had no idea that he was the 'race leader' at that point. Turns out that after our group deviated course, this guy was left leading.

Pissed, I took off. Back in the 6 minute pace I felt like I was going to puke. The last part of the course was back up a hill. A bigger climb than the sledding hill and over a longer distance. Then gave it everything I had to cross the finish line strong. Sure enough - first overall finisher for the 10k. Now I felt like crap and went to the race director. Moments later the other leaders were by my side.

My FR showed a total distance of 6.29. So we ran the distance, just not the course. The director says that he had no way to know that some people went off course and didn't see any problem with our finish.

All in all, I unofficially ended up finishing first OA...

Looked at the race results and it showed me finishing 2nd OA... What??

First place finisher had a time 10+ minutes faster than my finish. Not possible as I was with the top finishers from the very start all the way until that last turn when the 2 made that last wrong turn. So I guess this other guy missed a turn somewhere too.

Many of us were so frustrated. I should have ended up 3rd OA. I took my 2nd OA medal and walked. I wasn't sure that I should have taken it. I took my AG last year and knew I would be faster this year, and since I still put in the distance, I just took it.

But the 2 turns that we missed were not marked on the pavement and once we asked a man at the aid station which way to go and he shrugged his shoulders. Another set of volunteers pointed us in the completely wrong direction. I'm trying to justify my feelings here. I'm not sure who really won that race. Not me. Even though we went farther and still finished on top, something just doesn't sit well in my gut.

Another friend of mine who ran just behind us would have been the first female finisher. The extra distance set her back by about 24 seconds and some other girl who was in front of her got the trophy for 1st OA Female.

*So pissed*

Finished with an avg pace of 7:24 per the Garmin. That's good, but I would have been faster without the confusion.

I'm not asking for any type of sympathy, but what would you have done? ever have an experience like this before?

Capital City River Run Half Marathon 2009

Capital City River Run
2009-09-27
Lansing, Michigan
United States
Impression 5 Science Center
60F / 16C
Overcast

Running
01:37:00 | 13.1 miles | 07m 24s min/mile

Entirely Z4/5. 59 min in Z4 and 49 min in Z5! Craziness! I guess I was running hard. Slowest complete mile was 7:47. Fastest complete mile was 6:59. Fastest single pace was sub 6.

Pre-race routine:

Not as much running as I should have been doing. I did a couple distance runs recently and some tempo runs.

Event warmup:

Basic stretching as I was 'running' behind after coming off of a 24 hour shift. I felt pretty good and was ready to race, but didn't feel like this was going to be a PR.

Comments:

I went out a bit too fast, as I always do. Found myself feeling great and running past the pacers (I started right behind the 8min pacer knowing I would pass him, but wanted to use him as motivation so that I would never be passed by him). Little did I know that I would quickly catch up to and pass the 7:30 pacer. I figured I would get passed by him and his group before too long.

HOWEVER, I was feeling great. My tempo runs have been pushing the 7:15 pace but only for 20 minutes and then I'd be whipped.... but after my last few distance runs I thought that pace was out of my range. Low and behold I looked down at my FR305 and saw a sub-6 pace. I completely knew that was out of my jurisdiction. So I *slowed* to a 7:15 and tried to stay there, but I was a horse chomping at the bit - so I cruised on the flats and downhills.

At mile 5 or 6 I expected to start feeling sore and tired and to slow, but I took a GU Roctane and took some water. By mile 8 I figured I'd be pushing the 8:30 pace but Not Today! I felt a slight rush, not the euphoric feeling, but probably the Gu taking affect.

Anytime I looked down and saw my pace fall below a 7:30 I picked it up. I did slow a few times to the 7:45 pace, but never to an 8. I passed the 9 mile mark and took a GU Chocolate. I didn't think that I *needed* it, but assumed that I would feel it like the last Gu. I grabbed a water at the next aid station and only sipped a bit.

At the 11 mile mark I had settled into a 7:30 pace but knew how close I was to my goal. I picked back up into a 7:15 pace and pushed faster on the last few straight-aways. The finish was up a slight hill but I didn't slow.

I saw the finish, my wife, daughters and family were there. I grabbed a high five from my wife and finished strong as they called my name and bib #. I was done.

I looked at my Garmin, 1h 37m. Earlier my goal was to be as close to 1h30m as possible. My last HM was 1h44m. Early August I started to focus on my speed and distance work for this race. But after 2 months of training runs I decided that an 1h40m time would be a more realistic goal. This past 2 weeks have been rough and I thought that there was no way I could break my last HM.

Today was a good day! My slowest complete mile was a 7:47 pace.


What would I do differently?:

You take what life deals. Sick children drain you, and over the last couple of weeks I haven't put in the work that I should have. But family first and training got put on hold.

I'm very happy with my results, but if I would have started training a month earlier and been able to stick to a plan, then maybe I could have been even more close to an 1h30m finish. But again, I'm pretty stoked with what I got after these past 2 weeks.

Warm down:

Easy walk and stretching. Food.

Event comments:

Great course with plenty of Volunteers to help out. Aid stations about every 1.5 miles. Good venue. Michigan Ave had unfinished construction so there was a brief bit through that mess.

Lansing Legislator 2009 Race Report

Here is my race report for the Lansing Legislator this past weekend. I had a great time, took 3rd in my AG and was 19th OA out of almost 200 people.

Right click and view image in order to read it.


I ran 18 miles over 2 separate runs this morning; 12 miles easy and 6 miles in interval style.

Tour de France

Follow the Tour de France and catch up on what you missed on TV.

June is Here Already

May flew by quick, perhaps it was the 4 races I did. All in all, I have had a great year so far. I only met 1 of my 3 goals for the month, although with the planned races, my goals may have been slightly unrealistic. I wanted to hit 300 miles biking, 50 miles running and 5 hours in the pool.

So what's next? I'm not exactly sure. I'd like to think about another sprint tri as there are two great 3 race series taking place this summer at the Island Lake Rec Area. The way my work schedule falls, I won't be able to make either series, but I could do 2 races of each event. So there is potential for 1 race in June and 1 in July.

August will be the Lansing Legislator (possibly my first Oly tri). September will be the Capital City River Run half mary. And October will be another tri in Las Vegas.

Seems crazy to think about the end of the season so early in the season. But I've learned a few good lessons that I will carry with me for the future. One, for example, is that I cannot afford to race 15 races every year :)

So I need to set goals next year for better performance at longer distances. In this manner I should be able to race my first Half Ironman soon. My 5 year goal of running a full Ironman event seems much more realistic now too. Both of my girls will be in school/pre-school then and I'll have the necessary time to train for this type of endurance event. Man, it's exciting to think about an Ironman!! But, that's still a while away.

Thank you all as always for your support and encouragement! I look forward to the next race with great anticipation, whatever race it may be.

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.

January 09

January has flown by super fast! I was able to meet my personal goal of 41 miles for the month in running. I actually hit just over 51 miles.

I still need to get in the pool and stretch more. I feel comfortable with my lifting, but ideally I would be spending a bit more time in this area. I recently did a P90X routine, I loved it. I'm not sure that I have the time to dedicate to the actual program, but I will do a P90X session here and there. I did complete over 180 push ups and 47 pull ups during the 50 minute workout. I was pretty sore for a day or two. I started doing some Spinrvals dvd's while biking on the rollers. Those workouts kick butt. Google it.

February is here now and I have put some time in for training (mind you we are only 3 days into the month). I'm confident that I'll get my 41 miles running in for the month. Next month I will start up some outdoor biking too, that will help my mileage increase.

All in all, training has started out strong for me. This year will bring good things!

RACING GREYHOUNDS 2009

It's time! RACING GREYHOUNDS 2009

I'm excited to be part of a team this season. The RACING GREYHOUNDS 2009. I will be racing as part of a team and have a lot of opportunities to better myself as an athlete in each discipline.

Base training is underway. My first planned triathlon this year will be Hawk Island. I have 2 others on the radar, but haven't made a final decision as of yet. There is also a MSU Triathlon Team sponsored IronMAC indoor triathlon coming in mid-March that would consider.

All in all there are several races that I hope to be able to compete in this year. This year will be my breakout year for triathlon. I have continued off season training throughout the winter, so my base for this season is significantly higher than where I was last year.

I still need to be in the pool more so I feel comfortable with the Olympic distance swim. This year I hope to run at least one Olympic distance tri, although if I train well enough, early on, that distance will be my regular racing distance.

I am looking forward to a great year!

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.

St. Johns Pumpkin Trot 10K

Today I ran a 10k (6.2 Mile) race. This was the St. Johns Pumpkin Trot 10k. It was run by the Lyons Club. I choose today's race last minute.

I had originally planned to race in a sprint triathlon hosted by the MSU Triathlon team. Several factors came into play as to why I did not run in this race, all in all it just wasn't meant to be.

Today was the first time I raced a 10k. I completed the half mary two weeks ago, but I've never competed in a 10k.

I briefly reviewed the course map and toed the start line. The weather was supposed to be in the mid-seventies, but I figured "Hey, it's October" So while I wore my basic summer runner attire, I choose a heavier shirt. This proved to be a bad idea as the temperature was in the high 70's and part of the race was over newly blacktopped road. This made the heat radiate back up, it got warm...

This course was one of the most hilly runs that I've ever done. The first hill was actually the 'sledding' hill near the city high school. I sprinted up it figuring that most people would tire out quickly and I'd have a few seconds lead. I was right, however maybe other people were aware of the upcoming hills and were reserving their energy. The next 3 hills were tough.

The course covered multiple terrains also. We started on a paved walkway, then on to the first hill, which was all fields. Next into the wooded trails those were uneven, but no big deal. The course then went to paved roads for a short bit and then dirt roadway for a while. The dirt roads made me nervous as I sometimes have lateral knee pain after running them. The uneven, potholed, washed out sections make it tough to maintain a good speed. The hills made it more tough. This part of the race was an out and back, I think it was intentional just for the enjoyment of the hills in reverse. I however did not find this part amusing. Back to the paved roadway, and here is when I noticed how warm it was. I seriously considered tossing my shirt to the side of the road with hopes that I could find it after the race. Lastly we moved back into the city residential streets. These were fine as long I stayed in the center of the road. Finally we moved back into the city park where the race ended.

I finished 6.2 miles in 50 minutes and 40 seconds. That put me at an average pace of 8m 10s per mile. Not too bad!

The best news: I finished first in my age group (24-29). I am pretty excited about this, it makes me glad that I raced here rather than the tri in EL.

So this probably marks the end of the racing season for me. Unless something pops up and grabs my attention, I'll be done for the year.

So now what? I am 10 miles over my scheduled goal for running 366 miles this year (297 miles to date). But I'm behind on my October Run Challenge, I'll catch up this week.

I also applied to a racing team for next year. While they aren't really a 'sponsor' they do supply race nutrition and weekly team training. But they are not in the Lansing area, so the weekly training may not benefit me. I should have an interview scheduled soon, at that time we'll discuss whether the team would benefit from my racing, and if they would benefit my training and races. With this team I have to be dedicated to racing at least 6 qualifying races (Tri, Du or Bike [MTB or Road]). I can do that. On this note, I hope to also hire a coach. I found one, we've talked and I just need confirm price and scheduling.

Lastly, I may consider looking for a few local sponsors this coming race season. I should be able to promote a business with my improving times. A sponsor would help cover my race entry fee's, training, clothing, equipment and equipment maintenance. We'll see how training goes for the winter and how life presents itself with the addition of our new baby.

As always, thank you all for your encouragement and support!