Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/10/2014 08:49 AM |
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...despite the fact that I PR'd by 5 minutes!!!
I qualified for the USA Triathlon Nationals back in June. Now, I am simply not competitive at the national level, but since the race was in Milwaukee, I figured "why not" and signed up.
I went 2:18:39 for the Olympic distance (1500m swim, 40K bike and 10k run). My previous best was 2:23:XX back in 2012. I set new personal bests for my run (7:16 / mile) and power on the bike (avg power was 267w).
I finished 88th in my age group.....winner was sub-2 hours. Holy crap are these guys fast!!!!!
I had the 37th fastest bike split, which I felt pretty good about. Seemed to struggle on the bike most of the day....despite the high power avg, I never felt like I was really rolling. But there was a strong wind from the east off the lake and the course ran north / south, so we were fighting a pretty strong crosswind all day.
The run was crazy fast. I came into transition with two of my club members (we are all very close in ability). One guy was about 1 minute ahead and the other guy was right with me. Caught the other guy by mile 1, tried to go past him and he upped his pace. We ran step for step for the next 4 miles, running between 7:00-7:10 / mile. He picked it up with a mile to go and I couldn't answer. Chapeau!
By far the fastest I have ever run in a tri.....I was a full minute / mile faster than the qualifying race back in June. But man, running "fast" (for me) freakin' HURTS!!!
T minus 30 days to Madison. Stress levels rising!! |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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THE SKINNY
Posts:506
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| 08/10/2014 08:59 AM |
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| nice! |
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| How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2886
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| 08/10/2014 09:54 AM |
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Way to go! Congrats on the PR.
Just curious if you feel the same:
Looking back, I take more satisfaction in having tested myself against the best and knowing that I performed at my best (even though I got clobbered) than in some of the smaller races I won. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/10/2014 10:56 AM |
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I go back and forth on this one, lsd.....at the end of the day, I have come to the conclusion that I measure myself against what I believe I am capable of (especially for tri's). The results are simply a byproduct of that effort and who else shows up. I can only control one side of that equation.
3 years ago, I won my age group in a local tri. Sure, it was a nice result, but I also know that 1) it was a small, local race and 2) it was the same day as Madison, so a lot of the big guys weren't there. But I had a great bike and a decent run so was pleased with my effort. But I wasn't thinking I was all that and a bag of chips.
Racine and Nationals were really good races for me....even if my placings weren't that high. I don;t think I could have gone any faster for either race (especially Nats....I was blowing up in the last mile of the run). So even though my placings weren't great, I know that I raced to the best of my limits.
An effort like yesterday in a local or regional race would have gotten me a pretty good placing....certainly top 10 for my age group. But on national or mega-regional level, I was completely out-classed. This was amplified by the fact that the race was aqualifier for 2015 Worlds, whcih next year will be in Chicago. Top 25 form each age group qualified. Since the race would be in the US, a lot of guys showed up to try and get a slot that normally might not have.
I know people that bettered their times from last year (same course / event) by 3 minutes and dropped 20 places in the standings. Good indicator of how damn fast the race was!! |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/10/2014 01:05 PM |
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Congrats. This reinforces in my mind that competing in a Tri perceptually must be a bit like racing a GF. You can set all the PRs you want but there's still going to be a ton of guys faster than you and everyone is pretty much doing their own race.
I ran for the first time in a while this week; had 5hrs to complete 20 miles in the mountains to get a view of Mt Olympus. It sucks, my left foot still hurts from all the leaping downhill :-) |
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6ix
Posts:485
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| 08/10/2014 02:33 PM |
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You are your own worst enemy!! Saying you got beat up on but actually beat your personal record??!! Come on, that's awesome!! You are doing so well that improvements are only slightly better than before, thus meaning that you aren't leaving anything out there on the road. I know it's difficult to not compare yourself to others but you don't know about their lives. You have a family and a job that requires a lot of time and travel. You're able to fit in enough training to be very competitive while sticking to your responsibilities. Maybe some of your competition don't even work! The simple fact that you're out there competing is awesome and to be improving while aging is icing on the cake. You're fighting back time!
Be good to yourself. You deserve a big ol' pat on the back...and probably some sort of cool new piece of bike equipment. |
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vtguy
Posts:298
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| 08/10/2014 04:18 PM |
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Congratulations on a great race...especially on the run. Just think how much faster you'd be if you had a nice bike (kidding!).
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/10/2014 05:58 PM |
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Oh yeah....I'm with ya, 6ix. Title was somewhat tongue-in-cheek. I'm actually very happy with my effort and race. I left it all out there, as evidence by the fact that I faded in the last mile of the run. I pushed myself harder than I ever have in a tri.
But by comparison, that time would have put me in the top 10 and maybe top 5 for most races around here. The guys who were competing for those Worlds slots are just ungodly fast....especially on the run.
Another interesting point of comparisons.....I usually get out of the water in the top 25-40% of my age group. I am a slightly above-average tri swimmer. Yesterday, I was 155th....out of 218! Doh!!!
But I'll make sure to show Mrs CK your last sentence as I break out the credit card.  |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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jmdirt
Posts:775
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| 08/11/2014 10:04 AM |
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| Good job Cosmic! |
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 08/11/2014 11:13 AM |
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These are the types of events that really game changers for the recreational athlete, IMHO. While you may not have finished well, it is the experience of pushing yourself FAR beyond what you think you would normally be capable of that really make a difference.
I find that my fitness always takes a HUGE leap forward after these types of experiences. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/11/2014 11:34 AM |
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Posted By Keith Jackson on 08/11/2014 11:13 AM
I find that my fitness always takes a HUGE leap forward after these types of experiences.
After is the keyword...I always find the week after doing the event I would be in perfect shape to redo it much faster because the event provided perfect training 
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/11/2014 01:00 PM |
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Good points from Keith and OC.....this also coincides well for my Madison schedule. This week is a rest week for me and then I have a two week taper, followed by Madison race week.
Ran 20 miles yesterday (farthest I have ever run in my life), which hopefully capped off a big training stimulus for the weekend. A bit of recovery this week and then I taper.
If I planned this all correctly, my form should be reaching a fair boil by the first week of Sept.
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 08/11/2014 02:21 PM |
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| While I admit to not understanding the Tri thing in any capacity...I wish you luck brother. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 08/11/2014 05:14 PM |
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Meh....not a lot to understand, really. Tri's are my only competitive outlet since going on blood thinners, and I like to race.
Believe me, I'd much rather be still doing bike races!! So I take what I can and call it good. |
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ChinookPass
Posts:809
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| 08/12/2014 11:00 AM |
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| Not that you are thinking past Madison, but when my friend was doing IMs, he said his fitness afterwards was limitless. I'd go on hikes with him and he could go all day and never get tired. Prior to that? Not so much. It might be time to tackle something on your bucket list, ride the wave of all that fitness. |
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