Subaru Distance Classic Race Review

The Subaru Distance Classic in Jacksonville FL marked the first time Dan and I have raced together. Having someone else to run side-by-side with was an incredible booster, especially when it is someone you look up to.

And then somewhere along the delusional mile 11, I couldn't stand Dan's positive attitude anymore and I yelled out "stop talking to me" as I put both of my earbuds back in my ears.

This is what Sibling TRIvalry is all about.

Up until mile 9 I was feeling great, then it all started to become a struggle. I was low on calories and at that point my stomach wasn't interested in taking in any GU's or other oddly textured substances.

For breakfast I had my typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a banana, and a Gatorade Prime. Dan pointed out that I greatly under-pb'd my sandwich and recommended putting at least 3 Tbs on. I guess that was my first mistake. Also the Gatorade Prime tasted exceptionally sugary that morning so I only drank half: my second mistake. Next time I may mix it with water or find an alternative because I can't stomach the syrupy taste. Dan and I did take mix in some Chia seeds in our water before we left the house, which I like to think helped counteract my other nutrition mistakes.

Hey, and what do we say about trying new foods on race day. WRONG! So why did I chose to eat Shot blocks instead of GU's during the race? Oh I don't know. I love Shot Blocks and while they are definitely not new to me, I usually don't intake them while I am running. While I was chewing and chewing trying to get one block down, I was missing the slip 'n slide of the GUs.

My goal for the race was to beat my last personal record of 1:51 (roughly a 8:28 minute mile). I set an ambitious goal of hitting 1:45 which is roughly a 8:01 pace. Dan made a great attempt at keeping us on track for that time, unfortunately I started to fade and started to get frustrated at my lack of energy.

Dan and I were testing the theory that racing is about 10% physical and 90% mental. Our week leading up to the race, we did so many things that aren’t recommended for training: eating poorly (pizza, burgers and beer…yum!), I ran about 6 miles the whole week while Dan topped out at 2 miles, we stayed up late, and to top it all off we decided we would run in brand new sneakers! So, for the poor training, a 1:45 was really ambitious. (If you want to gauge your race time, here is a helpful calculator.)

Anyway, this course was f-l-a-t. Welcome to Florida, I guess! There may have been a two foot elevation gain throughout the whole race. The route was very residential and to my surprise, never made it into town. I think the race coordinators also did a good job at making sure the whole route would be in shade which was a major benefit towards the end of the race when the temperature was starting to rise. It was also great to have race clocks at each mile marker to help gauge pace.

As we turned the corner to the finish line I knew that my time was going to be close. There was no way that I accept a later time than my Bellingham Bay time (with the winds and hills of that race), so I hit the gas and sprinted losing Dan in the process (there goes our photo op!). Speaking of photos, while we haven’t found race day photos yet online, I am sure my finishing line photo has me looking like I am about to puke. Sure to bring some laughs.

This course definitely wasn't my favorite, but wasn't boring. The race packets were a little disappointing with mostly just advertisements. They did give out tech race shirts and this one actually fit me...although the neon orange color is only safe for the eyes at night or on a construction site. Kudos for the great finisher medals though!

And another example of what Sibling TRIvalry is all about:
Dan and I have decided to sign up for another half marathon (OUC Half Marathon) next Saturday. Of course, the Key West Tri is not completely off the table. More to come!

Rude Awakening...

Sorry, it has been a while since I have posted to the blog. As I discussed in a few earlier posts, I decided to take the last 5 weeks off from training, gain a few pounds, eat all the foods I avoid while in training, stay out late and drink the occasional beer.  For the first time in three years, I actually stuck to my plan think I have recharged my batteries for a successful year next year. 

Tomorrow, the Subaru Distance Classic  (a Thanksgiving tradition)  is being held in Jacksonville.  Earlier this month, I told myself that I was not going to run in the event because it was still in my "off season" and I really wanted to give myself the time off I craved.  Julie had been contemplating coming to visit over Thanksgiving, but up until this past Saturday, her coming to Florida didn't seem like it would come to fruition.  Alas, I was wrong, we found a great flight on Jet Blue for her to come down on this past Monday and spend Thanksgiving with us. 

Seeing as this may be the one time we get to race together this year, we contemplated running in the 13.1 mile race.  We talked and I told her that I had not run in five weeks (well, one 4 mile run nothwithstanding) and she said great because she had not been training either.  We decided, "what the heck.." and threw our hat in the ring along with 10,000 eager runners (who most likely trained to have a good race).  This being said, being the uber competitive person Julie is, she not only wanted to run in the race, but wanted to set a PR for herself by running 8 minute miles throughout the race. How ridiculous is that?

So tomorrow we are ready to lace them up and see how the "rest" has treated us.  Julie has run a couple short runs in the past month, but on Monday she went for a 4 mile run.  Coming from Seattle, I guess she wasn't prepared for an 85 degree day with humidity.  She struggled through her run and may have hurt her confidence a little.  I, being completely indifferent to the race tomorrow decided after 5 weeks off I better run 2 miles tonight to warm up the legs- why?  I have no idea just seemed like a good idea.  Who am I kidding, like one small jog is going to help my cause.  I made Julie go and although it was a bit cooler, we ran those two miles at an 8:45 pace....hmmm a little off our target.  Until you actually do it, you don't realize how quickly you lose your fitness.  I assure you it doesn't take longer than 5 weeks to feel like you are starting over. 

So the gun will start at 7:00 am tomorrow in Jacksonville.  The air temperature is supposed to be about 45 degrees and getting up to about 50 by the time we finish, little colder than last year when it was about 75 degrees at the finish line.  I guess the only things I am prepared for are:

1.  It will be cold
2.  I am going to be in pain
3.  The only certainty will be my nutrition
4.  I can eat a lot of turkey, have a few adult beverages and watch football after suffering through a half marathon.

For the race, Julie and I will eat a PB & J in the am along with some water or Gatorade to hydrate.  I will eat about 300 calories on the run and Julie will probably eat about 150-200.  I will be consuming GU's on the run and Julie is still undetermined (better decide soon chica-HA). 

I have always told other training that racing is 90% mental and that if someone has a tough mental state of mind they will be able to suffer through the pain and finish what they set out to accomplish.  Well tomorrow is a test of my mantra and will.  I have been in races where I was pushed to the brink and finished so I am assuming tomorrow won't be as tough, but breaking 1:45 might be asking a bit much.  We will find out in about 11 hours.  Since we are bucking every trend training mindset, we also decided to buy new running shoes and wear them tomorrow.  What the heck, we will already be in pain and honestly, Julie needed them, she had been running in her pair of shoes for almost 2 years(yeah I know right?).  So no training, new shoes and of yeah we have indulged in some adult beverages the past few days since she has been here.  Why not right? 

Tomorrow will be fun if nothing else.  Julie and I will have gotten to race and it is Thanksgiving.   I would never recommend to anyone what we are doing tomorrow, but it will be nice to know how tough we are mentally.  We will let everyone know how it goes and if we can reach our goal of breaking 1:45. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Kids Tri Team- Ocean Palms Elementary

This is the team that I helped coach from Ocean Palms Elementary this past year. We had over 30 participants under the age of 13 compete in a modified format triathlon. Children under 10 competed in a 100 yard swim, 3 mile bike and 1 mile run while the older children (10+) competed in a 200 yard swim, 6 mile bike and 2 mile run. The team competed at the University of North Florida and is the largest "kids only" triathlon in the country.

Many of the children came to us without a prior history of swimming or running. Most have rode bikes in the past whether it be a BMX or some on road bikes but needless to say many were just learning swim stroke technique and running form. It was great to see the amount of kids that were out trying something new and getting out of their comfort zone.

We relied on the parents to help the children outside of the time we spent with them and most were great because they themselves were triathletes. Some were a little harder to convince as some of the children came from homes where physical activity was not taught or condoned. You could see the children's excitement grow as the event grew closer and they saw the improvements they were making. All of the children drastically improved and said that they were going to continue to train for next year and in a few years down the road a sprint triathlon.

As coaches we were proud to see these children progress and get excited about the opportunity that was presented to them. Not every child has opportunities like this so it was great to see not only our team, but 1,200 other children take advantage of competing in a race. We never focused on the winning aspect of the race, just going out enjoying doing something you have never done before and finishing the race (although there were some kids that were definitely competitive and wanted to win, which was fine with me). It was a great feeling seeing these children finish their race and hopefully something that they remember for years to come.

HITS Triathlon Series / Rev3Tri.com

Beginner Friendly series launching in December with the HITS Triathlon Series. Growing Family friendly series (great spectator races with plenty to stay busy) with incredible Pro fields at Revolution 3..
HITS Triathlon Series
I just saw this series launched and look forward to seeing its reviews and competing in 2012. No matter what triathlon level you are currently at or aspire to be (Iron distance, half Iron, Olympic, Sprint) this series has a distance for you. If you are a family of triathletes or trying to get friends involved in the sport you love here is a chance to compete together during the same weekend. There are 12 events slated for next year including the national championships and one event in December of this year in Palm Springs, CA. This series is unique because long distance triathlons are usually not coupled with shorter distance triathlons and I have never seen an OPEN division where athletes can compete for FREE in triathlon (100m swim, 3 mile bike, 1 mile run. Athletes who never thought they could compete in a triathlon can introduce themselves to this unique sport in a friendly, non-intimidating way.

Revolution3 Triathlon
Rev3 produces the highest level events in a family friendly environment and at certain venues has an Olympic distance race in conjunction with their half and full distance triathlons. These events not only draw many of the top professional triathletes from around the world but also produce an environment that is entertaining for spectators. 17 hours for a race can be a long time for spectators and these events ensure that while you are there to cheer your athlete that there are options for you as well. Look for this series to continue to grow in the next few years.

Welcome to Water, Rubber & Road

Hello readers!
This is me and my brother. This photo was taken the day my brother ran his fourth 70.3 Ironman. This is also the day that I decided I would not be a spectator anymore.

Welcome to our blog. Our mission is to make getting into triathlons less intimidating by covering the topics and many questions that arise surrounding this sport. We aim to provide a reference covering topics ranging from gear to training to race day, everything to get started in triathlons. We will train hard but also laugh at ourselves and share our stories.

Between the two of us, we will be able to cover perspectives from the beginner to experienced, both male and female, and from the northwest to southeast.

This is a sibling blog about a beginner triathlete trying to keep up with an Ironman.