T-minus 6 days until my 1/2 Ironman in Racine. Pics to follow.
- - read about my inspiration Deborah ... Https://www.olneyfamilyonline.com
Monday, July 12, 2010
Race Week
Good Morning
The Butlers had a good weekend. I was able to finally get my letter out dedicating my Ironman to Deborah Olney as a fund raiser for them (www.olneyfamilyonline.com). That is something I (with the help of a few others) have been working on for what seems like months but it went out. The fam caught a movie Friday night, Nathan slept in a tent that we setup in our bedroom (Kathryn had little interest, too uncomfortable) and Rene raced in the New Town Triathlon. Just a note on Rene, we have been dealing with race week for her (more on that in a minute) all week. It was 1000 Meter open water swim (her longest to date), 20 mile bike and 4 mile run. The water temperature was 86ish degrees so no wetsuits at all. Any temp above 84 and USA Triathlon rules state that it is unsafe due to over heating so they are not allowed. Long story short, she rocked it! Her goal time was 2 hours: 15 minutes and she finished 2:06. Her swim was exactly as she predicted (nerves and all)transitions were very fast, her bike was 1.5MPH faster on average than her prediction and spread over 20 miles that is a time bump of almost 6 minutes and her run was ahead too! She was very very very pleased and she did a great job. There was A LOT of team members at this race and our coach won overall female by more than 2 minutes. Great Results...
Now let me describe race week (any of you that do them, you know the hard to describe feeling). Anytime there is a tri that is a stretch of ability (for me it is Olympics and longer) it starts when you see it on the calendar about 2 weeks out but really hits home for me when I see my race week training schedule (normally on Sunday night before the race). All of the training is geared around tapering which equates to shorter but intense efforts. Where I may typically have a 1.5 hour endurance run, I will have a 45 minute fast tempo run instead. Where my training week might be 13 hours, this week it is 5.5 hours. Everything is different.
This week is rough, you wonder if you have done enough, you wonder about the unknowns of the day, the 1500 people you are racing with, the waves in Lake Michigan on the swim, will the power you push on the bike "blow out" your legs on the run, what are you going to eat on the bike that won't kill your stomach, will the run be hot, how much salt and carbs should I take in etc.... There are just so many unknowns that are impossible to plan for but you have to (if that makes sense) it is just a tough mental week and regardless of work and family demands that take priority, spare time is filled getting ready for the race. Anyway, it is what it is, the goal this week is to think through the race plan, just like in life, think through what could happen, plan for the most likely and if the least likely crop up deal with them and get ready. As my daughter and I talk about a lot when she gets nervy, nerves are your minds way of preparing your body for a challenge. This weekend will be a challenge and all of my training since January 1 has prepped me for this benchmark and reality check on my road to Arizona. Now it is time to go get it done. The neves that build from here to the cannon going off Sunday morning will be met with the satisfaction of finishing Sunday afternoon and the release associated with it.
So now, it is time to push as many negative thoughts that try to creep in to my head all week with reassurances of being ready and getting ready. With each race it gets easier but these long ones are too spread out with too many unknowns to see the going away anytime soon.
I just keep telling myself how insignificant this is in the grand scheme. It is just a triathlon, it is not life and death, it won't impact my ability to make a living or pay the mortgage, however, anything that I have spent this much time preparing for I want to do well at and that is where the pressure comes from.
My next post will be race expecations probably on Wednesday.
Until the, have a great week
Tracy
The Butlers had a good weekend. I was able to finally get my letter out dedicating my Ironman to Deborah Olney as a fund raiser for them (www.olneyfamilyonline.com). That is something I (with the help of a few others) have been working on for what seems like months but it went out. The fam caught a movie Friday night, Nathan slept in a tent that we setup in our bedroom (Kathryn had little interest, too uncomfortable) and Rene raced in the New Town Triathlon. Just a note on Rene, we have been dealing with race week for her (more on that in a minute) all week. It was 1000 Meter open water swim (her longest to date), 20 mile bike and 4 mile run. The water temperature was 86ish degrees so no wetsuits at all. Any temp above 84 and USA Triathlon rules state that it is unsafe due to over heating so they are not allowed. Long story short, she rocked it! Her goal time was 2 hours: 15 minutes and she finished 2:06. Her swim was exactly as she predicted (nerves and all)transitions were very fast, her bike was 1.5MPH faster on average than her prediction and spread over 20 miles that is a time bump of almost 6 minutes and her run was ahead too! She was very very very pleased and she did a great job. There was A LOT of team members at this race and our coach won overall female by more than 2 minutes. Great Results...
Now let me describe race week (any of you that do them, you know the hard to describe feeling). Anytime there is a tri that is a stretch of ability (for me it is Olympics and longer) it starts when you see it on the calendar about 2 weeks out but really hits home for me when I see my race week training schedule (normally on Sunday night before the race). All of the training is geared around tapering which equates to shorter but intense efforts. Where I may typically have a 1.5 hour endurance run, I will have a 45 minute fast tempo run instead. Where my training week might be 13 hours, this week it is 5.5 hours. Everything is different.
This week is rough, you wonder if you have done enough, you wonder about the unknowns of the day, the 1500 people you are racing with, the waves in Lake Michigan on the swim, will the power you push on the bike "blow out" your legs on the run, what are you going to eat on the bike that won't kill your stomach, will the run be hot, how much salt and carbs should I take in etc.... There are just so many unknowns that are impossible to plan for but you have to (if that makes sense) it is just a tough mental week and regardless of work and family demands that take priority, spare time is filled getting ready for the race. Anyway, it is what it is, the goal this week is to think through the race plan, just like in life, think through what could happen, plan for the most likely and if the least likely crop up deal with them and get ready. As my daughter and I talk about a lot when she gets nervy, nerves are your minds way of preparing your body for a challenge. This weekend will be a challenge and all of my training since January 1 has prepped me for this benchmark and reality check on my road to Arizona. Now it is time to go get it done. The neves that build from here to the cannon going off Sunday morning will be met with the satisfaction of finishing Sunday afternoon and the release associated with it.
So now, it is time to push as many negative thoughts that try to creep in to my head all week with reassurances of being ready and getting ready. With each race it gets easier but these long ones are too spread out with too many unknowns to see the going away anytime soon.
I just keep telling myself how insignificant this is in the grand scheme. It is just a triathlon, it is not life and death, it won't impact my ability to make a living or pay the mortgage, however, anything that I have spent this much time preparing for I want to do well at and that is where the pressure comes from.
My next post will be race expecations probably on Wednesday.
Until the, have a great week
Tracy
Friday, July 9, 2010
T minus 2 days for Rene and 9 for me!
Good Morning!
It is a little weird around the Butler house because my wife and I are both "tapering" for different races at the same time. The equates to us actually seeing each other, sitting down for meals together and actually have a few minutes in the evening to watch our July vice... The tour de france (I know we are so lame)
So my wife has her A race this weekend at New Town in St. Charles. It is the second year that have done the event and it is really a great venue. The swim is 1,000 meters open water swim with a time trial start (her longest to date) then it transitions to a 20 mile bike out and around the Missouri River bottoms followed by a 2 loop, 4 mile run around the New Town development. The weather is supposed to be fantastic and I am really looking forward to watching her race! She has learned to swim this past year and has worked really hard and it will be great to see all of the hard work coming together on Sunday.
Next Sunday I have a 1/2 Iron distance race in Racine Wisconsin. This has always been called "The Spirit of Racine" and has always been the 1/2 Iron distance. This past year the race was purchased and has become an offical Ironman event meaning it will be well run and have great support and a great expo. The weather is looking good for the event and aside from the sickness I feel in the pit of my stomach everytime I think of swimming in Lake Michigan, it will be a great test as I prepare for the full Ironman in November.
My hope is that Rene and I are both prepared for what awaits us in the next 9 days. The only thing we can rely on is our training and the hard work we have both put in preparing for these challenges. It is what it is and will be what it will be. Nothing really left to do but last minute detail prep work to factor out as many variables as possible then go do our races.
The good news is that we havne't crammed for these tests that are coming, the bad news is like all challenges, you always wonder if you did enough to prepare. We will all know soon enough.
Until next time, have a great weekend!
Tracy
It is a little weird around the Butler house because my wife and I are both "tapering" for different races at the same time. The equates to us actually seeing each other, sitting down for meals together and actually have a few minutes in the evening to watch our July vice... The tour de france (I know we are so lame)
So my wife has her A race this weekend at New Town in St. Charles. It is the second year that have done the event and it is really a great venue. The swim is 1,000 meters open water swim with a time trial start (her longest to date) then it transitions to a 20 mile bike out and around the Missouri River bottoms followed by a 2 loop, 4 mile run around the New Town development. The weather is supposed to be fantastic and I am really looking forward to watching her race! She has learned to swim this past year and has worked really hard and it will be great to see all of the hard work coming together on Sunday.
Next Sunday I have a 1/2 Iron distance race in Racine Wisconsin. This has always been called "The Spirit of Racine" and has always been the 1/2 Iron distance. This past year the race was purchased and has become an offical Ironman event meaning it will be well run and have great support and a great expo. The weather is looking good for the event and aside from the sickness I feel in the pit of my stomach everytime I think of swimming in Lake Michigan, it will be a great test as I prepare for the full Ironman in November.
My hope is that Rene and I are both prepared for what awaits us in the next 9 days. The only thing we can rely on is our training and the hard work we have both put in preparing for these challenges. It is what it is and will be what it will be. Nothing really left to do but last minute detail prep work to factor out as many variables as possible then go do our races.
The good news is that we havne't crammed for these tests that are coming, the bad news is like all challenges, you always wonder if you did enough to prepare. We will all know soon enough.
Until next time, have a great weekend!
Tracy
Monday, July 5, 2010
Strep Throat
Last Tuesday night I went to bed not feeling really good. I had a horrible night sleep, chills, couldn't get warm even after turning up the air and throwing on sweats. Woke the next morning feeling even worse. I couldn't remember the last time I felt that bad. Rene got me in to the doctor and she immediately sent me down for a strep test. In the 10 minutes between the test and the results I laid down in the hall in the clinic. Sure enough, the test came back as strep. I have never had strep and when they asked if I was allergic to penicillin and I have no idea, I don't remember ever taking it.
Anway, Alexander Fleming is a genius, 24 hours after starting to take the meds I started feeling better, and by Friday I was a new man.
Now, here is the downside and the impact to training. I have my 1/2 Ironman in Racine Wisconsin on the 18th. This week was supposed to be a key build week so that I peak during the week of the 18th. I had a few bricks fininshing with race pace. Of course, before I could tell my coach of my illness she sends me an email stressing how important it was that I got all of my training in exactly as it appeared on the same days...... OOOOOOPS.... I then told her I couldn't do any of it this week and her response was.."we'll deal with it". Couple that with the fear of pushing too hard to come back and having a relapse.
So, we spoke on Friday morning and I agreed to take Friday off, Saturday a swim and an hour run and if all goes well a two hour brick on Sunday consisting of a tough ride with finishing with a 10K Time Trial (as fast as I could go) finish transition into a short run. If all of this goes well and I am not too spent, next week (starting tomorrow) will be normal and per plan.
My Saturday and Sunday workouts went great and I actually felt pretty strong so business as usual. I can't change the workouts I missed so I can't worry about that for the 18th. It is what it is, I can only worry about what I can control so business as usual.
Tracy
Anway, Alexander Fleming is a genius, 24 hours after starting to take the meds I started feeling better, and by Friday I was a new man.
Now, here is the downside and the impact to training. I have my 1/2 Ironman in Racine Wisconsin on the 18th. This week was supposed to be a key build week so that I peak during the week of the 18th. I had a few bricks fininshing with race pace. Of course, before I could tell my coach of my illness she sends me an email stressing how important it was that I got all of my training in exactly as it appeared on the same days...... OOOOOOPS.... I then told her I couldn't do any of it this week and her response was.."we'll deal with it". Couple that with the fear of pushing too hard to come back and having a relapse.
So, we spoke on Friday morning and I agreed to take Friday off, Saturday a swim and an hour run and if all goes well a two hour brick on Sunday consisting of a tough ride with finishing with a 10K Time Trial (as fast as I could go) finish transition into a short run. If all of this goes well and I am not too spent, next week (starting tomorrow) will be normal and per plan.
My Saturday and Sunday workouts went great and I actually felt pretty strong so business as usual. I can't change the workouts I missed so I can't worry about that for the 18th. It is what it is, I can only worry about what I can control so business as usual.
Tracy
Monday, June 28, 2010
Quartermax Post Race Results
This race was as challenging as my 1/2IM. It challenging in a different way but it was tough.
Background - Quartermax is located in a beautiful location in the hills of Missouri just outside of St. Louis on a resort lake (Innsbrook) near Wright City. The lake is beautiful and it is just a really neat place. One of the things that makes it so scenic is the hills. Hills are good for vacation - challenging for triathlons. Although a challenge, my race went great.
Here are my thoughts:
Goals Vs Actual
Swim: 18:00 minutes: Actual was 24:00 minutes, I thought I was swimming well and although the water temp was 85 degrees + it was not even close to being wetsuit legal. I was fully prepped for that so no big surprise race morning. I thought I swam really well and my time doesn not reflect it. Only hit a couple times, was able to draft for a little bit and it was a solid swim eventhough my time doesnt' reflect it. Many people thought the swim was long but no complaints, we all raced the same course so it is what it is.
T1: 3:00 minutes: 2:55 actual. Tranistion was a good ways from the swim up a long hill. This time was under goal.
Bike: 1 hour:20 min Goal : Actual 1:19:20 rate 21.2 MPH I am very please with this considering the hills. This is one of the hilliest rides I have ever done in training or racing. There was approx 2300 feet of climbing in 28 miles and relatively that is a lot (you can laugh now Montoya) - Mike is a buddy of mine who just did St. George IM - his nickname is Mighty because of the way he climbs. For the rest of you, this is a lot, for Mike - read on once you are done laughing.
T2: 2:00 min : 1:11 (seemed efficient but always room to improve)
Run: 54 minutes (an okay run, this takes the hills into account): Actual - 52:29 pace 8:24. My run felt really good and it was in the shade for most of the time on a rock road. It was hillier than the bike and if it would have been in the sun instead of the shade it would have been brutal.
Total: 2 hours: 37 min goal vs. actual 2:39.56 I am very please with this result.
Overall I had a great race. I really thought I rocked the swim but knew I was in the water too long but technique and “feel” was good. I don’t see how I lost 6 minutes off of goal but of the three disciplines this was the least of my focus from a timing goal standpoint. As I prep for my longer races the swim time becomes even less important since it represents a fraction of the overall race time. This race was to focus, check fitness, race as hard as possible without blowing up my legs on the bike destroying my run. I pushed pretty hard on the bike. This was on purpose to gauge my legs on the run after pushing a little too much on the bike. I didn’t hammer it but I know there were times that I made the decision to be aggressive on the hills. My actually power (by my meter) that I was tracking during the race was showing 195 watts so that was on target. As a side note, I passed a fellow TriSmart athlete (Ben) with about 4 miles left on the bike course. The fact he swam several minutes faster than me and I was able to catch him on the bike was a positive. The negative comes when he passed me at the first water stop on the run and although I kept the spacing between us for a few miles I couldn't catch him. As a more light note during the race. I had my power meter alert set if I dropped below 200 watts to alarm(it sound like what I would think a ray gun would sound like – really annoying). It was beeping a lot especially on the downhills. At one point, a guy asked me “is that your cell phone???” I of course put that thought out of his mind with a “Ha, Hell no, power meter” For those of you that don't do triathlons it is amazing that you always end up riding with a group that paces at your speed so many times, you will ride next to or around the same few people almost the entire ride. The poor guys riding around me were well aware when I wasn't pushing the power that I needed to, my "ray gun" let everyone know.
My legs felt good on the run. I felt like my technique was solid and was able to keep my pacing. It was pretty hilly so pacing is relative so I rarely looked at my watch for pace since there were so little flats. There was actually 1500 feet of climbing on the 6 mile run so compare that with the bike and you will see how difficult that was.
This is a great event and now I understand why this is so many athlete's "A" race for the year. Very Very challenging and I will be recovering for a few days for sure and most importantly, I will be back next year.
Tracy
Background - Quartermax is located in a beautiful location in the hills of Missouri just outside of St. Louis on a resort lake (Innsbrook) near Wright City. The lake is beautiful and it is just a really neat place. One of the things that makes it so scenic is the hills. Hills are good for vacation - challenging for triathlons. Although a challenge, my race went great.
Here are my thoughts:
Goals Vs Actual
Swim: 18:00 minutes: Actual was 24:00 minutes, I thought I was swimming well and although the water temp was 85 degrees + it was not even close to being wetsuit legal. I was fully prepped for that so no big surprise race morning. I thought I swam really well and my time doesn not reflect it. Only hit a couple times, was able to draft for a little bit and it was a solid swim eventhough my time doesnt' reflect it. Many people thought the swim was long but no complaints, we all raced the same course so it is what it is.
T1: 3:00 minutes: 2:55 actual. Tranistion was a good ways from the swim up a long hill. This time was under goal.
Bike: 1 hour:20 min Goal : Actual 1:19:20 rate 21.2 MPH I am very please with this considering the hills. This is one of the hilliest rides I have ever done in training or racing. There was approx 2300 feet of climbing in 28 miles and relatively that is a lot (you can laugh now Montoya) - Mike is a buddy of mine who just did St. George IM - his nickname is Mighty because of the way he climbs. For the rest of you, this is a lot, for Mike - read on once you are done laughing.
T2: 2:00 min : 1:11 (seemed efficient but always room to improve)
Run: 54 minutes (an okay run, this takes the hills into account): Actual - 52:29 pace 8:24. My run felt really good and it was in the shade for most of the time on a rock road. It was hillier than the bike and if it would have been in the sun instead of the shade it would have been brutal.
Total: 2 hours: 37 min goal vs. actual 2:39.56 I am very please with this result.
Overall I had a great race. I really thought I rocked the swim but knew I was in the water too long but technique and “feel” was good. I don’t see how I lost 6 minutes off of goal but of the three disciplines this was the least of my focus from a timing goal standpoint. As I prep for my longer races the swim time becomes even less important since it represents a fraction of the overall race time. This race was to focus, check fitness, race as hard as possible without blowing up my legs on the bike destroying my run. I pushed pretty hard on the bike. This was on purpose to gauge my legs on the run after pushing a little too much on the bike. I didn’t hammer it but I know there were times that I made the decision to be aggressive on the hills. My actually power (by my meter) that I was tracking during the race was showing 195 watts so that was on target. As a side note, I passed a fellow TriSmart athlete (Ben) with about 4 miles left on the bike course. The fact he swam several minutes faster than me and I was able to catch him on the bike was a positive. The negative comes when he passed me at the first water stop on the run and although I kept the spacing between us for a few miles I couldn't catch him. As a more light note during the race. I had my power meter alert set if I dropped below 200 watts to alarm(it sound like what I would think a ray gun would sound like – really annoying). It was beeping a lot especially on the downhills. At one point, a guy asked me “is that your cell phone???” I of course put that thought out of his mind with a “Ha, Hell no, power meter” For those of you that don't do triathlons it is amazing that you always end up riding with a group that paces at your speed so many times, you will ride next to or around the same few people almost the entire ride. The poor guys riding around me were well aware when I wasn't pushing the power that I needed to, my "ray gun" let everyone know.
My legs felt good on the run. I felt like my technique was solid and was able to keep my pacing. It was pretty hilly so pacing is relative so I rarely looked at my watch for pace since there were so little flats. There was actually 1500 feet of climbing on the 6 mile run so compare that with the bike and you will see how difficult that was.
This is a great event and now I understand why this is so many athlete's "A" race for the year. Very Very challenging and I will be recovering for a few days for sure and most importantly, I will be back next year.
Tracy
Friday, June 25, 2010
Twas the night before Quartermax and all through the house...
Tomorrow is a rare Saturday race and only my second of the season. I did Memphis in May a few weeks back. This one one is called Quartermax in Wright City, MO. This is a local favorite and is a challenging event. There are two distances, long and short. I am doing the long distance that is a 1,000 meter lake swim, 28 mile hilly bike and an even hillier 6 mile run. The temps tomorrow are going to be in the low to mid 80's, couple in the humidity and it will be a challenge. The distances aren't horribly long and just to put it in perspective I did a 40 mile bike ride followed with a 5 mile run in training last weekend so add a swim and tomorrow becomes very nicely catered training day with a bunch of friends.
Rene and KGB are at her National Dance Recital competition in Ohio, her team rocked last night and made it to the finals tomorrow. Today they are enjoying a day off at Kings Island amusement park (good for them). NBB and I have been running the house in their absence. Other than a sink full of dishes that I will fix tonight we have had a great time. I have been able to get some nagging projects done around the house. Due to the fact that I have to be on the road to my tri at "the crack of stupid" early tomorrow morning he is spending the night with my parents.
Last year I did this race as my second triathlon ever and it was by far my worst race of the year. To keep it short, it was my worst race but the one where I learned the most and prepped me for the rest of my races including my much longer distances later in the year. I would have traded the day in a minute but not the experience (if that makes sense). Just to keep things in perspective, this is the race that three years ago a very very very rare drowning took place during the swim. Kevin Hunt was only 50 yards from the shore when he was lost. I did not know Kevin but each year since, they have ran a story on it in addition, many people in the tri community knew of the incident. I have swam in lake Aspen several times and there hasn't been a time when I haven't thought of what a horrible accident that was. I know as I stand on the beach tomorrow if they don't have an official moment of silence for he and his family, I will. Please don't misunderstand the tone of my posting other than wanting to pay respect. Things happen and people forget. This is just a quick note that I haven't. Triathlon is a very safe sport but accidents happen. At this tri specfically there are a lot of saftey boats and it is not over crowded. My bigger concern for tomorrow is cramping in the heat and the hills (and getting there on time).
On a much lighter note, I have a pre race brick tonight consisting of a short bike followed by a short run. Then a quick dinner, packing up my gear and checking it like an OCD patient checking the stove to make sure it is off. After about the 10th list review I will try to get some sleep. I never sleep well the night before a tri. That has always been a worry but regardless of the lack of sleep, when the cannon goes off and I am running down the beach shoulder to shoulder with with the other race competitors, I won't be thinking about sleep.
Just to get it on paper prior to the event. My goals for tomorrow are as follows:
Swim: 18:00 minutes (a good swim)
T1: 3:00 minutes
Bike: 1 hour :20 min (a good bike)
T2: 2:00 min
Run: 54 minutes (an okay run, this take the hills into account)
Total: 2 hours: 37 min
My baseline goal is sub 2 hours, 37 minutes. If I am sub 2 hours 33 minutes I will have done very well and exceed at least my goals on 2 of the 3 events. If for some stroke of triathlon genius I cruise and finish sub 2:30 I will have had to rock everything including transitions and will be right up there with my 1/2IM performance. However, as my good friend Rick Hamilton once said on the golf course...."Talk is cheap Butler, let's play!!!"
I will lset you all know how I did tomorrow.
Tracy
Rene and KGB are at her National Dance Recital competition in Ohio, her team rocked last night and made it to the finals tomorrow. Today they are enjoying a day off at Kings Island amusement park (good for them). NBB and I have been running the house in their absence. Other than a sink full of dishes that I will fix tonight we have had a great time. I have been able to get some nagging projects done around the house. Due to the fact that I have to be on the road to my tri at "the crack of stupid" early tomorrow morning he is spending the night with my parents.
Last year I did this race as my second triathlon ever and it was by far my worst race of the year. To keep it short, it was my worst race but the one where I learned the most and prepped me for the rest of my races including my much longer distances later in the year. I would have traded the day in a minute but not the experience (if that makes sense). Just to keep things in perspective, this is the race that three years ago a very very very rare drowning took place during the swim. Kevin Hunt was only 50 yards from the shore when he was lost. I did not know Kevin but each year since, they have ran a story on it in addition, many people in the tri community knew of the incident. I have swam in lake Aspen several times and there hasn't been a time when I haven't thought of what a horrible accident that was. I know as I stand on the beach tomorrow if they don't have an official moment of silence for he and his family, I will. Please don't misunderstand the tone of my posting other than wanting to pay respect. Things happen and people forget. This is just a quick note that I haven't. Triathlon is a very safe sport but accidents happen. At this tri specfically there are a lot of saftey boats and it is not over crowded. My bigger concern for tomorrow is cramping in the heat and the hills (and getting there on time).
On a much lighter note, I have a pre race brick tonight consisting of a short bike followed by a short run. Then a quick dinner, packing up my gear and checking it like an OCD patient checking the stove to make sure it is off. After about the 10th list review I will try to get some sleep. I never sleep well the night before a tri. That has always been a worry but regardless of the lack of sleep, when the cannon goes off and I am running down the beach shoulder to shoulder with with the other race competitors, I won't be thinking about sleep.
Just to get it on paper prior to the event. My goals for tomorrow are as follows:
Swim: 18:00 minutes (a good swim)
T1: 3:00 minutes
Bike: 1 hour :20 min (a good bike)
T2: 2:00 min
Run: 54 minutes (an okay run, this take the hills into account)
Total: 2 hours: 37 min
My baseline goal is sub 2 hours, 37 minutes. If I am sub 2 hours 33 minutes I will have done very well and exceed at least my goals on 2 of the 3 events. If for some stroke of triathlon genius I cruise and finish sub 2:30 I will have had to rock everything including transitions and will be right up there with my 1/2IM performance. However, as my good friend Rick Hamilton once said on the golf course...."Talk is cheap Butler, let's play!!!"
I will lset you all know how I did tomorrow.
Tracy
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Memphis in May Triathlon Video
Memphis in May did something this year and offered a "highlight" video. For a small fee, they had video cameras setup around the course to capture the utter look of exhaustion and the beginning signs of heat stroke on the faces of myself and fellow triathletes as we made our way around the oven called Memphis. I figured it would be beneficial to the paramedics as they tried to piece together the when, where, and whys I was passed out and was unable to speak during the race. If a picture tells 1000 words what is a video worth..... $24.95 is the answer to that question.
Seriously, it wasn't that bad, however, for those of you that don't have much exposure to triathlons or even have seen one, this video might give some insight so if you ever want to try one, you will see, it is not that intimidating.
Couple of things to note:
- I am the guy in Red, White, and Blue with a white helmet, black bike. Hard to miss
- You will see people of all shapes and sizes. You don't have to be Uberfit to do triathlons and that is probalby the number one myth that I had going into the events.
- You can't tell in the video but everyone is so supportive and it truly is a great group of people sharing a common hobby/passion
- Elvis is cool
Copy the following link into your browser and it will take you to a You Tube video.
http://www.trivids.com/showmyvideo.php?0pwsjXm5vrfooZpt
Enjoy
Tracy
Seriously, it wasn't that bad, however, for those of you that don't have much exposure to triathlons or even have seen one, this video might give some insight so if you ever want to try one, you will see, it is not that intimidating.
Couple of things to note:
- I am the guy in Red, White, and Blue with a white helmet, black bike. Hard to miss
- You will see people of all shapes and sizes. You don't have to be Uberfit to do triathlons and that is probalby the number one myth that I had going into the events.
- You can't tell in the video but everyone is so supportive and it truly is a great group of people sharing a common hobby/passion
- Elvis is cool
Copy the following link into your browser and it will take you to a You Tube video.
http://www.trivids.com/showmyvideo.php?0pwsjXm5vrfooZpt
Enjoy
Tracy
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