CCC 2015 Review

Stats: 81st place; 2:45:46; 6'36" per mile; 9.08 mph (across all activities)
  Run - 4.1 mi; 33'02"; 8'00" per mile avg. pace; 7.5 mph
  Row - 4.1 mi; 1:01:24; 4'00" per mile avg. pace; 4.0 mph
  Ride - 16.9 mi; 1:08:21; 15'00" per mile avg. pace; 14.9 mph

It was a lovely September Saturday for the 2015 Capital City Challenge. Around 200 people showed up for the event this year, plus kids for the fun run and spectators. I got the kayak and bike equipment setup and tried to relax during the 30 minute wait before the start. I lined up near the front with a knee brace on my left leg. Tendinitis, or something like it, had been hampering my training the last two weeks and I wanted to prevent some pain.
Ashley wished me well and I made small talk with another guy. Then, the gun went off. I got out to a good pace. We crested the bridge and one guy said, "I thought this course didn't have hills." Well, after that small blip it doesn't. The runners settled back into the flats on the Boulevard and stretched out toward Haddad Park. I ran the first mile in 7'26", which was probably too fast. This is the first year I've used my phone to track split times. Lots of other runners were doing the same and called out the mile markers to everyone else. Predictably, my second split was slower at 7'54", which I finished right before passing the Capital. Then, I really started to slow down. My pace setters from mile one continued at their 7'30" clip. I trotted out the last two splits at 8'13" and 8'21". I got that terrible feeling where I knew I had to keep moving for another two hours. After running four miles I knew on a normal day I could relax on the couch and feel good about my activity level; not today. Thus, I finished the run in 33 minutes and jogged down into Daniel Boone Park.
I had left my kayak next to a tree and spelled my initials on the back with duct tape to prevent anyone from taking it accidentally. A bit dizzy from the run, I grabbed the kayak and carried it to the boat ramp. The life jacket fell out of it, and a volunteer picked it for me. Thanks, man. I hurriedly suited up, put on the jacket and my cycling gloves, got in the kayak, and shoved-off. I was glad to get in the water at first and happy with the quick transition. My breathing calmed down to a reasonable pace. But the kayak was not my friend that day. The small muscles in my neck and shoulder were not conditioned for the task. I could only do about 20-30 paddles at a time before taking a 3-5 second break. I tried to get in a rhythm: 30 paddles then quick count to 5 then another 30 paddles. I would drift toward the bank a little and had to put in two paddles on the same side quite often. The gel packs in my cycling jersey came in handy. I downed the first one before I had paddled a mile. A myriad of quicker kayaks flew past me. It felt like I was moving at a good rate when I looked at the water flow behind my kayak. But being passed is deflating. One guy rowing near assured me, "Let them go and catch them up on the bike." "That's my plan," I said back. Three visual landmarks helped pace me to the shore: the Capital, Haddad, and the Interstate Bridge. I crushed another gel pack within the last two miles. Eventually, my rowing pace got better. I was able to do 50 or more paddles before resting by the time I neared Magic Island.
I hit the shore and was pulled up by a volunteer. My feet got pretty wet and muddy as I tried to find my balance. Sitting down in a cramped boat for an hour does not help your legs recover from a four mile run. It was hard to work up a jogging pace under the Interstate Bridge. I did manage it until I reached the walkway, then I had to walk to recover my breath. I was flat out exhausted at this point. Ashley handed me my bike gear and I went to the bathroom to change. It was difficult concentrating on changing shorts and putting on dry socks. I took a few seconds just to breathe in there and wipe off some dirt. Then, it was back into the sunlight and the last leg of the challenge.
Ashley handed over my bike and I lazily clambered onto it. I was so dazed that I slowly ran into a girl off to my right as I struggled to clip into the pedals. I apologized profusely, then course corrected. That shaky start gave way to a sterner revelation. I had no stamina left in my legs. That is a familiar feeling that I had avoided the previous two years. But darn it, it was back. I had to peddle in an easy gear and even at that I coasted on occasion. My first lap of the bike course came in at 23:27.
I may have gotten into a groove in the second lap. I tried everything I could to keep up the pace, including eating my last gel. Hydration proved crucial as I really needed water. Cresting the bridge hill on the way back, I felt my knee hurting when I tried to stand up on the pedals. That must have been what caused my knee pain two weeks ago. The second loop was an improved 21:52.
Usually you save something for the end of a race. But I was in no position to attempt this. I coasted more on the third loop than on the previous two, gulping my last reserves of the water bottle. But I finished it out with a final split of 22:02.
Wow, that was difficult. I dropped a whole 15 minutes from my time the last two years. Training is so important to this event; I have to prevent nagging injuries next year. I also want to get a faster kayak. If I can paddle 6 mph instead of 4 mph, I can cut 20 minutes off of the row. That may be ambitious, but the equipment makes a ton of difference. And if I am in better running shape, that will save some stamina for the bike. So I'm happy to finish but already plotting on how to take down next year.

CCC 2015 Preview

The Stats
8/30: 2.0 mi; 17'22"; 8'20" avg. pace
9/01: 3.1 mi; 25'14"; 8'07" avg. pace
9/02: 3.1 mi; 24'58"; 8'01" avg. pace
9/07: 3.1 mi; 25'14"; 8'06" avg. pace
Rides
                     9/04: 12.6 mi; 17.1 mi/hr avg. pace; KC Time Trial Course
                     9/05: 12.4 mi; 14.4 mi/hr avg. pace; Mount Alpha

The 2015 Capital City Challenge lurks on the horizon. This Saturday, September 19th at 9:00 am I will be toeing the line at Magic Island to start two and a half hours of continuous movement. My training was going really well at the end of August and beginning of September. I had cranked up the running activity by doing morning runs on Sept. 1st and 2nd. Mix in some volleyball, cycling, and push-ups and you've got a stew going! But then the injury bug bit. After my run on Sept. 7th I started getting bad pain in both knees. The pain intensified throughout the week and left me hobbling around by the next weekend. I stopped all non-essential activity and began a steady course of anti-inflammatory drugs. Icing both knees seemed to help, so I've been doing that every night. My only activity on race week was to play volleyball on Tuesday night. I braced up my left knee and it seemed to help reduce any pain.
My game plan is to continue resting and icing for the last two days before the race. Then, on race morning I'll use the brace on my left knee, which hurts more, and take it off once I get to the bike portion (it's too restrictive on the bike). I'm not so dedicated that I will keep going if I feel bad pain. I don't want to lose an active season of my life out of stubbornness. But I think I can power through and match my usual time of 2 hours and 30 minutes.
As for the weather, we are sitting pretty. Temperatures will be in the mid-60s at the race start and will gradually rise to the mid-70s by noon. There is practically no chance of rain and the humidity level will drop throughout the race. Kids and adults alike will be happy outside all morning.
That's all for now folks. Here's hoping to be a smiling face on Kanawha Boulevard at noon on Saturday.  

CCC 2015 Training

The Stats
Runs
8/01: 6.0 mi; 50'27"; 8'23" avg. pace
8/12: 3.1 mi; 24'05"; 7'44" avg. pace
8/15: 3.1 mi; 24'48"; 7'54" avg. pace
8/20: 3.1 mi; 24'51"; 7'58" avg. pace
                      8/25: 2.0 mi; 16'02"; 8'00" avg. pace
                      Rides
                      8/05: 12.7 miles; 13.9 mi/hr avg. pace; Mount Alpha
                      8/18: 13.9 miles; 13.7 mi/hr avg. pace; Mount Alpha

With this year's Capital City Challenge less than a month away I have taken to cycling and running. At a paltry 18 miles, August has featured my highest running activity of any month in 2015. That is a sad indictment of my fall off in running activity. But cycling picked up a lot of that slack over the past two months; in other words, I've not been idle. And thankfully, my running pace has not significantly deteriorated. I can still hack it at sub-8-minute miles. All of that gives encouraging thoughts to how this year's Challenge might proceed.
My times up Mount Alpha on the bike are getting faster. As the weather cools, I expect that to continue. However, the upcoming race features solely flat land, so maybe I should do a few Kanawha City time trials to prep for that 16 miles stretch.
On the rowing side it has been difficult to exercise the necessary muscles. I have tried to muddle along doing push-ups in my spare time, but I had hoped for a closer facsimile. More disappointing is that I strained a back muscle during basic activity a couple days ago. Until that strain heals up I can do little in the way of strength building or even cardio activity.
Given all the steps forward and backward in August, it is tough to say if my times will improve this year. They probably will not. I fully expect to cross the line right at 2 hours and 30 minutes. But I'm hoping to shave 3 to 5 minutes off of that effort. Time to get back to training.

July is for Cycling - 2015 Edition

The Stats
7/7:  11.8 miles; 16.5 mi/hr avg. pace; KC Time Trial Course
7/12: 8.4 miles; 15.7 mi/hr avg. pace; KC Time Trial Course
7/15: 8.3 miles; 12.7 mi/hr avg. pace; Mount Alpha
7/21: 11.7 miles; 16.3 mi/hr avg. pace; KC Time Trial Course
7/22: 13.9 miles; 12.7 mi/hr avg. pace; Mount Alpha
                      7/23: 4.7 miles; 9.7 mi/hr avg. pace; Job Corps
                      7/27: 10.6 miles; 15.3 mi/hr avg. pace; KC Time Trial Course
                      7/30: 10.1 miles; 13.7 mi/hr avg. pace; Airport and Coonskin Park

The running shoes were confined to the closet for most of July. After PTR jogged around Lexington on July 4th, I fixed my focus on the Tour de France and tried to emulate my favorite cyclists on the local routes. I tried, and failed, to beat Mike's time on the flat Kanawha City bike course. When I got frustrated by doing that over and over again, I biked up Mount Alpha. My times climbing up Alpha were significantly slower than last October. I think the fall weather is more conducive to climbing. To mix it up, I rode up Job Corps hill from Kanawha Boulevard; for my efforts I was greeted at the top by a security guard warning me, "Hey man, this is government property!" Sheesh, I can't even turn around in your parking lot? Anyway, my time up that climb was also below my best time by a good margin. I finished up the month with a route I had not tried; starting from Capitol High School, I biked to the airport hill and took a celebratory lap through the passenger drop-off lane at Yeagar. Then, I descended and biked back to Coonskin Park, which has some short but very steep hills. The sun was blazing hot and skin felt on the fringe of combustion at different points during that ride.
I may keep up this cycling trend into August and September for a couple reasons. First, the annual Capital City Challenge is on the horizon and biking skills are paramount to finishing that in style. Second, Mike and I are signed up to do the Colonial Williamsburg Fondo at the end of September in conjunction with the World Cycling Championships in Richmond this year. We'll get nice and tired before watching the best one-day racers in the world battle it out for the rainbow jersey.

Bluegrass 10,000 Recap

The Stats
6.21 mi; 53'24" chip time; 8'36" avg. mile; 720 out of 2,702 (top 27%)

The full contingent of PTR was on hand for the Bluegrass 10,000 in Lexington, KY this Fourth of July. Joy may have registered for the wrong event, but all issues were sorted out at packet pick-up the night before the race. A dining stop at The Village Idiot and some pulled pork mac-n-cheese loaded us up on carbohydrates that we were sure to burn Saturday morning. The start time of 7:30 am seems a bit uncalled for, but it had the upside of cooler temperatures for a time of year that normally features high heat.

It's all smiles before the race

The race started and it was immediately apparent that this was going to be a crowded affair. For a race with under 3,000 finishers the roads seemed unusually packed. My split time on the first mile was my second slowest despite having fresh legs. Runners weaved in and out trying to find a comfortable pace, and I took to the sidewalks off and on as I ran on Mill Street. It was a downhill stretch on Mill Street before turning left on Vine Street, which allowed me to start mile 2 (my fastest) with some pace.
Vine Street was the longest stretch of the race. I found some space and settled in as we breezed past downtown and the street changed names to Main. Two blocks onto Main St. I could see the race leader looping back toward the finish on the other side of the street; I was a solid two miles behind him. We hit the 3 mile mark and the road became Richmond Rd. Some downhill sections mocked us as we knew they would become uphill sections on the way home. Mile four was my second fastest mile and led to the turn around point at Margaret Dr.
By the end of mile 4 I was pretty gassed. Muscles were aching and it was apparent that my pace was only falling from there until the finish. My lack of training was showing itself. That's when the inclines started. I entered full "jog mode" and tried to relax my upper body and ease blood flow and breathing. Still, I was breathing heavy throughout the fifth mile. I distracted myself from the pain by searching for the rest of PTR on the other side of the road. It worked until I had to refocus on where I was stepping and remembered that each step hurt.
The race re-entered downtown and I took some comfort from the sight of clustered brick buildings. We passed Thoroughbred Park with its iconic horse statues and came "down the stretch" of the last half mile. The race finish line was visible from at least 600 meters away, if not more. This provided a type of optical illusion where you think you are getting closer to finishing only to be reminded there is still a ways to go. I had no punch for the finish line. It was a mindful jog over the finish mat, and then my hands instantly searched for my knees. I grabbed water and Gatorade and double-fisted the runner's delight combo over to the horse statue near the old courthouse.

Ashley was the first to join me and revealed that she was only five minutes behind me at the finish. Mike walked up next, another five minutes in arrears. Mom and the rest of PTR all met in the park and it allowed us to snap a post-race photo. Thankfully, the picture is from a good distance away because I'm sure we were all pretty worn out.

America, The Sweaty

Bluegrass 10,000 Preview

Don't ask why, but the race organizers seem to be insistent on calling this the "Bluegrass 10,000" instead of the more conventional "10k." However you express it, the annual Fourth of July race in Lexington, KY features ten kilometers on sun-baked pavement for runners to enjoy/hate. This is the 39th installment of the race and it starts at the yawn-inducing time of 7:30 am.
The race stars on E Main Street just pass the cross street of Elm Tree and nearby Thoroughbred Park.

It follows E Main until making a right turn onto N Limestone Street in front of the "Taste of Thai" building.

Limestone may feature a slight incline, which no one can claim is a "hill." The next turn is a left onto W Third Street followed by a left two blocks later onto N Mill Street. Transylvania University will be on the right and Mill Street will take everyone through a very residential area.

Runners will spend five blocks on N Mill before turning left on W Vine Street. Once on W Vine Street, the race stays straight for over 10 blocks; the course circles past the start point and leads runners farther out E Main Street until it becomes Richmond Rd. Runners will make a U-turn at Lakeshore Drive, shortly after passing the Shriners Hospital for Children.

A strip mall will be on the left, along with all the runners faster than you. The course then backtracks on E Main Street pass the start point before ending at N Limestone Street.

And down the stretch they come!

I ran this race in 48 minutes and 39 seconds back in 2011. That was a humid day and I was running on very little sleep. Although I would expect to beat that time under better circumstances, my lack of training could end up making 2015 comparable to 2011. The rest of PTR is welcome to set their goals for our second joint race of the year. I'll see you in Lexington.

Run for Your Life 2015 Review

The Stats
6/20: 5.0 miles; 46'56"; 9'24" avg. pace

I have heard two descriptions of doing the same activity over and over again and expecting different results. It is said to either be insanity or hope. When it comes to the CAMC Foundation's Run for Your Life 5-miler I still don't know which trait I'm exhibiting. This year I probably leaned slightly more toward insanity, because my training activity has been at an all-time low. That unforgiving climb up to Spring Hill Cemetery holds no sympathy for the faint of heart and weak of legs. Two days later, I am still paying the price for adherence to tradition and a determination to feel forever 23 years old (the first time I ran this race).
The race starts innocently enough on Court Street at Kanawha Boulevard. A flat mile ensued where I tried to keep my pace slow and steady and save any endurance I might have for the hill. I had some quarters in my pocket to pay the parking meter and set them down on the median before leaving Court St.; you're welcome, drifters of Charleston. Too soon, I found myself glaring at the incline of Farnsworth Drive that ascends over the interstate in a spiraling fashion.

Then, the run really began. I tried to stay loose and keep a jogging pace, however slow it may have been, in order to climb the entire hill without walking. I looked at my run tracker at the bottom of the hill to give me an indication of how far I was from the top. If memory served, the entire climb was close to one mile. As I left the interstate behind and began the slog pass tree shaded houses, my heart rate elevated and my breathing became labored. I wondered if the surrounding runners were having the same difficulty getting oxygen. Even with these struggles, I ran at a pace that did not actively make my legs feel sore. Nearing the cemetery gates, I made sure to continue a slow pace because the hill continues well into the grave yard. I was sucking wind very hard, but knew I could at least summit the beast before being reduced to walking.
After cresting the hill I remembered how rolling the cemetery grounds were and started to cry a little inside. I felt a little spacey and knew that heat exhaustion was a serious threat. I managed to keep the pace low and trot over the short, steep hills inside the cemetery. They took a toll and I could feel any last reserve of energy being drained from my body. There is a final ascent inside the cemetery ground before leaving, one last kick in the pants for runners. Having made that mark without walking, I was safe to fall off the face of the mountain, down towards Charleston to the beat of bongo drums being played by some curious musicians at the top of the hill.
The descent off of Farnsworth feels good except that my legs were so tired and devoid of energy that I couldn't even run fast downhill. "Controlled falling" is a more accurate description of what happened. Still, that mile coming downhill was my fastest split time at slightly over eight minutes.

You would think at this point that I could finish the whole race running or jogging. But that last mile on the flat ground back to the Boulevard was terrible. I had no feeling in my legs. My breathing was labored and I felt like I could either pass out or throw up at some point in the future. I trotted on as long as I could, down Piedmont and toward Court Street. Before I made the turn onto Court, I finally gave in and started to walk. My pride wasn't worth succumbing to heat exhaustion. I walked the majority of Court Street. I passed the mall and came within view of the Boulevard and mustered some guts for the finish. Around Quarrier Street I picked up the pace again and made it to the Boulevard, stopping before realizing that I had to continue down into Haddad Park to finish properly. I jogged the remaining downhill bit and crossed the line.

After grabbing a finishers medal I bent over and tried to regain my senses. Then, I took a water and an apple and downed both in hopes of regaining energy. Ashley and Jessica finished a few minutes later and joined me on the pain train. We all swore off the race (which I have done before) while recounting our respective struggles. Next year I may be donating to colon cancer research and staying at home. 

"Honey, are you conscious?"