-Bigfoot Triathlon Race Report-

The Bigfoot Triathlon is a tough and challenging Olympic distance course taking place at Bigfoot Beach in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  The swim (1500m) is an out and back along the shallow waters of S. Lake Shore Drive.  The bike (38k) is a one loop course that takes the riders out to the Wisconsin/Illinois state line and back to the beach.  The hills are rolling with a few steeper ones to keep the athletes honest. The real tough part of the race comes on the run (10k) which is a two loop trail course that is hilly and brutal. The run is hot but mostly covered with trees.  It has some steep descents and some tough climbs in addition to being 95% grass or dirt.  The first half of the run course is mostly up hill and you can pretty much fly down the back 2k of each lap, yet you still have to be cautious of the roots popping out of the dirt and grass.

This race was ranked as a "B" race in the grand scheme of the season. My preparation and tapering for the race was also given a "B" effort. I had a hard run and swim on Friday.  Also, Saturday was my only true easy day of the week. I also had done a long 90 mile ride one week prior from Antioch, IL to Lake Geneva, WI and back. Yet, I did all that I could to have a great race.  I was still focused on improving my standing in the USAT rankings and was still driven to prove to myself and my competitors that I am a real threat this season.  I opted to not race in the age group division because last year the winner took first place with a time of 2:25:00.  My goal this year was to race anywhere from 2:05:00-2:10:00 and I decided it would be better to race in the Elite division and not receive an award rather than crush my age group competitors and get a medal.

After going to bed at 9pm the night before, my dad and I were up at 4am to make the 1 hour drive to Lake Geneva before the race.  I fueled up with a clif bar and a banana, making sure to take in some salt tablets as well (I did not need a repeat from what happened at St. Anthony's). I set up my transition area and headed down to the water to get warmed up.  I swam around for about 10:00 including some race pace efforts. I took a clif turbo shot and got ready for my wave to go off at 7:21AM. 

My  plan for the swim was to get out fast, let the guys who are going to go crazy for the first 100m settle down and then work to get back up to the lead pack.  My plan went perfectly and by the 800m turn around I had found myself in the second or third pack of fast swimmers.  This was right were I wanted to be entering the bike.  I finished the swim in 21:19. Right on pace. 

Coming out of the water I was flying into transition and my left big toe started to hurt.  I had figured I either gotten a small cut on a rock or I had just gotten a bad hang nail. I didn't even think about it and kept going to have the fastest transition of the entire field with a time of 1:07.

The bike started off slower than I was expecting. I had reviewed the course before and saw that the first half was going to be more challenging than the back half and because of this I focused on getting the legs warmed up and prepared for a push in the second and third parts of the ride. This also gave me an opportunity to fuel up and stay hydrated. The legs felt flat going up the steeper climbs but that was to be expected from the more bike miles I have been putting in the last few weeks. I was passed by 4 guys who were moving considerably faster than me in the first 10k of the ride.  I ended up re-passing one of them and finish the ride with a time of 1:00:35.  That was an average of 23.38mph.  I was setting up pretty well for the run. 

I got off the bike again with no problems with a transition time of 1:05. 

The first half of the run I was really hurting.  I came through the first mile 18 seconds off pace with a time of 6:48 and lost a bit of confidence.  I was passed by one of my friends who was also in my wave (a guy who I told my dad I wanted to beat before the race).  But as a I said earlier, the first 2.5k of the run can be tough and the back 2.5k can fly.  I hit the half way mark on the first lap and started to work.  I came through the 5k feeling better than I did starting the run with a time of 20:28.  The back 5k I felt strong and consistent. I knew what was to come and how to take on the hills, where to avoid soft mud and how to dodge the roots in the ground.  My second loop time was 19:42. The final run time was 40:10. An average of 6:28min/mi.

My finish time was 2:04:15.  Beating the low end of my goal by :45 seconds. I was in good spirits when I found out I would have won the 19 and under division by 16 minutes and that I had come in 8th in the Elite field.  I was 13th over all out of a field of 583. 

One word to describe this race was solid.  I had solid efforts in the swim, bike and run.  My race plan was executed effectively and my transitions were flawless. It was a tough course and I showed that I can hang with some of the Elite guys in the area. The race was a good test of fitness before Racine 70.3 and I can not complain with the effort I put in.  I am in good spirits and confident for the rest of the season.

Oh yeah, and my toe now has a nice gash! I think it was just an open blister. Hopefully this one heals up quickly.

Week 4.

This was a solid and hectic week, University of Iowa orientation Monday and Tuesday and I started my first week of work at splash landings as a swim instructor.  Yet, the workouts were efficient and intense.  The volume was decreased a bit to get ready for the Bigfoot Triathlon on Sunday but every workout was purposeful and strong.

I had to switch up my rest day from the customary Monday to Tuesday in order to get the tempo bike session done early in the week. Before we were on the road to Iowa City, I woke up to do a killer set of tempo efforts on the bike (some overgear pushes and then 3x 10:00 at race pace). This was done on the bunny trail, a flat and fast course that is perfect for this kind of workout. I finished with a fast 5k transition run and then we were off to Iowa.

Tuesday morning was an early wake up before registering for classes and touring the campus but I was shocked to see the Sheraton in Iowa City prepared a crazy amazing fruit plate! Surprised but very pleased :).

After getting home from orientation and not enjoying my rest day one bit, (3 hours of walking was not what I had in mind but it was worth seeing my new home for the next 4 years). Wednesday I had a long run. This was my longest run back since the foot injury. It was a solid 11 miles at a 7:20 pace. Pretty good. I warmed up with an hour on the trainer with some single leg drills before the run and then finished the day off with 3200 yards in the pool. And don't forget some post run cold tub action!

Thursday I felt a bit tired from earlier in the week. I had an easy 27 mile ride with a cruising 30:00 transition run that felt strong. I also picked up my packet from Running Away Multisport for the Bigfoot Triathlon and snagged a pair of these! Now I am ready for Racine 70.3!

Friday morning I went to a group run out of Gilson park.  It was an intense 8 miles of 2x10:00 tempo efforts. After a good cool down I hit the lake for a little cold therapy and relaxed before another 3400 pool session later in the afternoon. 

Saturday was the day before the event so it was an easy shake up workout. 20:00 swim, 50:00 bike and a easy 10:00 run. I was packed and organized. Ready to roll at 4am the next morning!

Sunday was the race! Check out the full race report for analysis of the days work.

Weekly totals: 13:30:35 total hours

Swim- 6600 yards, 20:00 open water

Bike- 72.96 miles, 2:15:00 on the trainer

Run- 27.55 miles

Race- 2:04:15 (1500m swim, 38k bike, 10k trail run)

Week 3.

I am giving the weekly update tonight because I will be in Iowa City for University of Iowa orientation tomorrow and will be swamped with things to do!

After the recovery week my body was ready for a hard 7 days of volume and intensity.  That is exactly what I gave it! Following the productive Monday off day, I was back to work at 5AM for the sunrise ride from Wellness Revolution.  It was a hard effort, 2x 20:00 tempo efforts at above olympic race effort with a 30:00 transition run right after.  It felt really good to get a solid brick workout in early in the week. Tuesday night I finished off the day with a solid 30:00 spin on the indoor trainer and 30:00 high intensity lifting session.

Wednesday I had my first real long run back on the foot. I started with over an hour of spinning on the indoor trainer, high cadence in my aero bars, to get warmed up for the run. I ended up cruising through 8.5 miles at a sub 7:25 pace.  I was not pushing hard or holding myself back so I was happy. No pain on the foot either which I was pleased about.

Thursday I did a solo easy spin out ride for 30 miles and then had hopefully my last pool running session this season. I was going to do a land run but wanted to get some speed work in and wasn't quite ready to hit the track just yet. So I stuck with the speed ladder in the pool and gutted it out. Later in the day I finished up with another 30:00 easy spin on the trainer to get warmed up and a solid 30:00 lifting session with some serious foam rolling and stretcing.

Friday wasn't as high volume as the past three days but still intense workouts. Early in the morning I had a tempo run on land that felt great. It was my first run back where I truly could say I was near full strength. I felt light on my feet and my stride was able to open up. It was a 15:00 tempo and I was right around a 6:20 pace. Nothing crazy, just a good effort. Later in the morning I had 3400 yards in the pool with 9x 200's.

Saturday was my high volume session. I went out to Antioch, IL to ride with a few friends to Bigfoot Beach (Lake Geneva) and back. Ironically the race next weekend is at Bigfoot Beach so I was able to scope out the race site a little bit. As for the ride, I felt really good. I was very strong for 70 miles working in a pack with two of my good friends and training partners. I could have used two key things though: more fuel and some sunscreen! I got one out of the two..... The ride ended up being 90 miles on a medium-hilly course. My longest ride ever to date. After we did a 20:00 transition run at a good clip and enjoyed some rest from a long 5 hour training day.



Some much needed fuel after a hot 70 miles.

 

My girlfriend likes these tan lines!

As for today, Sunday, I had a 1 hour tempo bike ride and then a 45 min tempo run.  Really high intensity on both and felt very strong. The ride was 3x 8:00 at above half ironman pace effort and the run was a 1/2 mile near all out effort followed by a cruise the rest of the way. I got in exactly 10k on the run which is good prep for next weekend's olympic distance triathlon. This afternoon I had an easy 2000 yard recovery swim and now I am enjoying some U.S Open golf with Dad!

Bigfoot Beach, Lake Geneva

Wish me luck next weekend as I am heading out to Lake Geneva for the Bigfoot Triathlon.  I am applying to be in the Elite wave for this race and I am excited for the experience. I am also pumped to get back out there and compete! After almost 2 months of no competition, I am iching to get back out there and make something happen.

Weekly totals:

17:58:37 total hours

Swim- 8850 yards

Bike- 168.47 miles

Run- 33.45 miles

Water run- 1 hour

Lift- 2 hours





Week 2.

This was a solid week, recovering from a few weeks of hard efforts, my total mileage and hours of training was decreased. The foot is feeling great and I am back up to full strength running on it. However, I still need a few runs to get back into the swing of things and get my running power back.

The week started off with the usual 5AM interval bike session that I ended up doing on my own because my teammates were either racing at Kansas 70.3 or recovering from Ironman Texas. Still, I had one of my most efficient and fast Tuesday morning rides ever.

My first real run back was a whopping 15:00 on Wednesday and I was able to step it up to 30:00 on Friday. Both sessions with no pain at all!

Saturday I had a two hour ride that I did on my own, giving me a chance to get mentally prepared for my upcoming bit of hard training and getting back into racing mode. It was a good session, I kept it relativity easy, and I have some confidence going into the next couple of weeks.



That morning, I also did a transition drill to perfect some of the flaws in my transition.  I set up the area just like I would for a race; put on my wet suit and race suit, set up my bike and set out my race flats.  I went through T1, took off my wet suit, went out on the bike for a bit, got in the aero position and then came back through T2, ran hard for 1 minute and then jogged back to repeat 2x more. I was able to work on my running mount onto the bike and work on getting my wet suit off with no problems. It was a good drill and I was happy to get the practice in.

Sunday I finished up the easy week with 40:00 run on the trails and then 30:00 of pool running.  Foot felt great and my run fitness is coming back very fast. I was able to easily run the 40:00 at a 7:00 min/mi just being my 3rd run back. I'm in good spirits. 

Now I'm getting prepared for the upcoming week of 17 hours of training.  I am getting ready for Racine 70.3 on 07/17 and Bigfoot Olympic Triathlon on 6/26. I am dying to get back to competition as I haven't raced since 05/01 at St. Anthony's.

Today, I take the customary Monday off to let the body recover and prepare for what's ahead.

Here are the weeks totals: (13:23:49 total hours)
Swim: 5700 yards
Bike: 98.02 miles and 1:00 of recovery riding on the trainer with single leg drills.
Run: 11.26 miles
Pool run: 2:45:00
Lifting: 1:15:00
Trans. drill: 0:30:00

Some other pictures from the transition drill. 

New race suit!!!

Just got my first Kiwami race suit in the mail today. Looks fast!!!!!!! Super pumped!!

Week 1. First post!

Week one of my training blog! I decided to start this blog so people could take a look into my summer of triathlon training and racing. I am 18 years old and I have hopes of one day becoming a professional triathlete. I had a very successful and dedicated off season of training and I feel that I am the most fit I have ever been. I partnered up with a new coach and started working harder than ever, putting all my time, effort and focus into triathlon.  I even saved up enough money to buy a 2011 Cervelo P2, which has been the fastest bike I have ever been on. 





I started off my season May 1 down in St. Petersburg, FL at the St. Anthony's triathlon where I took third place in my division and qualified for the National Championship in Des Moines, Iowa. I had some cramping on the run which forced me to stop completely for 2 minutes.  I couldn't take a step without my legs locking up. I downed some salt tablets and was able to recover and run a 2:00 negative split on the back 5k. I still missed 1st place by :52 seconds. AHH!!! In addition to the National Championship bid, this race was a good motivator and confidence builder for the rest of the season. Overall, I left Florida pleased. 

After dissecting and reviewing the race, I set my focus on a large training block that included a 10 mile running race and a half marathon.  Everything was going strong until I felt something in my foot that just wasn't right. I went to the doctor and he told me it was peroneal tendinitis. Out for two weeks, in a walking boot. Not too bad all considering I was still able to swim, bike, pool run and lift weights. My coach and I set a plan that I would loose minimal fitness on the run by pool running (wearing a flotation device in the deep end of the pool and doing the running motion. Keeping my fitness but having no impact the injured foot). 




I have now healed up from the injury, after 2 weeks of heavy biking, swimming and pool running, I am ready to get back into it. I am putting all of my efforts into Racine 70.3 in hopes of qualifying for 70.3 World's in Vegas, I won't have a tough time convincing dad to let me do that one... 


Not wanting to come back too fast off the foot tendinitis, this is how I made out this week: 2 lifting sessions, 2 swim sessions (8200 yards total), 4 bike sessions (161.14 miles) and 4 pool running sessions (3 hours and 45 minutes). It was an efficient week getting just over 15 hours of training in.  I had a good long ride with a few of my buddies on Sunday morning right before my high school graduation. Now all I have is time. I am ready to put in the hours of training, prepare to hurt a little bit and race!