We are still looking at logistics but it looks like a great race and it is also a good excuse to go to Italy and check out the Dolomites and the eastern side of Italy.....Venice, Rimini and Florence!
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
New Year...Big Plans! 3 Epic Tre Cime Lavaredo MTB
So the last post highlighted a new focus for 2018 with the target being the USAC Marathon Nationals in May.....that is still the first goal of the year. But in looking for destination races is always dangerous so heading into Fall we are now planning further afield......the Italian Dolomites for the 3 Epic Tre Cime Lavaredo MTB , which is also hosting the World Marathon MTB Championships as the same event.
We are still looking at logistics but it looks like a great race and it is also a good excuse to go to Italy and check out the Dolomites and the eastern side of Italy.....Venice, Rimini and Florence!
We are still looking at logistics but it looks like a great race and it is also a good excuse to go to Italy and check out the Dolomites and the eastern side of Italy.....Venice, Rimini and Florence!
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
A Change of Focus......2018 is coming!
The 2017 season has come to an end and it all worked out pretty damn good......won a few running races, won a few MTB races, did my first 100m MTB race, qualified and raced at XTERRA World Championships in Maui....all in all it went to plan. 24 races in total - 5 triathlons, 7 running races and 12 MTB/Road races.
So with that the goals for 2018 have changed from previous years and now it's all about the bike, the mountain bike. I'll still run a little to cross-train and to race with Sarah at trail runs and I'll still splash in the pool occasionally to enable a few Xterra Triathlon's in 2018 but the main objective is to really see what happens when I focus on the bike. As a triathlete you never really focus on any one sport and as a result you become sort of ok at three things but not good anything. That meant I was training 10hrs (or so) a week chopped up with 5-6hrs riding and the rest swimming and running. Now the plan is to ride 9-10hrs with additional strength training in the gym....almost doubling the time spent on the bike.
With that being planned the goal races somewhat varied and layered. The ultimate goal is to race the Andalucia Bike Race in early 2019, a 6 day MTB stage race in Cordoba, Spain which is really why 2018 is a "base" year to get prepared to race that. In the meantime it will be about transitioning over to the bike as a focus and the following races for 2018:
1. Monster Cross - Feb 2018: Early season 50mile MTB race to see how the winter training has developed.
2. Tour de Pocahontas - March 2018: An entry into MTB stage racing with three stages over a weekend on the same trails as Monster Cross.
3. USAC Marathon MTB Nationals - May 2018: The USA Cycling Marathon MTB National Championships in Arkansas over 50mile course. This will be one of our destination races for 2018.
4. 6 Hours at Woodstock - June 2018: A great local race that I jumped into in 2017 with minimal endurance training so will be a good gauge on progress.
5. Shenandoah 100 MTB - Sept 2018: Another race I jumped into last year with minimal preparation but had a blast on great trails. This will be the kick-off to the specific training block aimed at Andalucia Bike Race.
Other races will be added but the main races are the five above with USAC Nationals and Shenandoah being the "A" races....for Nationals just aiming to be as good as I can be and then for Shenandoah to improve from my time in 2017.
In the meantime it's training time....inside and out!
So with that the goals for 2018 have changed from previous years and now it's all about the bike, the mountain bike. I'll still run a little to cross-train and to race with Sarah at trail runs and I'll still splash in the pool occasionally to enable a few Xterra Triathlon's in 2018 but the main objective is to really see what happens when I focus on the bike. As a triathlete you never really focus on any one sport and as a result you become sort of ok at three things but not good anything. That meant I was training 10hrs (or so) a week chopped up with 5-6hrs riding and the rest swimming and running. Now the plan is to ride 9-10hrs with additional strength training in the gym....almost doubling the time spent on the bike.
With that being planned the goal races somewhat varied and layered. The ultimate goal is to race the Andalucia Bike Race in early 2019, a 6 day MTB stage race in Cordoba, Spain which is really why 2018 is a "base" year to get prepared to race that. In the meantime it will be about transitioning over to the bike as a focus and the following races for 2018:
1. Monster Cross - Feb 2018: Early season 50mile MTB race to see how the winter training has developed.
2. Tour de Pocahontas - March 2018: An entry into MTB stage racing with three stages over a weekend on the same trails as Monster Cross.
3. USAC Marathon MTB Nationals - May 2018: The USA Cycling Marathon MTB National Championships in Arkansas over 50mile course. This will be one of our destination races for 2018.
4. 6 Hours at Woodstock - June 2018: A great local race that I jumped into in 2017 with minimal endurance training so will be a good gauge on progress.
5. Shenandoah 100 MTB - Sept 2018: Another race I jumped into last year with minimal preparation but had a blast on great trails. This will be the kick-off to the specific training block aimed at Andalucia Bike Race.
Other races will be added but the main races are the five above with USAC Nationals and Shenandoah being the "A" races....for Nationals just aiming to be as good as I can be and then for Shenandoah to improve from my time in 2017.
In the meantime it's training time....inside and out!
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Xterra World Championships 2017.....Race Report
It's funny how perspectives change over the years.....two years ago at the 2015 Xterra World Championships it was first year in Xterra and I was sort of just pleased to be there and taking it all in. I was pleased with my race.....fast forward two years and I had larger goals and put more expectations on myself.
Leading into the race I had trained well, was feeling fit and knew that if I had a good day a top 15 position and something around 3hrs 15mins (on a dry course) was in the realm of possibility. I had learned the hard way in 2015 about flying for 12 hours and trying to pre-ride the course so changed the approach this year. I was helped that some major rains in the days before us arriving had made a bog of the course and that meant the course was closed on Thursday. With the heat and winds, the course reopened on Friday and I barely had to wipe the bike down....race day was going to be a dry and dusty course!
The rain and winds had also brought a huge swell meaning that the shore break was ripping the first few days we were there and subsided a little by race day.....it was still pretty cool to have to fight out the past the break on race day.
The swim went well and I was out in just over 26mins, much the same as 2015. Yet again I didn't see any turtles during the swim, perhaps they were deterred by the swell! The run to T1 is all up hill and is quite long as far as transitions go. It was at this point that I actually felt quite fatigued and more so than normal. In hindsight it probably came from the battling of the swell and waves more than anything else.
It was onto the bike and the goal to go as hard as felt comfortable knowing a) the elevation gain on the course but also b) the upcoming run. It that respect I nailed the bike....did I have the time I wanted? No, a few minutes slower but it was faster than 2015 by 5 mins and I was at an average of 148bpm for the duration. Nutrition was spot on with Gu Energy Roctane drink mix and gels and bottles of on-course water. The bike set-up with the Alchemy Oros and Maxxis tires (Ardent Race on the front and Ikon for the rear) was perfect and I wouldn't change anything there....for reference I rode a 32t Elliptical Chainring with an 11-42 rear cassette. Course conditions were spot on and had dried well after the rains.
Based on the swim and bike, I had to have a great run to get close to 3hrs 15mins....and straight out of T2 I knew that wasn't going to happen. The call down the engine room came back with a resounding "negative Captain" and unfortunately the Maui run course isn't something that you can gradually work your way into. It's uphill for the first 3 miles and not a gradual hill at that......it was a death march for the entire 10km.
The final 300m along the beach were not pretty......
So here's the how the perspectives change over the years....in comparison I was 2mins 30secs slower than 2015 and in 2015 I was pleased with my race, in 2017 not so much. However, my main goal was to go and give it everything knowing that sometimes you have to take risks to achieve things....I went hard on the bike and it ended up being to my detriment on the run. But I knew I had to do that to get close to that top 15 position and the risk was bombing the run and that lead me to a 34th position. On the bright side I was still at the World Championships, something that not many people can say and ended up top 25% in the World!
As from most races you learn things for next time.....and there will be a next time but perhaps a few years from now (Maui is far away and not cheap to travel to!) when I'm 45 (I might get the itch much sooner!). So what would I change for next time:
1. Travel to the race sooner.....the time change really screwed with my body clock. I was waking up everyday at 300am after poor sleep and it wasn't until after the race some 5-6 days later that I got onto Hawaii time. I would go a week beforehand.
2. Ride harder for longer - Although I can race at close to threshold for two hours on the bike, I need to do it more often on the MTB. In hindsight I didn't do that nearly enough....
3. Find more hills - we aren't blessed with many hills where we live so searching out the hilly routes far and near is essential on the bike and run. It's so critical for the Maui course
4.Make more of an effort to run outside - as many know about 95% of my running is on the treadmill at work during the lunch hour....it is fundamentally different to running outside and also limits my runs to 45mins or less!
5. This comes after every race.....swim more!
All that aside.....the race was awesome, we had a great time at the race and afterwards in Maui and as I stated earlier we will definitely be back to take another crack at the course!
Mahalo for reading.....
Leading into the race I had trained well, was feeling fit and knew that if I had a good day a top 15 position and something around 3hrs 15mins (on a dry course) was in the realm of possibility. I had learned the hard way in 2015 about flying for 12 hours and trying to pre-ride the course so changed the approach this year. I was helped that some major rains in the days before us arriving had made a bog of the course and that meant the course was closed on Thursday. With the heat and winds, the course reopened on Friday and I barely had to wipe the bike down....race day was going to be a dry and dusty course!
The rain and winds had also brought a huge swell meaning that the shore break was ripping the first few days we were there and subsided a little by race day.....it was still pretty cool to have to fight out the past the break on race day.
The swim went well and I was out in just over 26mins, much the same as 2015. Yet again I didn't see any turtles during the swim, perhaps they were deterred by the swell! The run to T1 is all up hill and is quite long as far as transitions go. It was at this point that I actually felt quite fatigued and more so than normal. In hindsight it probably came from the battling of the swell and waves more than anything else.
It was onto the bike and the goal to go as hard as felt comfortable knowing a) the elevation gain on the course but also b) the upcoming run. It that respect I nailed the bike....did I have the time I wanted? No, a few minutes slower but it was faster than 2015 by 5 mins and I was at an average of 148bpm for the duration. Nutrition was spot on with Gu Energy Roctane drink mix and gels and bottles of on-course water. The bike set-up with the Alchemy Oros and Maxxis tires (Ardent Race on the front and Ikon for the rear) was perfect and I wouldn't change anything there....for reference I rode a 32t Elliptical Chainring with an 11-42 rear cassette. Course conditions were spot on and had dried well after the rains.
Based on the swim and bike, I had to have a great run to get close to 3hrs 15mins....and straight out of T2 I knew that wasn't going to happen. The call down the engine room came back with a resounding "negative Captain" and unfortunately the Maui run course isn't something that you can gradually work your way into. It's uphill for the first 3 miles and not a gradual hill at that......it was a death march for the entire 10km.
The final 300m along the beach were not pretty......
So here's the how the perspectives change over the years....in comparison I was 2mins 30secs slower than 2015 and in 2015 I was pleased with my race, in 2017 not so much. However, my main goal was to go and give it everything knowing that sometimes you have to take risks to achieve things....I went hard on the bike and it ended up being to my detriment on the run. But I knew I had to do that to get close to that top 15 position and the risk was bombing the run and that lead me to a 34th position. On the bright side I was still at the World Championships, something that not many people can say and ended up top 25% in the World!
As from most races you learn things for next time.....and there will be a next time but perhaps a few years from now (Maui is far away and not cheap to travel to!) when I'm 45 (I might get the itch much sooner!). So what would I change for next time:
1. Travel to the race sooner.....the time change really screwed with my body clock. I was waking up everyday at 300am after poor sleep and it wasn't until after the race some 5-6 days later that I got onto Hawaii time. I would go a week beforehand.
2. Ride harder for longer - Although I can race at close to threshold for two hours on the bike, I need to do it more often on the MTB. In hindsight I didn't do that nearly enough....
3. Find more hills - we aren't blessed with many hills where we live so searching out the hilly routes far and near is essential on the bike and run. It's so critical for the Maui course
4.Make more of an effort to run outside - as many know about 95% of my running is on the treadmill at work during the lunch hour....it is fundamentally different to running outside and also limits my runs to 45mins or less!
5. This comes after every race.....swim more!
All that aside.....the race was awesome, we had a great time at the race and afterwards in Maui and as I stated earlier we will definitely be back to take another crack at the course!
Mahalo for reading.....
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Xterra Maui 2017 - Day 2......
What a difference a day makes! After the sloppy conditions on Thursday, the heat and wind had done wonders on the bike course that I didn't even have to clean my bike after a pre-ride of the lower half of the course. By Sunday it should be hero dirt with plenty of grip.
The pre-ride was nice and easy just getting used the trails and generally chit-chatting with a group of the east coasters here on the island. The legs felt good and I can't wait for the race now....
Later in the afternoon we headed down to D.T. Fleming Beach to practice in the surf. Since the storms earlier in the week the surf has really been up, so much so that the Peahi (Jaws) big wave surf event was scheduled rapidly for this weekend (40-60-ft waves). Playing in the surf was fun but I am show many are nervous ahead of Sunday. Weather forecasts show that the swell will begin to clam down for race day morning.
The evening was spent at the pre-race dinner where the Xterra Warrior award gets given and the recognition of all the global races around the world.....way too many to put on the bucket list!
The pre-ride was nice and easy just getting used the trails and generally chit-chatting with a group of the east coasters here on the island. The legs felt good and I can't wait for the race now....
Later in the afternoon we headed down to D.T. Fleming Beach to practice in the surf. Since the storms earlier in the week the surf has really been up, so much so that the Peahi (Jaws) big wave surf event was scheduled rapidly for this weekend (40-60-ft waves). Playing in the surf was fun but I am show many are nervous ahead of Sunday. Weather forecasts show that the swell will begin to clam down for race day morning.
The evening was spent at the pre-race dinner where the Xterra Warrior award gets given and the recognition of all the global races around the world.....way too many to put on the bucket list!
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