Farewell 09

As the great Dr. Seuss would say...Oh the Places You'll Go.

Coming up to speed

It’s been a busy few months since my last post with lots of surf, good wine, work, and some training and racing mixed in there.

Louisville Crit

Let’s start with the Louisville Criterium. A good pre-race race to keep the legs from getting stale going into the Hawaii 70.3 triathlon. While I found the race a little difficult in the beginning, things came around and I finished in a respectable position, 5^th place. You can read it about here.

Hawaii 70.3

Then it was game time with the Hawaii 70.3 race. When we got to the big island, the heat and humidity was exactly what I imagined. In a word, suffocating. Regardless, I felt like I had put the training in to do well in this race and was ready to finally test myself. My goal was to get into the top five for my age group and do so with a solid run, hoping to repeat my California 70.3 run.

Of course the race started with the swim which turned out to be a pretty flawless swim for me. I needed to exit the water around the 30’ mark to stay in the mix of things. I enjoyed the mass swim start we had instead of the typical wave start. We are all equal at the start and face the same conditions on the course. I found some feet that would take me to the swim exit in just over 30’. So far I was right on track.

The bike course is essentially the middle portion of the Hawaii Ironman bike course. From Hapuna, we head south for a bit before turning around to head to Hawi and back along the Queen K. The trade winds were out as was the sun, just as I had hoped in some demented way. While the first part of the bike leg was pretty aggressive with a lot of attacking, I found a comfortable but hard pace I knew I could sustain. In the heat, you really have to stay on top of your hydration, which I felt I did. As I neared the end of the course, my legs started to feel the twinge of cramping but nothing at that point to slow me down. Put your head down, grit your teeth and keep turning over the pedals. I completed the bike segment in 2:28 which was about 3-4 minutes slower than what I was aiming for on this course.

Although the twinge of cramps were present, I left the bike to run transition with a little bit of a hop in my step. Surprisingly it felt really good to be running. The run course would be dominated by running on the golf course (fairways, greens, rough, cart paths, etc.). Over six miles of the course were on grass. Add the humidity and heat, and it felt like you were running in molasses at times. Nevertheless, my first two miles were run at 6:45 pace. I felt good in those miles, I knew I needed to run a pace that I could sustain over the remaining half marathon. I pulled back to just over 7:00 miles for the next two. At that point, the heat really started to take its toll on me. In the span of a quarter mile, I went from feeling good with a bounce in my step to holy crap, am I done yet? I hadn’t even hit the half way mark. The rest of the race was about running from aid station to aid station. Just survive and try not to let anyone pass you. I survived the race running to a 1:39 half marathon which was six minutes north of my goal. My total time was 4:42 and some change. While I felt like I absolutely melted on the run, my time was good enough for 6^th place in my age group and 36^th overall (out of about 1100 competitors).

The race was hard, but I was pleased with my effort I put forth. The only downside I really take away from the experience is not going to the awards ceremony where I could have picked up a slot to race in Hawaii in October for the Ironman World Championships. It’s safe to say I am hungry and already eyeing coming back here next year to win my age group. To do so, I’ll most likely need to upgrade my TT bike to the new Specialized. If anyone is looking for any gift ideas for me for Christmas, Hanukah, my birthday, or your birthday, I would need a 56cm.

5430 Sprint

Coming off the Hawaii 70.3 race and a couple of weeks in Hawaii and Maui, followed by work trip to DC, I had done very little to prepare for this race. Try to add to the difficulty of the race, I took the opportunity to have a hard 3.5 hour bike ride the day before in our local mountains. Needless to say, expectations were low and I didn’t disappoint. My only real goal was to not blow up on the short swim and to run a sub 20 min 5K. I didn’t meet any of those goals which made me realize I really can’t let my foot off the gas for very long after a race. Lesson learned . Even after 5 years in this sport, I am still learning some valuable lessons. I guess that is one reason I like it so much, the challenge of racing my competitors and myself.

Next up for me is the Boulder Peak Triathlon and Mt. Evans Hill Climb. Now we get into the heart of the summer race season. Why can’t we have summer year round?

Train hard,
Jonathan

Oceanside…A sea of surprises

The first race of the season (California 70.3) is now in the books.  What a surprise! The week before the race I was trying to decide at what point I would pull out of the race (end of the bike leg or end of the first lap of the run?).  I was also trying to determine if it is better to DNS or DNF.  Both have the element of quitting, it’s just a matter of at what point that happens, right?  

My goal of using this race as an early season barometer and spring board got tossed out when I was sidelined for a couple of weeks due to illness in the final month before the race. I felt like I was already behind the eight ball in training so this was something I couldn't afford.  Even when I returned to training from being sick, I had to make sure it was a gradual return so I didn’t land myself back in the doctor’s office, which had happened already and why I was out for a little over two weeks and not just a few days.

Now after completing the race and having my best half ironman run, I am left with trying to figure out why it went unexpectedly well?  Everything I usually look at (including how I felt fitness wise) told me to prepare for a long brutal day.  So how is it I knock five minutes off my best half ironman run on little training with no speed work?  I’ll be looking to answer that question over the next couple of weeks as I start my training in earnest.  Right now it just doesn’t add up and I need to figure out why so I can repeat it!

A quickie

Just a quick post on the world of J-Rod...It has been a busy couple of months and the trend will carry me into April.  That's a good thing considering the economic climate.  Although I am very secure in my job, it's never easy hearing about friends losing theirs and just last week Megan asked if I still had a job (I think she had Kit Kitridge on the brain - but nevertheless, do you want your kid asking you that question).

Holden is still racing down the slopes, scoring his first win in a GS downhill.  I might need to start making reservations for Vancouver for 2010.  Megan has also started her assault on the slopes as well leaving poor old Dad #4 in skiing ability. I'll need to get some photos posted (as well as  video).  Carey has been instrumental in their rise to greatness. Keeping the sport fun while providing new challenges has been the key.

I said it would be quick and it was.  Until next time, keep on keepin' on.

J-Rod

Feedback teaming up with Panache

Feedback Sports Road Cycling team will be teaming up with Panache Cyclewear for the 2009 season. We continue to enjoy generous support from our sponsors and are excited about the addition of Specialized. With Feedback Sports changing corporate colors to red/black, it only made sense for the road cycling team to do so as well, which fits well with the Specialized colors.  The change in color also allowed us to rethink our design.  We needed a bold design to match the riders. With that in mind, we solicited the help of Dylan Nelson. You may have seen some of his previous work in the pro peloton (the old CSC team).

We are excited about racing this year and expect our 2009 season to be just as successful as our 2008 year.