Whoo! So a lot has happened. Or at least it feels like it. I raced Lake Stevens two and a half weeks ago and it wasnt what I wanted. I was TOTALLY dissapointed with myself. On the upside I feel like it was a good motivator to get going. Since then I've decided to drop a few pounds and really start focusing on my bike skills. The race itself happened like this. The swim was around 32 minutes. Two minutes slower than what I wanted. I REALLY felt like I was swimming btwn 28-29 min. With that said I feel the course was a bit long...
Came out of the water to see my time and was immediately dissapointed. Came out of transition another min and a half later so I was already 3.5 minutes behind schedule. Started the bike course feeling pretty good. Passing people on a regular basis. RARELY getting passed. The bike course really was a challenge and was a blast all at the same time. Everything went great untill about mile 48ish. It just hit me all the sudden and I just lost it. Had no energy in the legs. Basically sat up and cruised as fast as I could cruise back to town.
Started my run after a 2:39ish bike. 9min slower than what I wanted and felt pretty good. I wanted a sub 1:30 half mary. First mile was 6:40ish something and it began to fade just a bit from there. Held a 7:00/m ish pace till about 7 and started fading on the run there. Last two miles were a bit quicker but in the end my half mary was 1:35 on a reasonably tough course...
Total finish time was 4:53. A PR by five minutes but still TOTALLY dissapointing. I have yet to pinpoint what happened there... Maybe lack of training? (I doubt it) .. I did use a product I love called SPORTLEGS for the first time since Arizona there so maybe it was the fact that I hadnt been training w/ them and all the sudden used them... I also noticed post race that my tire was slightly rubbing my frame.. That also could have attributed to the VERY QUICK lack of energy out of nowhere. maybe something moved and it started rubbing. All excuses... But in the end I just didnt have it that day. More motivation to get out there and get good quality workouts in. Ill post the actual race report as soon as its done.
In other news I flew up to Lake Placid this weekend to register for 2009. How ridiculous is that? I actually had to fly to lake Placid to register for next years race?!?! I flew up Thursday morning and stayed with a friends sister. She showed my how to take the train to Central Park and what not then we grabbed dinner before seeing the midnight showing of Dark Knight which was PHENOMINAL by the way! The night before I left I only got 3-4hrs of sleep so i was fading fast. We grabbed a taxi home at 3:15am and i was asleep around 4. Got up the next day around noon. Ran the 10K look in Central Park and headed back to Queens to meet up w/ my friend Andrew. We loaded the car and headed to lake Placid. 5Hrs later we rolled into Lake Placid @ 1am! At this point we parked the car RIGHT next to the lake (mirror lake) and headed across the street to grab a quick brew before we sat up the tent. Left there around 2am, set up our tent right next to the water in the middle of Lake Placid and tried to sleep. Within 15min we weree getting TORRENTIAL rains. I woke Andrew and we slept in his car. Slept maybe 4hrs. Woke up around 7 and swam the 2.4 mile loop in about an hr ten w/o a wetsuit which was a bit more difficult than I thought it would be! Messed around all day and maybe slept 4 hrs that night in "our" tent. Woke up Sunday to volunteer/watch the race. Andrew was on kayak duty so he headed out to do that and I waded along the beach to watch the start from the best point of view. Ill post the pics and video soon :) After the start I headed to my Volunteer assignment which was T1. Around 7:30 the rain started. Not just rain. MASS RAIN. for 13 HOURS STRAIGHT. T1 was chaos. Total chaos! Stuff everywhere... Mud... rain... Finally around 10 I was done w/ my shift so I headed to find andrew and we hid under whatever we could find to stay dry. Finally around the first loop of the run for most people it started to subside/slowdown JUST a bit. When it did Andrew and I looked up to see Desiree Ficker come running by so we cheered/harrased her for a while and stayed out in the rain and our short shorts w/o tshirts to cheer people on. Long story short the rain got worse.. we got super wet.. we cheered... until 11pm. I LOVE cheering those last few people in. My good friend Tyler and his dad Jeff up in NY felt sorry for Andrew and I and actually offerend us a spot on the floor in their hotel! HOW could we pass that up?!?! So we finally got to sleep indoors and oh was it amazing.
I barely woke up intime to head down to registration. By the time I got down there it was 7:05am (registration doesnt open till 9am) and the line was probably a half mile. A HALF MILE! crazy. Around 8am the seperated the lines into volunteers and non volunteers. THANK goodness I was a voluteer. I registered and found andrew so we could head back to NY. (I later found out it sold OUT ON SITE!)
Andrew and his sister dropped me off at La Guerdia and I got back to DFW around 10:30. It was AMAZING to be back in Texas. Im happy my traveling is limited in the next few months...
All in all its been a hectic last few weeks but the next few should be nice as I begin to up the volume and start breaking myself down only to rebuild. I have goals in Kona. I will have fun.. and I will try to attain my goals. Hour swim. 5:30 bike. 3:30 mary.
yes. I said it.
Thanks for all the help from everyone in getting me to NY and home.. along with Tyler and Jeff for giving me and Andrew a place to sleep Sunday! Congrats to everyone that made it through that race. Totally BRUTAL. Just crazy. I honestly dont know if I could have made it through that...
_Jacob_
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
MST and The Dam Time Trial....
Did I ever mention how I hate short distance racing?? Ha! Last weekend I raced the Metroplex Sprint then this Friday afternoon I race the Dam Time Trial at Joe Pool. Both races went pretty good.
At Metroplex I took 3rd Overall and 1st Age group. Then at the Dam Time Trial I took 2nd Overall and 1st Age group. At Metroplex I missed second by about 15 seconds, and missed first by about 40 seconds to my good friend Tyler. He's a runner and I knew good and well the whole time that if I didnt get enough time on him that he'd kill me on the run. In the week leading up to it I told myself no matter what happens just hang on the run. I came out of the water in 1st overall. I headed out on the bike and didnt notice Tyler till the turnaround. I knew he'd probably just hang back knowing good and well that he could dominate me on the run. I then decided if he was going to hang I'd make him work for it so I really pushed the pace. For the 11mile bike we avgeraged 25.7mph. I pushed just a bit before T2 so that I could open up a small gap. Coming out of T2 I just jogged until he caught me cause there was no use in using up all that energy knowing he would catch me. As soon as he pulled up next to me I went w/ him stride for stride. I stayed w/ him for about a half mile and that was it. Of course looking back I should have pushed through and just dealt with it. Definitly something ill need to work on before Kona.
Heres the link to my race report for Metroplex. METROPLEX SPRINT TRIATHLON.
If you want to check out all the photos from race day just CLICK HERE!
The time trial went well also. There were only about 50 cyclists out there but the competition was solid. I completed the 8 mile out and back course in 17:57 averaging 26.8mph. Let me say this.. I dont think I've ever dug that deep. That hurt like a 5K. My friend Aaron took some good photos and Ill post those as soon as he posts them. Ill also try to write some sort of race report.
In other news I've started honestly contemplating the Houston Marathon on January 18th of next year. I really do want to Boston qualify, and I finally feel like I'm capable. The thing about that race is that if I'm going to do it I need to register SOON. I thinking what I'd do is race Kona on October 11th. Take an entire week OFF then train lightly through the end of the month. Then in November start stepping it up again. I can only hope that Kona will be some AWESOME base for running. I'm going to think it over for a bit and see how I feel in a few days. NO rash decisions :)
Other than that I've been ridiculously busy with summer classes and training. My build for Kona has begun. Im going three good build weeks here before a one week taper for Lake Stevens 70.3. Id REALLY like to go sub 4:30 with a sub 30min swim. Sub 2:30 bike. Sub 1:30 half mary. I think all are possible... of course the 1:30 half being the most difficult. None the less I'm looking forward to traveling again.
I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe! Thanks for all the kind words and support!
_Jacob_
At Metroplex I took 3rd Overall and 1st Age group. Then at the Dam Time Trial I took 2nd Overall and 1st Age group. At Metroplex I missed second by about 15 seconds, and missed first by about 40 seconds to my good friend Tyler. He's a runner and I knew good and well the whole time that if I didnt get enough time on him that he'd kill me on the run. In the week leading up to it I told myself no matter what happens just hang on the run. I came out of the water in 1st overall. I headed out on the bike and didnt notice Tyler till the turnaround. I knew he'd probably just hang back knowing good and well that he could dominate me on the run. I then decided if he was going to hang I'd make him work for it so I really pushed the pace. For the 11mile bike we avgeraged 25.7mph. I pushed just a bit before T2 so that I could open up a small gap. Coming out of T2 I just jogged until he caught me cause there was no use in using up all that energy knowing he would catch me. As soon as he pulled up next to me I went w/ him stride for stride. I stayed w/ him for about a half mile and that was it. Of course looking back I should have pushed through and just dealt with it. Definitly something ill need to work on before Kona.
Heres the link to my race report for Metroplex. METROPLEX SPRINT TRIATHLON.
If you want to check out all the photos from race day just CLICK HERE!
The time trial went well also. There were only about 50 cyclists out there but the competition was solid. I completed the 8 mile out and back course in 17:57 averaging 26.8mph. Let me say this.. I dont think I've ever dug that deep. That hurt like a 5K. My friend Aaron took some good photos and Ill post those as soon as he posts them. Ill also try to write some sort of race report.
In other news I've started honestly contemplating the Houston Marathon on January 18th of next year. I really do want to Boston qualify, and I finally feel like I'm capable. The thing about that race is that if I'm going to do it I need to register SOON. I thinking what I'd do is race Kona on October 11th. Take an entire week OFF then train lightly through the end of the month. Then in November start stepping it up again. I can only hope that Kona will be some AWESOME base for running. I'm going to think it over for a bit and see how I feel in a few days. NO rash decisions :)
Other than that I've been ridiculously busy with summer classes and training. My build for Kona has begun. Im going three good build weeks here before a one week taper for Lake Stevens 70.3. Id REALLY like to go sub 4:30 with a sub 30min swim. Sub 2:30 bike. Sub 1:30 half mary. I think all are possible... of course the 1:30 half being the most difficult. None the less I'm looking forward to traveling again.
I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe! Thanks for all the kind words and support!
_Jacob_
Monday, June 9, 2008
Remembering two great people...
On my way to work tonight I heard from my local bike shop owner that two friends had been killed earlier this morning while out cycling at 8:20am by a drunk 24yr old male.
I know that often we forget about the dangers of cycling on the open road.. This has opened my eyes and is a harsh awakening to what we face as cyclists each and every day. Both of these people were phenominal people and friends that I will never forget.
I did some searching online and found an article here that says a bit more.
Click HERE for the article.
Everyone.. Please stay safe.
I know that often we forget about the dangers of cycling on the open road.. This has opened my eyes and is a harsh awakening to what we face as cyclists each and every day. Both of these people were phenominal people and friends that I will never forget.
I did some searching online and found an article here that says a bit more.
Click HERE for the article.
Everyone.. Please stay safe.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Happy Saturday...
Race this weekend. My workouts as of this week have really been slacking.. on the other hand, ive been very busy. I finally have a solid schedule written that I'm going to get started on monday.
Enjoy this vid. Its fun trying to find videos that fit your immediate emotions. This is a great one.
Enjoy this vid. Its fun trying to find videos that fit your immediate emotions. This is a great one.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Never been so motivated...
And its not because of this video... but this is how I feel right now.
I raced the Route 66 sprint triathlon today up in El Reno, Oklahoma just west of OKC. Let me say it didnt go according to plan.. due to reasons out of my control. I've never been so close to winning a race.. especially one worth 100points. Heres my post from my training log with a quick rundown.
"So. Im going to give everyone a quick rundown. The best thing to do would be watch Fleebs interview when he gets that up.
Heres what happened. In a nutshell.
I came out of the water 2seconds behind first place. Passed him in T1 and started the bike w/ a :30 lead and in first place overall. When I pulled out of T1 there was a motorcycle cop pacing. So I just put my head down and followed. Fairly excited to be in first that soon in the bike. We got onto old RT66 and I was just cranking w/ everything I could. Still feeling good. Well I started to think DAMN. Where is the freaking turnaround. Well two things about me racing. First... I DONT use a computer of any kind. Secondly I dont EVER look behind me because I dont want to know how close the person behind is, especially when I'm leading. Well long story short the Race Director didnt make sure there were people or a cone at the turnaround. Their excuse? "We didnt expect you to be that fast" The only thing there was was a turnaround arrow painted on the ground and nothing else. No cars. No cone. Nothing else. The motorcycle I'm sure was also looking for the turnaround cone and he just kept going so I just followed him. I followed him until he finally turned around and gave me NO recognition. I just kept going. I kept riding till I got to the OLYMPIC turnaround. Which by this point I was going so slow that I could see it on the road.
I turned around and rode probably 15mph all the way back. I was SO irrate. Its a good thing I was alone at that time. I lost that race for reasons OUT of my control. If you try to say its my fault for not looking for the turnaround IM SORRY but you're wrong. You try looking for small painted arrows on the ground when you're going 30mph following a motorcycle.
Got back to T2. Did an interview w/ Fleeb WHILE IN T2 then started my run.
Overall?
138th outta 156 overall.
Age Group?
21st out of 21.
Had the second fastest Swim. 4th fastest T1. Second to the slowest bike. and ran a chill 21min 5K.
In the end I have to say the Race Director and crew were UNBELIEVABLY nice and apologetic (sp?). They comped me an entry into ANY event they do so that was nice... but doesnt give me the 100points I was going for."
Enjoy.
I raced the Route 66 sprint triathlon today up in El Reno, Oklahoma just west of OKC. Let me say it didnt go according to plan.. due to reasons out of my control. I've never been so close to winning a race.. especially one worth 100points. Heres my post from my training log with a quick rundown.
"So. Im going to give everyone a quick rundown. The best thing to do would be watch Fleebs interview when he gets that up.
Heres what happened. In a nutshell.
I came out of the water 2seconds behind first place. Passed him in T1 and started the bike w/ a :30 lead and in first place overall. When I pulled out of T1 there was a motorcycle cop pacing. So I just put my head down and followed. Fairly excited to be in first that soon in the bike. We got onto old RT66 and I was just cranking w/ everything I could. Still feeling good. Well I started to think DAMN. Where is the freaking turnaround. Well two things about me racing. First... I DONT use a computer of any kind. Secondly I dont EVER look behind me because I dont want to know how close the person behind is, especially when I'm leading. Well long story short the Race Director didnt make sure there were people or a cone at the turnaround. Their excuse? "We didnt expect you to be that fast" The only thing there was was a turnaround arrow painted on the ground and nothing else. No cars. No cone. Nothing else. The motorcycle I'm sure was also looking for the turnaround cone and he just kept going so I just followed him. I followed him until he finally turned around and gave me NO recognition. I just kept going. I kept riding till I got to the OLYMPIC turnaround. Which by this point I was going so slow that I could see it on the road.
I turned around and rode probably 15mph all the way back. I was SO irrate. Its a good thing I was alone at that time. I lost that race for reasons OUT of my control. If you try to say its my fault for not looking for the turnaround IM SORRY but you're wrong. You try looking for small painted arrows on the ground when you're going 30mph following a motorcycle.
Got back to T2. Did an interview w/ Fleeb WHILE IN T2 then started my run.
Overall?
138th outta 156 overall.
Age Group?
21st out of 21.
Had the second fastest Swim. 4th fastest T1. Second to the slowest bike. and ran a chill 21min 5K.
In the end I have to say the Race Director and crew were UNBELIEVABLY nice and apologetic (sp?). They comped me an entry into ANY event they do so that was nice... but doesnt give me the 100points I was going for."
Enjoy.
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