Next Race Manchester Marathon

Yeah, yeah, I know - it's been a long time since my last post. I know there was a lot of negative sentiment in my last post. All that stuff about not endurance training, etcetera, etcetera. Well ... I've battled back and now my running has been revived. Losing at the West Acton Octoberfest 5K has also fueled my fire, as afterwards I began training as hard and intense as I could, almost to the level of torture. It has been good for me. I am running well and my speed has come back. It hasn't been a traditional marathon training period, but I think that's okay. I may be as fit as my training before Boston 2007, which yielded good results and a PR. Manchester was late enough in the season that I actually had several weeks of quality training - I could have never been ready for Baystate. Manchester, I know and have been warned, is a very challenging course, not for first time qualifiers. For me, I have nothing to lose and will be laying it all out on the course. There is also prize money for masters, which means I will face quality competition all the way around.

Still on the bike - every single day.

Cheers!

-Kyle

Maybe One More

I may try to squeak in one more race this weekend, but weather forecast is sketchy with Hanna running up the coast. I will wait until last minute to decide as 50 mph winds won't help the bike section of the race. Anyway, no real desire to train, but body rehab has gone well and I am back running, which feels good. I'll continue to go carless as long as I can, so that is also helping my cause. The new cyclocross bike makes for great communiting as I can ride it anywhere I want - road, trail, sand, etc.
Looking for a race this fall, preferably later. I am thinking about maybe a half marathon as I really have never trained just for a half and it might give me a break this year as I am not much interested in getting back into an endurance program. Jan 1 will come soon enough and I would rather do a bunch of smaller races that have lower impact. Also, do some trails races, XC and cyclocross later in the year - keep that bike going!
This was one of those high-mountain towns on the bike course. I don't remember this one exactly, but it looks like these guys are climbing as they leave town. Most of these small towns were packed with people cheering. Probably every single person that lived there as there were a lot of people compared to the size of the town. It was a real trip flying through these at 35+ mph as they were tight roads and had sharp turns that made things very interesting. Cheers!

Tri Season Comes To A Quick End

Probably my final race - big race of the year anyway. Although, there are some short races around in September - I could be tempted!! Cranberry Country Tri will probably do it though, as my cycling fitness seems to have gone down the tubes. The lousy August weather just put a damper on my cycling as I can't remember a ride over 50 miles since Lake Placid weekend. The last two weeks of vacationing has also nailed the coffin on any fitness I had coming of IMF, but my achilles feels better and I think I can start ramping up the running again. I got my insurance check from my car getting totaled (87 yr old guy runs into me head on) and did the right thing; went out and bought a new cyclocross bike ... very nice. Look for me out on the cross scene this year boys! But what about running? I am totally lost. I don't think I have enough time for Baystate. The BAA masters team has withdrawn from defending our title at Winni Relay - total bummer... I need to figure out a plan other then some short races this fall. I certainly need to try to do something about my running speed, which seems to be non-existent this year again. All endurance training and age is not helping my cause. Suggestions?????

Third Race In One Week

I'll keep this post short. Back at it again, three races in one week. I slept about 10.5 hours last night, so to say the least, it has been a long week.

Wildat Sprint Race (Lowell, MA) Results:

7th Overall
2nd AG 40-44
Total Time: 51:53
0.25 mi Swim: 27th 6:24
T1: 1:13
11 mi BIke: 4th 27:37
T2 0:50
2.5mi+ Run: 7th 15:47

Short Analysis: I really had a great race all the way around. I had a great swim (for me). Everyone swam wide at the 2nd turn and I had a straight line to the last buoy with no one in the line. Unfortuantely, there was no elite category and I ended up in the second wave. My bike was fast - 4th fastest I will take any day. Average speed was 23.9 mph - not bad even with some hills on the back side. Run was fast too and I ran down two people in my AG and a lot from the first wave. The negatives: 2nd wave meant crazy passing half way to the first buoy all the way to the end, although having a clear shot to the last buoy really helped me have a good swim. I was way back in the tranistion area - all those guys with single #'s were on the first rail. I had to run all the way back to get my bike and put it back - definitely cost me time. Anyway, those young guys are fast! I wouldn't be able to beat them anyway! I only got beat once the whole day - on the run - the kid was 20 yrs old, but he helped pull me to the finish.

Next big race is Cranberry Triathlon on the 24th. I may stick another race in there, but the next few days will be rest.

Cheers,

-Kyle

First Race Back - Post Ironman France Nice

The IM recovery period is over and back to racing. Last weekend was the Mass State Triathlon Olympic distance. The weather looked to be sketchy and we did get pounded with thunderstorms all weekend, including 3:am the night of the race and I didn't really sleep after 4:am, so it was a sleepy morning.
The race went pretty well. LONG 0.9mi swim and hilly bike and runs, but overall I am pleased. I didn't really have a great segment, but everything went good and fairly consistent. Here are the numbers:

10th overall
3rd Elite
overall time: 2:06:01
0.9mi swim: 24:14
22mi bike: 1:00:57
10K run: 38:50

The bike course has one pretty tough hill, which starts hard, but then tapers off - but it keeps going and going! The second loop my legs were absolutely burning by the time I hit the top. More stupid stuff; I forgot my tools - don't ask me why (because I was trying to get the tow kit onto the new car, so we could haul the camper). No cassette tool means no disc wheel. I think the disc would have helped regardless of the hills.
I'm glad I did the race. Tim (Maxperformance RD) puts on a good show. This is my third of his races and I have nothing but good reports. The campground is also very nice - we got pounded with T&L the second night also, which filled the campsite completely with about 3" of water.

Now for the dumb news; like a knucklehead I had signed up for the Yankee homecoming 10miler on Tuesday. I was definitely still tired and my Achilles still bothering. I didn't have any expectations for the race, but was out way too fast; 5:50, 12:00, 16:30 and 31:30 @ 5miles. That's actually a pretty good 5 miler time, but when 6mi rolled along I felt exhausted and kaboom! The next four miles was a cool down.

Anyway, I am not going to run much and see if I can lose this Achilles thing. I will be racing again at the sprint in Lowell Sunday. Race report to follow.

-Kyle

I will take the heat at Ironman France Nice any day!

The weekend up at Lake Placid was absolutely brutal! The day of the race it rain from start to finish with only a few small breaks. For a total of three inches! I was wet, miserable and shivering, but happy I was not racing. I stayed out as long as I could to cheer my team-mates and friends on, but had to go back to the house to dry my clothes several times. And many thanks to my friends and team-mates for letting my family crash at the house or the whole thing would not have been doable, Our tent was submerged in water after the first night and I would have had to go a long way to find a hotel room. Congrats to my team-mates and friend's - many first timers! and some great performance in those nasty conditions!

Anyway, I am signed up for next year. I need to have a great race as there were even more Europeans this year grabbing slots.

This picture is of this year's swim. I'm some where to the right in one of the chase groups. I really enjoyed swimming in the mediteranean, it's absolutely beautiful. That's something I will remember for a long time. I don't have the opportunity to swim ocean much, although maybe down the Cape next month - if there aren't anymore of those shark reports! Watching those guys bomb down the hills in the Tour brings me back everytime I watch. I will remember the spectators in the small villages yelling "Allez Kyah!" as I whipped by. I guess that's how the real French folks prenounce Kyle - on my bib number as I go by.

I will be racing this weekend at the Mass State Tri in Winchenden. The weather once again looks to be sketchy. I have had enough time off - back to racing. This should be a good race. I hope to finish in the middle of the elites.

Cheers!

-Kyle

Moving On To 2009, Final Thoughts On Ironman France Nice

I'll be heading up to Lake Placid this weekend to signup for 2009. This will be my final year in the 40-44 AG, but I still think I have a shot next year as I again more and more experience in Ironman. This weekend will be enjoyable for me as I will go up and soak it in, seeing how I have done my Ironman for the year. I look forward to getting into the environment and back to swimming, biking and running on the course only for pleasure and activity purposes. I have been ramping back up to things, although the last two weeks has been crazy and it has been difficult to get a lot of training time. Getting away for a long weekend will be good as I will have no distractions. We'll be winging it also, with no place to stay - I think the tent will be going with us and we will camp or find no $$ accomodations. The money has already been spent in Nice.

Some final thoughts on Nice: I really loved the country. If at all possible I would like to move there or maybe be able to live there for a period in some point of my life. I have really enjoyed watching the Tour this year and every time I watch I feel like I am revisitng a little bit.

Some final notes on the race:

Lot's of drafting duing the race. L'arbitre (referee - also on la moto (motorbike)) was more than generous blowing the wistle and motioning with his hands for guys to spread out. I did see a couple of guys get nailed and they deserved it. I think a lot more guys got away with it though.

In hindsight, if I had known that the temps were going to be so high (94deg), I would have left the aero helmet at home. Mine ventilates pretty well, but the added ventilations as it was so hot and it didn't really help on the downhill because the section were so technical and I found that we start to bunch up and be forced to spread-out (non, le prison pour moi - you go to the prison after the bike leg for cheating).

This course is porbably best done on a road bike with clip-ons - although I had no trouble on my bike, there were several times I shifted my mid-section behind the seat, like in a steep mountain bike descent. I di not want to get lanched off that bike! There were too many hairpin turns were you need to deccelerate quickly.

Before trying a course like this, I recommend taking a trip to bike in the Alps or at least go for another week to get acclimated.

This race was a great experience, very well organized and very unique.

Any well. Good luck to all of the 2008 LPers! I will be cheering on.

Next week I resume racing season with some shorter tris (Mass State Olympic 7/27) and some raod races (Newburypost 10mi 7/29).

Cheers!

-Kyle