Scott Adcox

Transition Practice Works…Who Would Have Thought?

Scott — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:14:21 +0000

Not counting running from swim exit and to bike mount line because I don’t know how long that will be: 15s

Not counting running from dismount line and to run start because I don’t know how long that will be: 30s

Amped.

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Bad Mouth – It Betrays A Bad Mind

Scott — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:34:23 +0000

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Practicing Race Plans In Training

Scott — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:49:03 +0000

My race plans usually aren’t very complicated. I’m just a regular ol’ MOP’er. I don’t have the latest equipment or a coach. I don’t race very often, and I don’t live and breathe triathlon. It’s just fun for me, and I actually enjoy the training more than the racing. I’m not racing anyone but myself anyway…no realistic chance of placing in my age group.

But I loves me a PR.

So here are some of the things I’m thinking about for my upcoming race, and how I work on them in training.

Swim

The course has changed to an ‘M’ shaped swim. Sort of unconventional, and I’ve never done one. As usual, I’d I’d like to take it easy for the first “out” part. I plan for what I want to happen on race day in my training swims by overcompensating for an easy start, swimming the first 500 yards as “long” as I can. This means really reaching and gliding with each stroke; usually about 11 strokes for the 25 yard length, breathing every three strokes. I then do at least 500 with a little faster turnover, breathing every two strokes. Sometimes I’ll go another 500 at that pace. I know I can handle that, and I’d like to pick up the pace a little on the diagonal parts of the ‘M’ on race day. From there, I like to take it easy on the way back, almost a cool down, because I don’t want to transition with a jacked up heart rate and body/mind that isn’t as relaxed as possible.

Now, I know realistically that the adrenaline is going to be a factor at the start, and I also know myself well enough to know that it takes me a couple of hundred yards to settle into an open water swim. And if I find some good feet, I’m jumping on them and riding as long as I can. But the swim is negligible for my overall time, so I just deal with whatever happens there on race day. I won’t be worried if I swim a little faster than planned, and I won’t be worried if I swim a little slower than planned.

Bike

There are some rollers on this course, and winds could be a factor as well. I have a pretty old bike that never was the latest and greatest, and I don’t have multiple cassettes and wheel options to change based on terrain or what the wind is doing. I keep my strategy here simple. Fight the wind and fight the hills, and relax a little on the downhills and with the wind at my back. I practice this in training all the time. The rationale is pretty simple. When an object, in this case a fat guy on a bike, is going slow it doesn’t take as much energy to increase it’s speed by 1 mph as it does when the object is going fast. It’s tempting to ride harder when the wind is at your back because you can look down and see your mph jump on your computer, but physics says it’s a foolish thing to do. It sucks fighting to stay over 18 mph in a headwind, but it beats giving up and going 16.5.

I stay in aero all the time, or as much as possible. If any sitting up is going on it needs to be standing to power up a hill or, if seated, with wind at my back. Even then, only for a rest. Stay aero.

I like this course for my plan because the course is a loop that starts heading south, then heads back north. The biggest hill is at about mile 27, and there’s a good chance winds will be out of the south. That means I can put a bigger effort in at the beginning going generally uphill and into the wind, and get more of a rest at the end, going generally downhill with wind at my back. That will help with my plan to fight for a pre-determined average speed on the bike and (hopefully) get a chance to try my run strategy out.

Run

I’m doing something here I’ve never done before. Maybe it will work, and maybe it won’t. Either way, it’s a better plan than “just survive”, even if that’s what I end up doing. I’m breaking this run down into 3 separate pieces: 2 five mile sections followed by a 5k. I have paces I’d like to run for each of them, but the hard part is going to be holding those paces. For the first 5, the challenge will be getting up to speed getting off the bike. There will need to be some split differences in these miles. I know from experience that it takes me about a mile to get my legs back from the bike.

For the second 5, the challenge is going to be getting to the right pace in the first mile and then holding it without speeding up. I’m not really concerned with what will happen if I slow down during this section. If I can’t hold the pace for the entire 5, there’s no way I’d be able to race the last 5k anyway, so I’ll be better off saving myself whatever gas I can to get through it. But I don’t want to go faster than my predetermined pace, so I can have as much as possible available for the 5k.

If I make it through the second 5 on pace, it’s a 5k race with whatever is left in the tank. Again, there’s a course advantage here. The course is three loops, and the first part of the loop is uphill. If I can make it to the top of that hill on pace in the last lap, what I’m left with is a mostly downhill 3 miles or so. That should help with the pace. Again, if I can’t keep on the pace schedule for the first 1o miles, then whatever happens happens.

To train for this, I’m going out and doing short runs and trying to hit those paces. For instance, I’ll do a one mile warm up, then try to do my first mile at the pace I plan on running the first 5 during the race. For the second mile, I’ll try to hit my planned pace for the second 5 during the race. And for the last mile, I go at the 5k pace I’d like to hit on race day. I’m actually doing my long run this weekend with the same strategy, but using 2 miles instead of one for each planned section.

It’s worth noting that this entire, detailed, thought-out plan is a product of two things: (1) Not listening to music when I run, so I have nothing to do but think about this and (2) Tapering right now, so I’m obsessed with thinking about this race. If you are using this plan as advice, keep in mind that it’s free advice, and it’s worth about what you paid for it…if that.

In a way, I’m looking forward to this all being over with so I can go back to worrying about what new features Google is pushing out this week. Or maybe I’ll keep up with the Kardashians for a day or two until I’m so repulsed that I want to train for something again.

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Saving Time During Taper Time

Scott — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:38:36 +0000

70.3 tapering doesn’t drive me nuts the way marathon tapering does for a few of reasons. First of all, the taper is two weeks instead of three. I think I’d actually do better with a two week taper for the marathon as well, but I’d have to train for another one to prove that, and I’m not that interested in it right now. Ouch.

Also, the taper doesn’t provide much rest for the training program I’ve been using. The workouts let up a little, but not that much until the second week. It’s just a slight drop off for the first week, and I’m so eager to be lazy at this point that it doesn’t feel like enough. I can’t wait until next week when the real drop off happens. At least for the first couple of days anyway, then I’ll start freaking out and thinking my fitness is going to disappear.

The biggest sanity saving factor for triathlon tapers is that you can use up all that extra energy practicing transitions and freaking out over how you are going to pack. Inevitably, this leads to searching the internet, reading blogs, and watching people give transition advice on YouTube.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far: 90% of the people on YouTube have no idea what the hell they are talking about and pack way too much crap.

I saw one video that was touting a 30 second transition. Now, after the guy got his wetsuit off (that doesn’t count for transition time?) there was 34 seconds of edited video showing him transitioning. He didn’t have his shoes in his pedals and spent most of his time on that. I do give them props for using music that sounds like it’s from “The A Team” or “C.H.I.P.S.” though.

And the bags people pack are amazing. I’ll admit to packing two pair of goggles, but that’s about where my excess packing stops. And I eat a lot during one of these events, but I get as much of that as I can from the aid stations. I’ve even cut back on the things I packed for my last race. Not bringing my own post-race beverages this time. No HRM either.

That’s right homie…I’m going for broke on the bike. I’ve decided on a minimum speed I need to hit my time goal, and I’m going to maintain it. If I bonk the run because of it, so be it. Bike is my best opportunity to meet my goal.

Speaking of the bike–a bento box with a couple of GUs, one sports drink bottle and one water bottle are all I bring with me on the bike, and the water is mostly used for, ahem, “flushing”. I’ve seen bikes with gallons of liquid on them and GUs taped all over the frame. I do have one other bottle on my bike, but that’s packed with a spare tube, tire change tools, and CO2.

I plan on picking up a couple of minutes off my last race just by practicing transitions.

T1 should be pretty fast, it’s basically three actions.

Put on helmet
Fasten race belt.
Unrack bike

I’ll be wiping my feet while I’m doing these and will use my water bottle to clean any remaining sand off my feet out on the course before putting them in my shoes. There’s no problem having enough food and liquid to get to the first aid station at 18 miles.

T2 will be take a little longer–six actions, and I’m wearing socks for the run.

Rack bike
Sit down
Remove helmet (while wiping feet)
Put on socks
Put on shoes
Grab visor while standing up

The biggest hiccups I’ve had in my practice transitions so far have been not leaving my shoes wide open enough (on bike and run) to get my feet into them easily.

And I won’t leave you hanging. Here are two videos that are actually helpful from Dave Scott, who knows a little bit about going fast.

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On MCA

Scott — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:24:07 +0000

My reaction to MCA’s death: Wow…on top of it being really sad that he’s gone, it makes me feel old.

Her reaction: Well, at least you’re on the young side of old.

Droppin’ science like Galileo dropped the orange and expanding the rhymes of sucka MC amateurs.

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One Run = One Spin?

Scott — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:54:57 +0000

I’m opting out of running for the rest of the week to let my calf heal up, but I’m trying to make up for it on the bike. Last night I went to a spin class at our gym for the first time. I thought I could push hard for an hour there and basically substitute the affects of an hour long run.

I averaged HR 141 for the duration, with more time that I’d usually like near my LT, but that’s still a higher average HR than I’d usually keep on an hour bike ride and about what I’d register for an easy one hour run.

The spin bikes at the gym have power meters too, which is probably not a good thing for me three weeks out from a race. I always want to get a high score when I see something like that being measured. I was able to maintain 300W for a few intervals, but I’d really like to ride paying more attention to it. And I’d LOVE to have a power meter on my bike.

I forgot to check at the end of the ride and see what my average power was for the ride, but I’m guessing somewhere ~250. Does that seem reasonable? I’ve read good amateur cyclists should be able to do 3W/kg for an hour, and I’m 92 kg right now.

I’ll definitely be going back to these classes often when the race is finished and I can start collecting that kind of data. I still think I’ve got a lot of time to pick up on the bike in the future.

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Ironman 70.3 Haines City Course Preview

Scott — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:37:14 +0000

I ended up riding long on Friday night because I had a schedule conflict on Sunday (Disney Princesses eat breakfast on a very tight schedule), but I went over on Saturday and checked out some of the course by car and on foot. Here’s what I’ve got…

Swim

The lake level is down…we’re in a drought here. I guess that’s the reason for the recent swim course change. I read on the site that it’s clear water, but it didn’t look especially clear to me. I didn’t get in, but I’d guess visibility of a few feet at the most. I’ve done a bunch of lake swim races in TN, so it’s about what I’d expect for a shallow lake swim. The beach for entry/exit looks pretty nice.

I didn’t see a single alligator if you’re someone who’s concerned about that.

Oh, and swim wave times are posted now.

Bike

My original plan was to go ride the course alone, but I’m glad I didn’t do that. I’d definitely recommend going with a group if you’re planning on getting a ride in before the race. It’s not the condition of the roads that is a problem, but the sections I saw were relatively narrow and in rural areas, so I’m not sure how safe I’d feel riding them alone. Admittedly, I’m a lot more cautious about when and where I’ll ride my bike than most people are.

The worst road conditions are on Masterpiece stretch, but I read that they are patching it before the race and repaving for next year. As long as the holes are patched and it’s clean, shouldn’t be a problem. Still, flat changing skills are never a bad thing to have.

There’s a really quick downhill and uphill right out of transition, which is something to be prepared for if you transition barefoot with with your shoes already in the pedals since that will probably be a higher traffic area. I’m a little torn between rushing to get my feet strapped in while in traffic to get up the hill quickly or waiting until I’m on a straight flat section with less traffic and dealing with it then. Right now, I’m thinking better safe than sorry, so I’ll probably just mash up the hill and wait until N. 30th street to deal with my feet where the course looks like it may open up a little.

The turn from Ledwidth onto 14th street at the beginning of the course is a little rough too…again, only really matters because it’s a higher traffic area and right in a turn. I’m not really expecting to get up to speed until after this section.

One concern I’ve had is winds. Here on the coast they are relentless, but the air in Haines City was pretty calm, at least on this day–small sample set.

Run

I didn’t check out the whole run course either, but the section that is in the park is a really nice, wide path. It’s concrete, not asphalt. Not a lot of shade, and it was pretty hot already at ~11:00 am, as expected. If you are expecting a “Florida flat” course, this isn’t it. But, again, by East TN standards it is far from hilly.

Transition

It looks like the Library parking lot is the transition area, and it’s set up with wide and easy to find entry and exits naturally. It is a terraced lot, and I’m not sure if they’ll only use the top, bottom, or both. If you’re on the bottom terrace I’d think it’s a little disadvantage because there’s slightly more hill to deal with and a longer course to cover.

Misc

For folks with kids, this is a great location. There’s a very nice park with a couple of playgrounds, splash pad, etc. They’ve marketed it that way, but it lives up to advertising. My kids had a blast playing while I was checking things out. Parking may be a bit of an issue for your supporters unless they get there early. This was a very happening spot with the locals…parking lots were pretty full. Also, I’m not sure how they’ll handle access to the majority of the parking spots at the park itself since the course cuts off access to that. More than likely, athletes arriving for the race will take those spots pretty early. With three kids under 5, the Missus is going to have a helper come with her to transport them around because there may be some hiking involved for them.

Feel free to post any questions in the comments and I’ll answer them if I can!

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Tweeking 70.3 Training Three Weeks Out

Scott — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:52:21 +0000

I’m three weeks away from my big (for me) race, and am having to make some pretty major training changes. Realistically, I know anything that happens from here out is going to have very little affect on what happens race day, provided I’m rested. “10% under trained is better than 1% over trained”.

Oh, and injuries could make a difference too. That’s the reason for the training tweek.

I pulled up with a cramp in my calf at the end of my brick on Sunday. I’d dug a nutrition/hydration hole I couldn’t get out of, and I thought that was the main cause. It was still a little tender on Tuesday, so I bailed on the run scheduled for that day and gave it a shot again for a quality run on Thursday. Pain was almost instantaneous, so I guess it wasn’t just a cramp. I’m self-diagnosing as a Grade 1.5 strain. And I’m self-treating it by taking a solid week off of running. That means I’ll miss one long run. No biggie. I still will have one more. If I have problems on that run I’m not going to push it…I’ll stop running entirely until a day or two before the race, just to test it out.

That means last night’s swim, which is one I usually take very easy, was a hard one. I really pushed to see what I could handle for a race pace, and the good news is I’ll probably be about three minutes faster than I was last time I did this distance. Shooting for 35:45.

It also means I’ll be spending a lot more time on the bike. I think I can bike enough that I won’t lose any run fitness, even if I don’t get another long one in before the race.

If all goes well, I’ll be pain free going into the race and can just manage my pace on the run to keep this from cropping back up again. Even if it becomes an issue, once I’m in the race I’ll be able to fight through it.

If this persists, well, that’s when it will get fun. If I’m going to the start line with any kind of pain at all, the race strategy will change completely for me. I will push the swim a little harder, and I will bike like the race is 57.2 miles long. Drop the hammer. Empty the tank. I’ll assume my run is already bonked and go for broke on the bike, getting every second out of it I can.

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Why Some Twitter Threats Can’t Be Taken Seriously

Scott — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:13:37 +0000

Lots of the threats documented here seem to come from people who think when a defendant makes bail means a case is closed. I’d bet the majority of these folks fall into one of the following categories.

They’ve never been charged in the criminal justice system. If they had, they’d have a lot better understanding of how it works. So they probably aren’t the “violent criminal” type, despite what they try to portray themselves as on Twitter. Eazy E said it best, “I never met an OG who never did shit wrong”.
They were too lazy to get a free education when it was placed in front of them on a silver platter. If you’re too lazy to do that, you’re probably too lazy to get off the computer long enough to engage in any sort of physical altercation with someone. This is in line with my theory that you are perfectly safe running in the dark in the early mornings, when criminals who are too lazy to work for a living probably aren’t awake.

Carry on.

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The Mermaid Trainer

Scott — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:36:40 +0000

Her: You know that trainer at the gym…super fit, dark hair?

Me: Does she live at the bottom of the pool? Then no, haven’t seen her.