Highlands Ranch Turkey Trot 5k

So Thanksgiving this year was my first Turkey Trot and first 5k. Yes some parts of my endurance world are not linear in the normal progression sense. Ironman before 5k would be a shining example. But I digress. After having raced the Wildcat Mountain Half Marathon, I am a fan of the Highlands Ranch Run Series. It is all very well organized, and a great value. Since we didn't have much planned for Thanksgiving anyway, the Turkey Trot seemed like a good idea.

The weather was perfect. Sunny, around 50 degrees nice and crisp. I arrived at the race around 8:30 and found some parking in the back of Shea Stadium. Race time was at 9am so I walked over to grab a t-shirt, timing chip and a goodie bag (like I said well organized for a little local race). There was a good crowd and about 1250 racers. I saw my friend Jackie and spotted my buddy Scott near the starting line. I got about 10 feet back from him. That put me about 100 people back which ended up being about right.

I had no real expectations other than close to 7:30 minute miles. The gun started us on our way and I went out feeling pretty light. I was passed by some folks and passed some others. The first half mile was gradually down hill but the next mile and a half was a gradual up. So I stayed strong and kept my pace between 6:50 and 7:50 depending on the hills. Around 2 miles I saw my friend Mark who manages the races and was running today. He said it looked to be downhill the final through the home stretch so I gave what I had and came in at 23:0 I think that is around 7:25 so not bad. I passed my friend Jackie near the end, but alas gun time and finish time can be different and she got me by about 4 seconds. Scott was in the top 20 and I was around 125 out of 1250 overall so top 10% and about 100 back from him which is where I self seeded myself. Some people don't get that I guess.

Anyway I hung around and chatted with folks for awhile and wished everybody Happy Thanksgiving. I said goodbye to Scott and his wife Jenn and headed home. Dana and I went out for a good hour and a half road bike ride. Thanksgiving was very chill, pizza and a movie.

Happy Thanksgiving and more importantly Happy Training!

Tri Obsession: Data and the Droid

It is an understatement to say that triathletes are data obsessed. For the most part we are right up there with the best of them, baseball fans, gamblers, general fans of statistics and probabilities. Triathlon for the most part generates relatively simple data points. However the volume of training and racing creates infinite environments and sets of circumstances for this data. Couple that with the ongoing to desire to improve against the always moving against us clock (both in races and as we age) there is a strong need to see lots of data and how it is progressing.



The data mainly exists in swimming as time and location (so you can calculate speed). Heart rate monitors don't work well in the water. There is no decent way to measure power. In cycling we have time, location, cadence, power and heart rate. Cycling has the holy grail of data. Running is the same as cycling sans power. Though I am hearing that accelerometers which currently determine cadence on the run will soon give power readings.





Interestingly nothing great exists for capturing all this data in a single device. Swimming just needs a stop watch assuming you know the distance you are swimming, very easy in a pool, relatively easy on a marked open water course. There are some devices that count laps and such but not a big deal. Biking has some slick power meters and cadence computers, those coupled with a good heart rate monitor provide data but it's not all easily accessible. Running is a little better since you don't need to pair a heart rate monitor.





The best product out there (which I don't own and can only report on based on my shopping research) is the Garmin Forerunner XT310. This is similar to the Garmin Forerunner 305 except it is compatibly with power meters with the ANT+ technology. However 3 major complaints on this deal. Like the 305 it is like wearing a small brick on your arm. 2 the GPS doesn't function in the water to deliver anything meaningful. Lastly it sets you back 350 bucks and you don't have the power meter (a grand) or a cadence sensor (1oo bucks for the bike and the run) and that is the price without a heart rate sensor.





Now you can go way down the spectrum to the Garmin Foreruner 50. If you buy it at Costco you get a run speed/cadence sensor, a heart rate monitor for $79.99. For $40 more bucks you can pick up the bike speed/cadence sensor. So you have a good portion of data sans power and gps for $120. This is a pretty good deal and it comes with the upload antenna for you PC too. In fact when you compare what you get here for what you don't on the higher end stuff you'll understand why I am still using it. I have Timex Ironman with a heart rate monitor, GPS, and data upload for the computer. No cadence capability (let alone power) on the run or bike and I have to wear a big GPS monitor on my arm and carry the data recorder in my pocket (though I believe Timex finally put the recorder in the watch, not so with the GPS). My wife bought me this for my birthday several years ago for several hundred dollars and it still costs this much with the GPS on your arm and data recorder in the watch. Again not much for the money. So best value in my mind the Forerunner 50 especially since it is the size of a normal watch.



http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/ci.Motorola-DROID-US-EN.alt

This brings me to my Droid phone made by Verizon/Motorola and the elephant in the room Google. The phone as is has a compass, accelerometer, GPS and level built in. If it could read a HRM and bike Power Meter it would be 99% of the way there and those two things are probably programmable since it has bluetooth and wifi. It's not waterproof and not a watch but my point is that a phone is probably already closer to the holy grail of triathlon data collection (it probably needs to store 24 hours of data too) than what the big companies in the biz, Garmin, Timex and Polar (not to mention Suunto and some others) already put out. Google also has the mapping capabilities on its website with Google Earth to allow you to visually "see" your data. Heck people are giving away an app to calc your exercise using the GPS and accelerometer already. So why doesn't somebody step up and deliver the product that triathlete's and endurance enthusiasts would gladly pay a reasonable price for? I have no idea. But I'd love to see Google shake up this market (admittedly much smaller) like it is doing in the mobile phone market along with Apple and the iPhone. Competition is good for these types of markets.





Happy Training

Rebuilding My Tri Bike

Triathlon is in fact about the bike. Over half a race is spent on the bike. For most of us the bike is a work in progress. The bike itself and our relationship with it. You get comfortable on the bike and then you make it less comfortable but faster. As your body adapts to this change you repeat the process.

I raced my first race on a mountain bike. It was a road race in Boulder and the director assured me the little charity race would have plenty of folks on mountain bikes. Being new to Colorado and not knowing really what Boulder was (aka World Class Athlete Mecca) I didn't know this was a ludicrous statement. But I wasn't prepared to buy a new bike at the time so it didn't matter too much. I suffered through my first tri but was hooked. I decided if I demonstrated a certain level of commitment to training on my mountain bike I would purchase a road bike. In the summer of 2008 I got a great deal on a Giant from Craigslist with full Ultegra components and a carbon frame. It was gently used by a mountain biker who decided it wasn't for him. Luckily we were the same size.

I rode this bike in a half Ironman in 2008 and all of my 2009 season. During the 2009 season I made 2 changes. I added aerobars and a 0 offset seatpost with the help of Bicycle Pedal R in Highlands Ranch. These changes shift you forward on the bike and make you more aerodynamic. After 2009 ended I was really itching to buy a new bike but I also try to choose my spending decisions wisely. I decided a good project would be to convert the front of my existing bike to a full tri bike which would basically give me the ability to shift in the aero position thus allowing me to stay in this position for a great portion of time. Also by changing to carbon bullhorn handlebars I would save significant weight. So I began this project and did become a little nervous that I was in over my head.

I carefully continued the recabling and installation progress and was able to add the aerobars, shifters, bullhorn and brakes with little fanfare. I went with Profile Designs Carbon Stryke and their Cobra bullhorn.

Next was the big decision and the primary reason I was going this route with my spending. I really felt I would benefit from race wheels. But a new bike and race wheels would be exorbitant. So through some research I decided to patiently look for race wheels gently used on Ebay or Craigslist. I decided I wanted Hed H3 carbon race wheels with tubular tires (versus clinchers). This would save me about 1.6 pounds from my current wheels and significantly reduce my rolling resistance. I lucked out and found a pair from a masters racer in California.

The wheels arrived and I went through the process of taping the tubulars with Tufo Extreme Tape. I added a cog from Shimano's Ultegra line to match my training wheels. And with that the mission was complete. Net monetary savings for my bike is about 60% off retail and the weight savings is approximately 2.8 pounds. That combined with improved aerodynamics and lower rolling resistance should save me around 15 watts or improve my speed by about 1.5 mph. Now it's time to ride, because at the end of the day real improvement comes through consistent training.

Happy training!

Wildcat Mountain Trail Half Marathon - Race Report

Saturday Nov 14, 2009 - I woke up for race day around 6:15. The race started at 8:30 and was 2 minutes from the house but I wanted ample time for breakfast, coffee and just to stay relaxed. It was snowing the night before so I was happy to see minimal accumulation outside as this was to be an offroad trail run. I looked outside and saw the temperature at a brisk 38F. It also would have been my Mom's 52nd birthday. She passed away when I was 16. I thought this race would be a good healthy way to celebrate her life.

I arrived over at the race around 7:45. It was pretty packed but well organized. I picked up my race packet and headed over to Southridge Rec Center to change and put my stuff in a locker. One of the big pluses of the Ranch is the Rec Centers, along with the ample trail system. After changing, taking in some EFS gel and a banana I headed back to the starting area. I was looking for my friend Scott Swaney and also Jackie Branch. Both were racing today and they happen to be very fast. Scott's a world class adventure racer (he'll laugh that I wrote that, but it is true) and Jackie is a Boston Qualifier in marathon. Anyway I found Scott (easily recognized by his ginormous calves) and we chatted near the start. I saw Jackie too and wished everybody luck. I scooted back a little from them since I didn't plan to be up too close to the front of the pack.

The start went off at 8:30 and we were off down the hill. This was the first time I ever ran a half marathon without it being at the end of a half Ironman. So I wasn't real sure on strategy but figured I should hold some back for the first half. If a few people passed me on the way out then I was probably doing it right. I felt very good from the start and my heart rate stayed in a pretty good range for me. The first 3 miles seemed mostly up hill. This was an extremely hilly race. The race organizer Mark Geibel said nobody should plan for a PR today. Anyway after the uphill we got some rolling hills and I was still feeling pretty good. I was going below 9 minute miles at this point and happy with that given the hills. I had a rough target of 1 hour 50 minutes which would be a 10 minute PR for me. I figured no swim or bike first should more than compensate for the hills.

Around mile 6 there was a big aid station with porta potties, etc. The race was incredibly well organized with aid stations every other mile and even a pretty good crown considering the temperature and general overcast day. I was still feeling good and so I started to push a little harder. I felt very relaxed and was able to stroll down the hills and muscle up the next hill. The course was relatively solid with minimal mud.

As we meandered through the remaining miles my strength held and I started to pick off people. I counted around 11 people I passed and was passed in the final mile by 2 people. So net +9 turnover ratio (a football term) on the second half and like football I guess the best defense is a good offense. The whole race was a very fun experience. I thought about my mom a lot and smiled and said hello and thank you to every volunteer I saw on the course. I finished the race in 1:52. Good enough for an 8 minute PR and 41st out of 245 people. Not bad for me at all. The hilliness and elevation of the course is probably worth about 12 minutes for me (rough estimate comparing other people's times). So my speed is coming along in the running department.

My wife Dana was at the finish line and made sure they got my name write not Benzon or Benson. We chatted with Scott, Jackie, Scott's wife Jenn and others at the finish line and waited for the awards ceremony. Congratulations to Scott, finishing 3rd in his age group...which would have been better sans his late night of watching midget wrestling, but enough for a medal. And congratulations to Jackie, winner of her age group and 2nd overall female.

Happy Birthday Mom and happy training!