Triple T 2009 – an Epic Race Report for an Epic Triathlon Weekend.

WHAT IS TRIPLE T?

Triple T consists of four triathlons of various distances over three days: Friday through Sunday, May 22-24. Here are the four races:

Race 1: Friday, May 22 5pm. 250 meter swim, 3 mile bike, 1 mile run.
Race 2: Saturday, May 23 7:30am. 1500 meter swim, 24.9 mile bike, 6.55 mile run.
Race 3: Saturday, May 23 3pm. 24.9 mile bike, 1500 meter swim, 6.55 mile run.
Race 4: Sunday, May 24 7am. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run.

The primary attraction of this race, besides the unique, challenging format, is the difficulty of the courses. The bike courses, in particular, are a non-stop barrage of hills. All four courses have a different profile, and all are extremely challenging. Though the total distance is approximately equal to an Ironman, and the distance is spread out over three days (giving athletes some chance to recover), the winning man’s time is typically 60+ minutes slower than the winning time at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawai’i.

In fact, everyone I talked to that has done both Triple T and Ironman said that Triple T is harder, due to the course difficulty and the higher intensity at which all races are contested.

PREPARING FOR THE RACE

I made a few blog posts detailing my preparation for the race. To summarize, everything was going well until I strained my back two and a half days before the race. I immediately went into damage control mode, visiting the chiropractor twice and the health center once. I was constantly icing my back and taking Aleve in an effort to keep the pain in check. I was not feeling confident heading into Friday.

FRIDAY MORNING: DRIVING TO THE RACE

After packing just about everything swim/bike/run related that I own into my car on Thursday night, I set out toward Portsmouth, but not before stopping at the chiropractor for one last massage session. It helped a little bit.

The drive to the race site would take about 4.5 hours from Bloomington, going through Cincinnati and then along the Ohio Scenic Byway until reaching Shawnee State Park in Southeastern Ohio. It was a very pretty drive along the Ohio river, and I could already tell that I was entering a very hilly part of the country.

Eventually, I got off the byway and realized that I still had about half an hour of driving on small, windy roads to reach the race site. The race was in the middle of nowhere! There was no cell reception, very few houses and no towns or stores to speak of. Pretty cool!

FRIDAY AFTERNOON: ARRIVING AT THE VENUE

I reached the race site at around 2pm. It was already very warm, in the mid-80s with very high humidity. I picked up my packet, which consisted of some really cool swag, including a singlet that all competitors were required to wear during competition.

After the brief stop at the race site, I headed up a huge, mile-long hill to the cabin at which I would be staying. I was greeted by Sheila, who I had met Sheila a few years ago when I was up in suburban Chicago more often. Sheila is 52 years old and has the energy of someone half her age. She’s also an awesome long-course triathlete and a Triple T veteran.

I also met Jostein, who is also a very accomplished triathlete from the Chicago suburbs. He is a very nice and knowledgeable guy as well, with a very cool Norwegian accent!

As I was unpacking all my stuff, Julie and Rob arrived at the cabin. Hailing from Lafayette, NY, they represented Team Kilo-Jul, and were looking to defend their Co-ed Team title from Triple T 2008. They are both super nice and easygoing, not to mention being among the best athletes at the whole race.

After preparing my nutrition bottles for Saturday’s races–450 calories of Infinit in each bottle–and icing my back (which was starting to feel a bit better), we drove from the cabin back down the big hill to the race site. I unloaded my gear from the car and headed to my transition rack, which was assigned to me based on my race number (#179).

The first thing I noticed is how awesome everyone looked in their matching Triple T jerseys. I think this helped boost everyone’s morale, as the identical jerseys represented the identical physical and emotional journey that we were all about to undertake. The jerseys immediately set the tone for the coming weekend. I wish more races would do this.

The second thing I noticed was how fit and ready everyone was. The men were all tall, thin and tanned, with huge calves and quads, with chiseled faces and 6% body fat. The women were toned and beautiful, with great legs and strong shoulders. There seemed to be proportionately more women at this race than at other triathlons, as well (maybe I was just noticing the women more, can you blame me). Never before have I seen such a collection of fit people before, and I would wager that no other race, except for Ironman Hawai’i, has such a fit field as Triple T.

The third thing I noticed was how “blingy” everyone’s bike was. It seemed like everyone there had spent more money on their bike than I had, and I haven’t exactly been a budgeteer with my bike stuff. I saw so many Cervelos, Powertaps, disc wheels, carbon fiber doo-dads and other expensive thingers. They say that you can only buy so much speed, but I had a feeling that most of these athletes had figured out exactly how much speed was possible to buy, and then went out and bought it all.

Before the start, I was happy to see my Bloomington friend Sue for the first time. Sue and I had done many workouts together last year, and we raced the local 10 mile time trials as well. Sue was looking fit and ready, and was as cheery and positive as she always is!

FRIDAY, 5PM: RACE 1 – 250m SWIM, 3M BIKE, 1M RUN

I did a short bike warm-up before this race, just to make sure that everything worked and that my back would be okay. I could feel my back when I got down into the aero position, but since today’s race had only a 3 mile bike leg, I figured I’d just deal with it and ice it a lot tonight.

I also did a short run warm-up, and felt a bit slow. I decided to pop a 200mg caffeine pill before this race to make sure I performed to my potential.

After warming up on the bike, I put my wetsuit on and headed to the start. The water was warm (70ish degrees I think), and I was in the minority of the people using a wetsuit for the short 250m swim.

The swim course is in a beautiful lake in the state park. We went off two-at-a-time in a time trial start in order of seed number. It took me about 8 minutes to start swimming after the first competitor went in the water.

I felt strong on the swim. My swim has improved a lot over the winter, thanks to a lot of hours spent in the pool over winter break and early in the spring semester. I came out of the water in just over 4 minutes, and made the 100 meter run up to transition.

The bike course was basically an out-and-back straight up the hill toward the cabin at which we were staying. This hill was about a mile long at a relatively steep grade. I immediately geared down to 34×26 (BTW, this refers to the number of teeth on the chainring and cog I was using–34 teeth on the front chainring and 26 teeth on the rear, a very “small” gear that allows me to keep a high cadence at a slow speed going uphill) and let everyone pass me. I didn’t want to “burn any matches” today, so I just took it easy up the hill.

Coming down the hill, the main goal was to stay safe. During warm-ups, I hit 40mph easily coming down the hill. I came close during the race, but there were so many cyclists on the short course that I didn’t want to take any chances. I arrived back in transition in about 14 minutes and set out on the run.

The 1 mile run course was a sampling of the full run course we’d see on Saturday and Sunday. It was a half mile out and back on the Lampback Trail. The beginning of Lampback is relatively flat, so the run was not challenging at all. I ran an 8 minute mile to cross the finish line in 29 minutes without feeling at all tired.

FRIDAY EVENING – AFTER THE RACE

After getting some food and sitting in the cool lake for a while, I ate the post-race dinner, cleaned up my stuff, chatted with Sue and Sheila some more, and headed back to the cabin, where I met my remaining two cabin-mates, Erik and Carl. These two guys are members of the UW-Madison triathlon team. I believe this was Erik’s first attempt at Triple T, while Carl was looking to repeat last year’s high placing in the Male Junior division. (The picture of Carl perfectly captures the essence of Triple T, in my opinion–beer in one hand, bottle of some nutrition concoction in the other, wearing compression socks and an Ironman shirt, while half asleep in a chair.)

Turns out, we’re all nerds. We all had a great time geeking out over triathlon stuff and other miscellaneous nerd topics. Talking shop with other triathlete geeks like me was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend.

We spent a lot of time stretching and icing ourselves, then we had had yet another meal–burgers a la Jostein off the grill. I spent a lot of time icing my back, which seemed to be helping.

As an aside: if it’s not obvious already, eating is the unofficial fourth discipline of Triple T. With so much racing taking place over 3 days, eating enough was important. When we weren’t stretching or sleeping, we were eating. No joke.

After patching up some holes in my wetsuit with Sheila’s wetsuit glue (thanks, Sheila!) and making a trip back to the race site with Jostein to look at the race results, I started prepping my stuff for the races next day. I got my nutrition in order, repacked my transition bag, cleaned my race outfit, and headed to bed very early, around 9:30pm. I couldn’t sleep, so I hung out on the porch until I got tired, which was around midnight (oops).

SATURDAY MORNING – THE REAL FUN BEGINS

We woke up just after 5am on Saturday and began to load up on breakfast. I had a peanut butter and honey sandwich, a banana and some cereal. I also took 800mg of Aleve and 200mg of caffeine. The healthy way to start the day. Everyone had their own pre-race rituals, so we all just kinda stayed out of each other’s way.

We all knew what was in store for today–two Olympic distance triathlons on two brutally difficult course, followed by an even tougher challenge tomorrow. We were fit and strong, but the apprehension and anticipation of what was to come was noticeable in the cabin.

I headed down to transition at about 6:50 and set up my stuff. I met up with Sue, who reminded me to have patience today. I reminded her not to give out obvious advice, and then reminded her to be patient today also.

SATURDAY, 7:30AM: RACE 2 – 1500m SWIM, 24.8M BIKE, 6.55M RUN

I didn’t do much of any warm-up today, as I knew I’d need to conserve energy for the races. After putting on my wetsuit, I headed down to the swim start for the 1500 meter swim.

I felt strong on the two-loop swim. I was sighting well, and keeping a fast, but controlled cadence. I was even passing some people! I even split both loops for a total time of about 27 minutes.

In transition, I pulled off my wetsuit and headed out on the bike. Immediately, the course threw a huge, long hill at us. I found myself mashing my 34×26 very quickly, and tried to stay out of the way of all of the strong people passing me. The course was almost all up or down, with few flat sections. There was one hill comparable to Boltinghouse hill here in Bloomington–very short, but incredibly steep. I climbed that one pretty much at walking pace.

The rest of the bike course was more of the same, with false flats, lots of climbing and some chip-seal roads thrown in for good measure. or the Bloomington riders, there were lots of climbs and descents comparable to Low Gap road out north of town near the Touchables. I stayed steady, didn’t burn any matches and kept on top of my nutrition. FI completed the 24.8 mile bike loop in about 90 minutes.

The run was our first real taste of the famed Lampback trail. Lampback, a hard-packed dirt and gravel trail, is slightly uphill for the first 1.5 miles, and then pitched significantly upward for an additional 1 mile, reaching a crest and then pitching steeply downhill until the turnaround at 3.275 miles. Then, we do it all again, but in reverse.

The uphills are hard because they’re so freaking steep, and the downhills are hard because of the beating the quads take when striding downhill. I use the word “ridiculous” to describe the run course.

It is also a beautiful course, with lots of drop-offs, vistas and natural wildlife. Speaking of beauty, there were also a lot of fit, attractive ladies on the course. This was good motivation to stay strong (or at least give the appearance of being strong).

Anyway, on this first attempt at the 6.55 mile run, I concentrated on maintaining a constant effort, staying hydrated, taking in nutrition in the form of PowerGels, and not beating up my quads on the downhills. With temperatures approaching 80 degrees, I would pour water on my head at every aid station, in addition to consuming as much water as I could. On the downhills, I increased my cadence, kept my arms low and pumping (to keep my legs low and steady) and concentrated on maintaining proper form. After cresting the big hill after the run turnaround, I coasted into the finish in about 64 minutes, for a total race time of just over 3 hours.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON – AFTER THE RACE

I went straight from the finish chute to the food line, where I force fed myself some pasta stuff, and then immediately went and sat in the cool water back at the swim start, to relieve the heat stress from my legs. After swapping stories with the other folks doing the same thing as me, I went back to the transition area to prep for the race later in the afternoon.

I returned to the cabin briefly for some more eating, stretching, ice and a quick power nap. I went out in search of some cell reception to call Lana, but didn’t find anything. So, I went to the nearby lodge and shot her a quick email, and then headed back to the race site for the afternoon race.

SATURDAY, 3PM: RACE 3 – 24.8M BIKE, 1500m SWIM, 6.55M RUN

When I arrived at transition around 2:20pm, it was hot. The temperature was 88 degrees with significant humidity. It was going to be tough out there.

This race marked the beginning of the “team” portion of the race, for those entered as a team. In this race and during Sunday’s race, the teams of two would start at the same time, and be allowed to draft off each other during the bike legs. Team members were required to finish together, as well, as both team members would receive the slower of the two teammates’ times.

Additionally, this race had an unusual sport order–bike/swim/run instead of swim/bike/run. This presents the small problem of putting on the wetsuit before the swim, as wetsuits are not designed to be put on easily (though they come off quite easily).

I could already notice a shift in the attitude of athletes. Everyone had their game faces on, and everyone was moving a little bit slower than 24 hours previous. No one was warming up–it was not necessary with the heat and the work done in the previous race just hours earlier.

I finished my pre-race prep, which consisted of applying lube to my *entire* wetsuit (in the hopes that it would go on easier in T1), loosening my shoes (in anticipation of my feet swelling a bit), taking 200mg of caffeine and getting my bike ready. I lined up with my bike at the start, and about 10 minutes after the first athlete was away, I set off on the bike.

Today’s run course was an out-and-back on SR 125, a challenging route with several major climbs and descents, including the two toughest single climb of the entire weekend at miles 1 and 18 respectively. One descent was actually quite dangerous, with two riders crashing out at high speed against the guardrail just minutes up the road from me.

I kept my effort in check, drank all of my Infinit, controlled the climbs and rolled into transition in 91 minutes, only slightly slower than the morning’s effort on a slightly easier course. I noticed that I was getting some creaking from my crankset, and I made a mental note to tighten my chainring bolts after the race.

T1 went really well–I got my wetsuit on quickly and headed down into the water, where I avoided the famed “race 3 cramps” that many people seem to get going from biking to swimming. My swim of 27 minutes was controlled and strong, and honestly it felt really nice to swim after getting hot and sweaty on the bike. I concentrated on sighting well and staying in a straight line, and even split the two loops of the swim.

After applying lube directly to my feet in T2, I set out on Lampback for another 6.55 mile run. I started slow, unsure of what my legs were capable of in the sweltering heat, and then pushed the pace a little bit on the last half of the run. I finished in 62 minutes, just a tad faster than the morning run.

My total race time was 3:08, about 5 minutes slower than the morning’s effort, but 3 of those minutes were taken up in transition putting on my wetsuit, so really my pacing was pretty darn close to even for the two races.

I again went straight from the finishing chute to the food line. After eating, I sat in the lake for a while again, tightened the chainring bolts on my bike and headed back to the cabin. I was actually feeling a bit chilled, even though it was still 85+ degrees outside. This made me a bit nervous, but Erik smartly reminded me that my body was probably just shunting heat away from itself continuously after the hard afternoon effort.

SATURDAY EVENING – AFTER THE RACE

After cleaning up, I made my bottles for tomorrow’s race–750 calories of Infinit in each of two bottles–and did a bunch of stretching and icing. Everyone in the cabin was doing the same thing. There was not as much chit-chat as there had been earlier. Everyone was physically and mentally tired from the long, hot grind of today’s races. Even Sheila, who is normally on crack all the time, was quietly preparing dinner and only cracking about 50% of her normal innuendo-filled wise. Every once of energy was being spent on preparing for tomorrow’s Half Ironman.

At this point, we were all getting a feel for how we were doing in terms of our competition. Julie and Rob were sitting in second place in the co-ed team division, just a few minutes out of first place. They were pretty much kicking lots of co-ed ass. Carl was *winning* the Male Junior division, and was sitting in 6th place overall! Wow! Sheila was near the top of the Female Grand Master division, as well! I was comfortably in 248th place or so.

After eating, prepping, stretching, icing, eating and hydrating, there was little left to do but sleep. We were all ready for bed at 9pm, so we all went to bed and we all slept like babies.

SUNDAY MORNING – A MENTAL CHALLENGE

We woke up at 5am on Sunday. I knew that this morning would be a mental challenge, and in a sense I was looking forward to it, but when the morning finally came I was not fully prepared for the physical and emotional sensations I’d experience. I was sore. I was tired. I was mentally exhausted. But it was time to get ready for another race, so I got out of bed and got dressed.

My stomach did not want me to eat, but I knew I had to take in some fuel. So, I ate. It was nauseating, but I ate anyway. I managed to consume my normal bowl of cereal and a PB&H sandwich before the white flag of nausea. I did some stretching in an attempt to persuade my muscles to start working properly. I took some extra Aleve and caffeine this morning, for the same reasons. I also took an Immodium A-D tablet to insure that I didn’t have any GI problems during the long, hot race today.

My cabin-mates all had the “death look” all over their faces during breakfast. No one preps for a Half Ironman by doing essentially a Half Ironman the day before! We were all tired, but knew what had to be done.

SUNDAY, 7AM: RACE 4 – 1.2M SWIM, 55.5M BIKE, 13.1M RUN

I arrived at transition only about 25 minutes in advance of the 7am start time. No one else seemed to be in a hurry to start the race, either. With much less enthusiasm than yesterday, I prepped my transition area, chatted with Sue (who was doing well and feeling as good as one can, considering) and put my wetsuit on for the swim. No one was warming up, no one wanted to waste the energy. Even the low-numbered competitors (who generally were the strongest athletes) looked tired and apprehensive.

The race finally started at about 7:15, and I was in the water by 7:25. I stayed steady on the swim, concentrating on form (not speed) and sighting correctly. I even split the two loops of the swim to finish in 37 minutes, which was a bit slower than I would have liked, but oh well. What can you do after two days of racing, anyway.

The bike today was two loops of 28 hilly, challenging miles. My goal was simply to even split the two loops without burning too many matches, to save energy for the two brutal loops of the Lampback trail. The bike course was not as physically challenging as the first two bike courses, but was much more technical, with lots of long, steady climbs and technical descents. There were no flat sections–literally everything was either up or down.

I stayed steady on the climbs and used my aerodynamic position on my tri-bike to make up some ground on the downhills. This strategy got me to the end of the first loop in about 1:50, where I picked up my second Infinit bottle, refilled my aerobottle with water, and started it all again.

This time, I pushed a bit harder, knowing that I’d have to have a higher perceived exertion to accomplish the same time on the second loop. I noticed that fewer people were passing me, though this may have been because there were fewer people on the course. I increased my effort a bit on the climbs, and continued to descend with controlled, safe aggression. I completed the second bike loop in about 1:50, 3 seconds faster than the first loop. Even bike split: accomplished. My total bike time was just over 3 hours 40 minutes.

Onto the run–this was it. All I had left had to come out at this point. After lubing up my feet, grabbing a handful of PowerGels and bidding good luck to Julie and Rob (who were starting their second run loop as I was heading out of transition), I started running. My legs felt shaky and slow, but in control, and proceeded to clock consistent 10:30 miles for the first two miles.

Nutrition-wise, I knew it would be important at this point to continue to stay on top of my nutrition, even with the race more than half over. I forced myself to eat PowerGels whenever my stomach could accept them. I also was pouring water and ice on my head at every possible opportunity.

Mile 3 was slower due to the huge hill, and I arrived at the turnaround in about 35 minutes. After nailing the last uphill of the loop and staying in control on the downhill, I arrived at the finish in 1:08.

But wait! I didn’t get to cross the damn finish line. Instead, I had to run around a stupid orange cone a mere 50 feet from the finish line, and head back out onto the run course. THAT was demoralizing.

With basically an hour to go, I knew that I had to give Lampback everything I had left. I abandoned my strategy of taking it easy on the uphills, and instead decided to burn my last matches on the uphills. I was making frequent passes at this point, and managed to crest the hill at mile 2.5 well ahead of my pace on the loop previous. I felt the pain through my quads as I dashed down the hill to the turnaround, and then again in my calves as I pushed back up the same ridiculous hill.

When I hit the crest again at mile 4, I knew that it was downhill to the finish. I set aside the pain in my quads and sprinted for home, though I don’t think a casual observer would have called it a sprint per se–9 minute miles isn’t sprinting by any definition of the word.

With half a mile to go, I could see the first signs of the transition area. With a quarter mile to go, I could see the finishing chute. In one last burst of speed, I passed one last team (of 40 year old ladies, WAY TO GO ME!) and crossed the finish line. I split the second run loop in 1:01, my fastest run split of the weekend, for a total run time of 2:09 and change, and a total race time of 6:30:26.

And was I ever happy to be done!

SUNDAY AFTERNOON – AFTER THE RACE

They draped the finisher’s medal around my neck, and handed me the finisher’s shirt. I laid on the ground for several minutes, and then got back up and waddled around aimlessly for a while. It was raining at this point, which was a welcome respite from the heat of the weekend.

I tried to eat some food, but my stomach was having none of it. No bother, I was done racing and didn’t care if I paid for it later.

I waddled back to transition and packed my stuff up. I then waddled with my stuff to the car, dropped it off, and waddled back to the finish area to watch Sue finish. Sue put in a strong performance, particularly on the run, to finish in good time shortly after me!

After all of the weekend’s festivities, I was eager to get out of there and head home. I returned to the cabin, packed up my things, swapped race stories with Julie, Rob and Carl (Team Kilo-Jul had placed second in the co-ed team division, and Carl won the Male Junior division, frickin awesome to both of them), and headed for home.

I finally found cell phone reception after driving for an hour, so I called Lana and shared with her my experiences over the course of the weekend. I also ate a huge plate of chicken at KFC, perhaps the most delicious thing I have ever eaten.

I finally arrived back home around 9:30pm, where I unpacked some stuff, including what felt like 100 pounds of stinky, smelly dirty laundry, and promptly slept for 14 hours.

REFLECTIONS

Triple T was an amazing race, in no small part thanks to the great folks at HFP racing. They put on a fantastic, top-notch event. The support on the bike and run was great, the transition area was well-organized, and the swim course was layed out so that at no time were we ever swimming straight into the sun. All kinds of little details were carefully thought out and planned for. The courses were safe and well-marked. Considering the amount we paid for FOUR races, I don’t know how they were able to afford everything they did.

I was particularly happy with my pacing throughout the weekend. I did not use a heart rate monitor or power meter. I ppaced myself solely off of my perceived exertion levels. I always felt in control of myself, and at the end I felt like I had left it all out on the course. I never had to walk on the run, and I didn’t spend any time sitting around in transition. For my first attempt at this race, I think my effort was pretty good. Considering how strong this field is, I am very happy with my mid-pack finish.

With the completion of this race, I am particularly pumped about my Ironman attempt later this season. As I mentioned earlier, most consider this race more difficult than Ironman. This gives me a huge load of confidence that I can complete Ironman in a respectable fashion.

I am satisfied with my equipment choices. Many people chose to use a road bike for this race, but I did not want to sacrifice my run ability–I run so much better off of my tri bike than my road bike. My gearing (50/34 chainrings, 11-26 cassette) was perfect for this course–the 34/26 combo was great for climbing at a high cadence, and I rarely spun out the 50/11. If I had to do it again, I may go without the disc cover on the rear wheel, but otherwise I stand by my decision to use my tri bike.

I am also satisfied with my health and nutrition. The lower back issues I had earlier during race week did not affect my race times in any substantial manner. I stayed on top of my nutrition before, during and after racing. I am particularly happy with my nutrition execution on Sunday, when ingesting nutrition was as much a mental challenge as a physical one.

Staying in the “Crack House” cabin with six other awesome geeky triathletes was the “icing on the cake” for the weekend experience. All six of my cabin-mates were super cool and super good athletes. I enjoyed the company of each and every one of them, and I hope we can stay in touch.

My final reflection is this: I will DEFINITELY be doing this race again. I’m not sure when, as Triple T is a 13 hour drive from Gainesville, but this race is just too cool to leave behind. Next time, I think I’ll try to find a teammate, as the team strategy of this race seems like something that would be interesting to explore.

Here are my times for the weekend:

RACE 1
- SWIM: 4:47 (rank: 134/345)
- T1: 1:30
- BIKE: 13:54 (rank: 254/345)
- T2: 1:00
- RUN: 8:09 (rank: 273/345)
- TOTAL TIME: 29:17 (rank: 241/345)

RACE 2
- SWIM: 27:06 (rank: 198/344)
- T1: 1:23
- BIKE: 1:30:23 (rank: 257/344)
- T2: 1:06
- RUN: 1:03:48 (rank: 283/344)
- TOTAL TIME: 3:03:44 (rank 252/344)

RACE 3
- BIKE: 1:31:46 (rank: 261/339)
- T1: 4:20
- SWIM: 28:16 (rank: 106/337)
- T2: 1:57
- RUN: 1:02:19 (rank: 213/335)
- TOTAL TIME: 3:08:35 (rank 217/335)

RACE 4:
- SWIM: 36:53 (rank: 202/324)
- T1: 1:37
- BIKE: 3:41:03 (rank: 204/314)
- T2: 1:40
- RUN: 2:09:15 (rank: 133/305)
- TOTAL TIME: 6:30:26 (rank: 160/305)

TOTAL RACE TIME: 13:12:02 (rank: 125/200, 62/79 in Male Senior division)

race photos (of me):
link

race photos (not of me):
http://davidsavoiesports.blogspot.com/
http://michaelbutcherphotos.shutterfly.com/ (pasword: hfpracing)

detailed results:
http://www.hfpracing.com/results

Triple T – Last Minute Prep Not Going as Planned.

The last few days of preparation for Triple T have not gone well. Two days ago, I spent an hour and a half cleaning my bike. Before the cleaning, I felt great. By the end of the cleaning, I could barely stand up. My lower back was cramping and I couldn’t bend over from the waist at all.

Later that day, I tried to go for an easy swim/run. By the end of the run, I was having a hard time even walking. I made it back to the apartment and spent the rest of the day on the couch.

I went to bed hoping that I could “sleep it off.” However, when I woke up yesterday, my back wasn’t any better. I started in on the pain meds–ibuprofen and Icy Hot back patches. I also paid a visit to the IU Health Center, where they x-rayed my back and confirmed that I had a muscle strain in my lower back due to overuse.

Evidently, cleaning my bike was the “straw that broke the camel’s back.” I’ve ridden approximately 7,000 miles in my current bike position, and never had any problems until now. I was very disappointed, as Triple T was in two days and I couldn’t really ride my bike at all!

When I got back from the doctor, I continued with the pain meds (switching to naproxen sodium) and started to ice my back. The ice helped a bit, and by the end of yesterday I felt somewhat better.

I woke up today and went straight to my chiropractor. He did some work on my back which helped a bit more. He recommended I go for a run this morning, and I did. The run actually felt pretty good! I returned home and continued with the ice and Aleve, which continued to help.

And, here I sit, less than 24 hours from the races. My back still hurts, though it’s less than two days ago. I did a test trainer ride for about 10 minutes just now, and though there is some pain, I’m not 100%. I have another appointment with my chiropractor tomorrow.

I’ll get through my races this weekend, I am sure of that. The biggest negative in all of this is that the last few days have been spent desperately trying to fix my back, instead of making the necessary physical and mental preparations for the event.

Additionally, I’ve missed out on possibly the coolest part of any event–the anticipation and excitement building to the race itself!

Basically, I’m disappointed that I allowed myself to get overtrained to the point where I injured myself like this. It’s frustrating and I am pissed about it. I will race this weekend, and I’m sure I’ll do fine. But it will probably hurt, and there is a very real possibility of doing even more damage to my back.

Triple T – Nerdy Tech Post.

Taper

Triple T is the first time I have actually attempted to execute a full taper for a race. Excluding the week of the race itself, the two weeks before that have seen a reduction in my training volume. Two weeks out was approximately a 15 hour week, while one week out will be approximately a 12 hour week. Race week will consist of just a few brief, relatively intenst workouts and much rest.

So far, my taper has been going well. I feel generally strong for my workouts. Motivation is a little low right now, but that generally happens when I put myself through caffeine withdrawal. Also, I haven’t had a complete rest day in a while, which can help me to regain some motivation.

Additionally, I have no distractions this week or next. Lana is out of the country (she is the most awesome, beautiful distraction a man could ever have) and work doesn’t start up again until June 8. So, it’s just me, Majel and my training.

Race week

Monday and Tuesday are light workouts with a few race pace accelerations. Wednesday is a total rest day. Thursday is a quick S/B/R tune-up and a packing day. Friday morning, I’ll drive to Portsmouth. I’m planning on arriving at the race site at around 12:30 on Friday afternoon, to unpack my stuff for the weekend and have a bit of time to de-stressify before the race starts at 5pm.

I am staying in a cabin right at the race site with my friend Sheila Crackhead Lobster Fefe Plemich and a bunch of other triathletes who I am looking forward to meeting. It should be a nice environment to concentrate on having a good race, but also have a good time!

Equipment – Swim

The main point of concern for the Triple T swim is the water temperature. The water temperature will probably be in the low 60s, which is a bit on the chilly side, though I have swam open water in colder temperatures before. I will be sure to wear two swim caps, and I will consider having light cotton gloves ready in transition for the morning races, so my wet hands don’t go numb early on during the bike.

Also, race 3 has the swim coming *after* the bike. This is awkward because I have to put on my wetsuit while I’m all sweaty. Though wetsuits are designed to come *off* quickly, they are not designed to come *on* quickly. Mine takes a good 5-10 minutes to put on properly, and requires a second person to zip me up in the back! Hopefully a volunteer will be able to zip me up as I head toward the water.

Equipment – Bike

Though the bike courses are all very hilly, I will be riding my tri bike in this race. I put in 98% of my miles on the tri bike, and it’s the bike on which I am most comfortable and fast. I have a good aero position and a steep seat angle, which helps me tremendously on the run.

According to SCIENCE I am faster if I run a disc wheel and a deep (50mm) front wheel compared to my training wheels, even with the numerous hills. My race wheels are tubulars, and so I will carry Vittoria Pit Stop and a spare tire with me during the races.

Though I am a relatively strong cyclist, I have switched my gearing so that I will have a maximum gear ratio for this race. I am running compact cranks (50×34) with an 11-26 9spd cassette. This is the setup I use in training, and I have never had any issues. Hopefully, come Sunday, the 34×26 will be small enough for me not to completely blow myself!

Equipment – Run

Nothing special here. My running shoes have about 250 miles on them, which is perfect. They’re broken in, but not falling apart. My orthotics are comfortable. I will bring my TrigerPoint gear, and work on my legs after each race. I also plan on returning to the cold lake after each race and giving my legs a nice “ice bath.”

Nutrition

When I’m not racing or sleeping, I will be concentrating mostly on eating. I have a pretty robust stomach, so I’m pretty sure I will be able to go through a lot of food over the course of the weekend. Here is my plan:

Lunch and post-race dinner on Friday will be nice and big, in a sort of carbo-load for the weekend.

Saturday breakfast will be my normal affair–cereal, bananas, a Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich and some Infinit drink mix. I will probably avoid caffeine this morning, as I don’t want to crash today.

Saturday between races I am going to try to eat some solid food, perhaps a Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich, some bananas or something else that is easy and delicious.

Before the second Saturday race, I’ll take a Caffeine pill, have some Power Gels and drink a bunch of Infinit.

After the second Saturday race, Sheila is making a huge dinner for us all. I don’t remember exactly what it is but I am going to eat it all.

Before the race on Sunday, I’ll try to have my normal affair as I did on Saturday. Hopefully I can stomach it at this point.

After the last race, anything goes. OM NOM NOM NOM.

Now, during each race, I will start my nutrition on the bike leg. I will use an aero bottle of water between my aerobars, and a bottle on my downtube with an Infinit mix. I’m gonna aim for about 450 calories during each of the olympic distance races, and 1200 calories during the half distance race.

During the beginning of the bike portion of the last race, I’ll pop one last Caffeine pill, to give me a bit of a boost on the last part of the bike and run courses.

During the run portion of each race, I’m going to grab some Power Gels as I leave T2. I’m not sure what they’ll have on the run course, and if they have gels on course I’ll just eat those. But taking in plenty of calories on the run is going to be extra important during these races.

Strategy

At Triple T, the only thing more important than nutrition is pacing. Though the total distance is approximately the same as an Ironman race, the overall intensity is higher. The course can also dictate pace, as the hills on the bike and run courses can get very steep, necessitating a higher power output at times.

Therefore, I am going to take a very conservative approach to pacing, to ensure that I don’t blow the Sunday half:

Prologue: I’m going to race this relatively hard, probably somewhere between Sprint and Olympic pace. The whole race takes less than half an hour, so it’s not too difficult to recover from.

Saturday races: I’m aiming for a pace somewhat slower than half Ironman pace for each of these races. On the bike, I will attempt to stay seated for all climbs, and coast/softpedal the downhills when possible. I am shooting for very conservative run pacing, probably closer to Ironman pace for my run splits. I want to finish each race knowing that I still have plenty of energy left.

Sunday Half Ironman: From reading other Triple T race reports, pacing goes out the window on Sunday and it becomes a Survivathlon. I’d like to avoid this, if possible. If I can successfully execute a conservative pacing approach on Saturday I should be able to hit Ironman pace for his race. The run is two loops of the Saturday run course, so my “long shot” wish is for me to negative split these two loops on Sunday, and my even “longer shot” wish is for me to go under two hours for the Sunday half marathon.

Triple T is a challenging race that rewards good preparation and strategy. I think my plan is focused, but reasonable, considering my abilities, background and schedule. Here’s to hoping that I can race this race the way I want to!

Triple T – What the Heck Is This Race??

This year, I have chosen to peak for two big events–Ironman Wisconsin (in September), and a race called “Triple T,” which is next weekend. Ironman Wisconsin is easy to explain (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run, all in one day), but I wanted to take some time to explain exactly what this “Triple T” race is.

Triple T (TTT) stands for “Team Triathlon Tour.” Think the Tour de France for triathlon. However, in addition to allowing teams of two to compete, they accept registration from individuals as well (that’s what I’m doing).

Triple T consists of four triathlons of various distances over three days–Friday through Sunday, May 22-24. Here are the four races:

Prologue: Friday, May 22 5pm. 250 meter swim, 3 mile bike, 1 mile run.
Stage 1: Saturday, May 23 7am. 1500 meter swim, 24.9 mile bike, 6.55 mile run.
Stage 2: Saturday, May 23 3pm. 24.9 mile bike, 1500 meter swim, 6.55 mile run.
Stage 3: Sunday, May 24 7am. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run.

For the teams of two, during the last two races, teammates are allowed to draft off of and receive some other kinds of assistance from each other. Since I am doing the race as an individual, I am not allowed to draft or receive assistance from any competitor at any time during the race.

The primary attraction of this race, besides the unique, challenging format, is the difficulty of the courses. The bike courses, in particular, are a non-stop barrage of hills. All four courses have a different profile, and all are extremely challenging. Though the total distance is approximately equal to an Ironman, and the distance is spread out over three days (giving athletes some chance to recover), the winning man’s time is typically 40-60 minutes slower than the winning time at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawai’i.

Triple T will be a true test of endurance, recovery, mental focus and nutrition. The best Triple T racers are the ones who can recover quickly and stomach large volumes of food before, during and after intense physical activity. Experienced TTT’ers say that waking up on Sunday is the most difficult thing to do, ever, knowing what has happened over the past two days and what is about to happen tomorrow.

Triple T takes place in Shawnee State Park in Portsmouth, Ohio. It’s in the middle of nowhere, but fortunately it’s only about a 4.5 hour drive from Bloomington. The weather tends to be cool in the mornings and hot in the afternoons, making for challenging weather conditions at both times.

I will try to post Twitter updates in between races, but no guarantees. There is limited cell reception in the State Park, so I’ll see what I can do.

I’m going to follow this post up with a very nerdy post about my race plan, tech details, nutrition strategy and other awesome things. Stay tuned.

Celebrity Apprentice Season Finale (SPOILERS).

Tonight was the season finale of Celebrity Apprentice. The remaining two contestants: Annie Duke and Joan Rivers.

This post is full of spoilers. I know that, at the time of this writing, Lana hasn’t seen the episode. So, Lana, or anyone else who hasn’t seen this episode, don’t read the rest of this post.

In case your RSS reader or whatever displays the entirety of my post in your browsing window, here are some carriage returns for you (will be deleted in a few days, apologies for the annoyance).
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Okay.

Now.

At the beginning of the season, I called it to Lana. I said, “Lana, Annie Duke is going to win the Celebrity Apprentice. She is a phenomenal game player and she doesn’t let anything bother her.”

I was partially right. She is a phenomenal game player.

There was a telling scene in the middle of tonight’s episode. Tom Green and Annie Duke were in a van and Annie was venting to Tom about how awful Joan is. Tom seemed disinterested in the conversation, and kept saying, over and over again, “Joan got under your skin, Annie.”

Tom was right. Annie Duke’s downfall was how Joan was able to rattle Annie’s cage enough to throw Annie off of her game plan down the stretch.

Up until tonight, Annie had been the better player so far in the game. She had raised more money. She had a better record as Project Manager. She had done a pretty good job of letting Joan destroy herself with her “Annie is worse than Hitler” comments.

However, Annie’s true personality came through tonight. She lost the moral high ground big time with some of the out-of-boardroom things she said about Joan. She demonstrated her ego, her self-absorbedness and her disregard for the feelings of those in her employ.

Though Annie Duke raised more money than Joan Rivers, AND played the game better than Joan Rivers, I can understand why Donald Trump picked Joan tonight:

1. Trump is not averse to playing favorites. It’s been obvious from the beginning that Trump loves Joan Rivers. He never said anything bad about her, ever!
2. Trump knew that Annie was the odds-on favorite (but not the fan favorite) to win the show.
3. Trump was looking for an excuse to pick Joan as the winner, and
4. Annie, with her conduct in tonight’s episode, combined with losing three of the five criterion for the last challenge, gave Trump this excuse.

In the end, it was an understandable decision. Joan Rivers is a fiery lady, who, at 75, has more energy than most 35 year olds (or, at least, appears to on television). She’s very loyal, and inspires loyalty from those around her. She’s also the underdog in this matchup. Everyone loves an underdog, especially when the favorite has the biggest ego in the history of television since Omarosa.

I still can’t get over the fact that Joan compared Annie to Hitler and won the whole damn show, but Annie did make a few small mistakes down the stretch. Of course, Annie played better than Joan, but it wasn’t the flawless play that she needed to overcome Joan Rivers, who, by virtue of being Joan Rivers, just needed to stay alive until the end of the show to win.

In the end, we can learn some life lessons from tonight’s Celebrity Apprentice:

1. If your boss doesn’t like you, you had better not give him any excuse whatsoever to fire you.
2. If your boss DOES like you, it’s okay to compare your co-worker to Hitler. Just make up for it by bringing in less money than your co-worker.

Miscellanea:
- Dennis Rodman is still crazy. They had to bleep him tonight. That was hilarious.
- Melissa Rivers is still crazy. She takes after the worst characteristics in her mother.
- Jesse James is more good looking than he was on the show. Did he lose weight?
- Herschell Walker is awesome. I love this guy. I wish he had won.
- Where were T-Boz and Khloe Kardashian? Bitter over their random firings in Week 8?
- Where was Natalie Gulbis? (Ahh, she was finishing T-7 at the LPGA Michelob Ultra Open! My bad, good for her.)
- Ivanka was wearing some NICE DRESSES during tonight’s show. And, by NICE, you know what I mean…
- It pained Piers so much to have to concede that Joan won tonight’s challenge. You could see it on his face that he liked Annie way more.

Job Application Difficulties – What Should I Do?

About four weeks ago, I applied for a Web Development job at a Gainesville, FL company called Grooveskark. The position looks perfect for me–I have web development experience, my academic history is a perfect fit, and the company looks like a cool place to work. I developed the required application materials and submitted my application to jobs at grooveshark dot com on April 16.

I have since received no correspondence from them. None. Nothing.

First, I tried sending a follow-up email. No dice.

Next, I tried calling their office. I simply wanted confirmation that they had received my materials and were considering my application. Each time, I spoke to the same operator.

The first time, she took my info and promised to give it to someone who could answer my question. The second time (the next day), she sounded irritated that I called so soon and told me that the guy I need is very busy, but he would call me back eventually. The third time I called (one week later), she reiterated that he was very busy, and suggested that maybe Grooveshark was not hiring at this time. This is in direct conflict with the information posted on the website.

I have since tried sending follow-up emails through the “contact” section of their website (I sent emails to HR reps and to a few Web Developers), but I have not gotten any replies.

It feels like I’m getting the run-around from Grooveshark. If they’re not hiring, fine. If they’re considering my application, fine. I really just want a straight answer from them, not the whimsical postulations of a telephone operator.

The main reason I’m posting this, however, is not to call Grooveshark to task, though if someone at Grooveshark reads this, I would be happy to discuss this issue (along with my employment application) at your convenience.

I want to know from you guys–what should I do next? Should I escalate the issue by attempting to contact the higher-ups at the company? Should I wait a few weeks/months until things are “less busy?” Should I do nothing at all? Any advice would be appreciated.

Top 10 Star Trek: DS9 Episodes (May 2009 Version).

My recent post of my Top 10 TNG episodes seems to have gotten a bunch of hits, so I figured I’d go ahead and compile my DS9 list for your enjoyment!

10. Take Me Out to the Holosuite
“When Captain Solok of the Federation starship T’Kumbra challenges former classmate Sisko and his crew to a game of baseball, Sisko refuses to lose and begins to take the game too seriously.”

I’m going to start my list off with an episode that doesn’t make most DS9 Top 10 lists. And from a certain vantage point, I can understand that. However, the timing of this episode (in the middle of the Dominion War story-arc) enhanced the entertainment factor for me. Also, I’m a sucker for poorly done sports episodes on syndicated television!

9. The Quickening
“Dr. Bashir works to rid a planet of a plague that was sent by the Dominion as punishment for resistance.”

Early in DS9, Bashir was a character that had lost his way. He was not well-liked and kind of annoying. This late season 4 episode marks the completion of Bashir’s transformation into a much more interesting character. The plot twist at the end is very Trekky, as well.

8. The Sound of Her Voice
“The Defiant receives a distress call from a Starfleet captain stranded on an inhospitable planet.”

Another perhaps controversial pick, I can’t get enough of Debra Wilson’s performance in this episode. Additionally, the way the main characters interact with her is very well done and captivating.

7. The Siege of AR-558
“During a supply run to AR-558, Sisko finds the defending Starfleet unit with over two thirds of the troops dead and the remaining soldiers morale to be extremely low. When the Defiant comes under attack, Sisko, Bashir, Dax, Nog, and Quark are forced to remain on the planet, which is about to come under attack by a much larger contingent of Jem’Hadar soldiers.”

This very dark episode illustrates just how awful the Dominion war is becoming. It contains some great work by the two Ferengi leads, Armin Shimmerman and Aron Eisenberg. The guest actors that play the isolated Federation officers are excellent, as well.

6. Duet
“After a Cardassian man arrives on the station suffering from an illness that he could only have contracted at a Bajoran labor camp during the Occupation, Major Kira leads an investigation to determine whether he is actually a notorious war criminal.”

The only episode from seasons 1,2 or 3 to make my list (that’s what happens when the Trek writers have to split their efforts between two shows*), the interplay between Kira and Maritza is so well done. The plot twist at the end, though not entirely unexpected, makes a very strong statement that DS9 has no intentions of being “goody two shoes” in the way that TNG sometimes was.

*Only one TNG episode from seasons 6 or 7 made my Top 10 TNG list, either. Seasons 6 and 7 of TNG ran concurrently with Seasons 1 and 2 of DS9.

5. What You Leave Behind
“In this final adventure, the Federation Alliance prepares a final invasion of Cardassia. Meanwhile on Bajor, Kai Winn releases the Pah-wraiths from the Fire Caves which threatens the safety of not only Bajor, but the entire Alpha Quadrant.”

The series finale of DS9 saw the defeat of the Dominion and the return of Odo to the Great Link and Sisko to the Prophets. None of these plot events were unexpected, but all were very well done. Salome Jens as the Female Changeling was consistently amazing in her role throughout the Dominion War story arc. What You Leave Behind has just the right amount of conclusion and just the right amount of open-endedness for a series finale.

4. Far Beyond the Stars
“Experiencing a vision from the Prophets, Sisko sees himself as Benny Russell, a science-fiction writer in the 1950s, who struggles with civil rights and inequality when he writes the story of Captain Benjamin Sisko, a black commander of a futuristic space station.”

AVERY BROOKS IS FUCKING AMAZING.

3. In the Pale Moonlight
“Sick of the losses the Federation is taking in the war, Sisko enlists Garak’s help to persuade the Romulans to join the Federation against the Dominion. Sisko soon learns that, to save the Federation, he must abandon the values it stands for.”

This is, without a doubt, the darkest Star Trek episode ever made. In any series. The writing and direction are some of the best in Trek history. Andrew J. Robinson as Garak has some great moments, as well. Sisko’s dilemma and the way he handles it illustrates just how far DS9 has come from the days of Captain “Moral High Ground At All Costs” Picard.

2. Trials and Tribble-ations
“When Temporal Investigations arrives on Deep Space 9, Sisko recounts how he and the crew of the Defiant traveled back in time to the 23rd century to prevent the assassination of Captain James T. Kirk during the original Enterprise’s mission to Space Station K-7.”

What a freakin cool episode. DS9 goes back in time to explain the events surrounding the rather mediocre (but way-too-well-known) TOS episode “The Trouble with Tribbles.” When you see Sisko talking with Kirk, even though you know it’s all done with fancy schmancy computer illusions and post-production trickery, you still want to geek out all over yourself.

Now, many of you will disagree with my #2 pick on my top 10 list. That’s fine. I’m a sucker for the silly, entertaining episodes (see #10). However, there’s little argument against my #1 pick:

1. The Visitor
“After a freak accident in the engine room of the Defiant apparently claims the life of Benjamin Sisko, Jake lives out his life in an endless quest to locate his father.”

This is the best episode of Star Trek ever created. Sharing many parallels with my TNG favorite, “The Inner Light,” this episode illustrates a journey through time that ends in both heartbreak and happiness. Jake’s journey to find his dad illustrates just how powerful the relationship between Jake and Benjamin is. That relationship is, in many ways, the backbone of the whole series.

Tony Todd (aka Kurn from TNG, aka the Candyman from “The Candyman”) delivers the finest guest acting performance in all of DS9, and arguably all of Trek.

The plot devices used in this episode are quintessential Trek. I mean, Jake as the “elastic” that is connecting Benjamin back to the real world??? Awesome!!

There is no doubt in my mind that, even though most of the episode is the Avery Brooks/Tony Todd show*, not only is this the finest DS9 episode ever, it’s the best episode of Trek, period. (And I’ve watched them all.)

*A certain Father of mine believes that, because the main actor in this episode is a guest actor, that somehow that precludes this episode from being the best ever. Hogwash, I say. Guess what made Yesterday’s Enterprise good? That’s right, Denise Crosby.

Honorable Mentions:
Second Skin
Necessary Evil
Past Tense
Little Green Men
Children of Time (added 08/2009)
Wrongs Darker than Death or Night
Rapture

So I Just Got the Illini Triathlon Results in my Email,

and it turns out that I didn’t do that bad actually! I got 38th place out of 300 finishers, and 8th in my age group out of 63. It seems that everyone had problems with the bike, not just me. Only a handful of folks broke 30 minutes (22mph) for the 11 mile bike course, which is unusual. My run was a little weak compared to the field, and my swim was about what I expected.

After sleeping for 11 hours last night, I did a nice long brick (bike/run) workout today–83 miles in 5 hours, and then 3.4 in 30 minutes, with a slightly modified bike position from the race. It felt a lot more powerful, and it’s probably just as aero. The only soreness I have in this position is that my neck gets sore after about three hours, due to my low aero position. My run felt good off the bike, as well.

I think the extra sleep I got last night really helped my workout today. I’ll have to really try to get more sleep this summer, to maximize the quality of my workouts in my build toward Ironman.

I’m going to take tomorrow off (or do an easy swim if I feel good after work) and see how I feel on Tuesday, and make a determination as to whether or not I’m going to race on Saturday.

RACE REPORT: Sprint Triathlon, Champaign, IL.

I raced a triathlon in Champaign, IL today. It was a sprint race with a 300 meter pool swim (with racers going off in 10-second intervals), an 11 mile bike and a 3 mile run. The weather was around 50 degrees and sunny–a bit nipply on the bike, but nice for the run.

The race organizers only anticipated about 100 racers, but there ended up being over 350 participants! This created some long lines at registration, a cramped transition area, and a crowded course for the MOPers. All in all, the race organizers did well to manage the race though, especially since this was the race’s inaugural running!

My swim felt great. I gave the race organizers an “anticipated swim time” of 4:59, so that they could seed me appropriately. I ended up checking my watch as I was climbing out of the pool, and sure enough, it said 4:59 right on the nose! Haha, I am awesome.

I felt sluggish on the bike. The course was very technical with a lot of turns and crappy holes in the pavement. There were some small rollers and false flats, as well. I couldn’t get into a rhythm at all during the 11 mile ride, and I couldn’t keep my power output up. Oh well.

Onto the run, I felt a bit better, but still not super. I had to pee, but since it’s a sprint I just held it. My time was about average for 3 miles for me, but on a good day I could have gone 30 seconds faster. We ran through the U of I quad, which was interesting because there were approximately 1,456 high school students wearing groups of identical shirts parading around the quad. I’m sure they thought we were cool, running around them in our vibrantly colored Spandex suits.

I crossed the line in about 1:02, missing my goal of breaking an hour in this race. I gave it my all, but I was still dissappointed that my “all” today was less than what it should have been.

All in all, I think a number of factors contributed to my lackluster performance today:

1. I have a bunch of built-up fatigue in my system, both from training and from the stress of the end of the school semester. This was most noticeable on the bike, when my legs simply wouldn’t output like I wanted them too. I am going to tweak my bike position ever-so-slightly (moving the seat back a bit) to give me more power, we’ll see if that “band-aid” helps or not.

2. The long lines at registration prevented me from doing a proper warm-up. By the time I got through the lines, got my area set up, and visited the bathroom, it was 15 minutes until 8am, the supposed start of the race. I only had time for a quick jog and a few laps of the 50m pool before I had to get in line for the start. However, I could have avoided this problem by arriving at the race site earlier..

3. I did not eat properly before the race. I had my normal breakfast at home, but then the three hour car ride before the race left me hungry at the start line. I thought I had consumed enough calories of my Infinit mix during the 30-45 minutes before the race, but I guess I was wrong. In the future, I will need to eat more before the race.

4. I still need to lose weight. I think I’m on the right track here, but I really still need to turn about 5 pounds of fat into muscle and lose another few pounds of fat to have the optimal body composition for long-course racing.

I am considering skipping the race I had planned for next week (a sprint tri in Mattoon, IL) to concentrate on recovering for my A race, Triple T, in three weeks. If my performance today is any indication, I could use some recovery and reduction in overall training volume in the next few weeks.

Swim: 5:00:00
T1: 1:30ish
Bike: 31:38
T2: 1:30ish
Run: 22:18
Total: 1:01:56

Top 10 Star Trek: TNG Episodes (May 2009 version).

10. The Offspring
“Data attracts new scrutiny from Starfleet when he decides to build a child.”

Data’s right to procreate is called into question in this episode. Data’s humanity reaches a peak in this episode, and it’s very emotional to watch. The climax, where Data’s daughter Lal is unable to be salvaged, is a great scene, though perhaps containing some over-the-top writing.

9. I, Borg
“The discovery of an injured adolescent Borg brings to the surface hard feelings for both Captain Picard and Guinan for what the Borg Collective had done to them. Matters are complicated when plans to use the young drone to destroy his people are halted when it is discovered that the Borg has become an individual.”

This episode is such an interesting take on the Borg, which hadn’t been on TNG since The Best of Both Worlds. The way the crew deals with their prejudice against the Borg, and considers using Hugh to (possibly) destroy the Borg, is top-notch.

8. Darmok
“Picard is captured, then trapped on a planet with an alien captain who speaks a metaphorical language incompatible with the universal translator. They must learn to communicate with each other before the beast of the planet overwhelms them.”

The idea behind this episode, of a species that communicates solely by metaphor, though having some inconsistencies (if they only communicate by metaphor, how do they learn the material upon which the metaphor is based??), it’s a very well-done and touching episode. The actor playing the opposing captain is fantastic (awesome guest stars is a recurring theme on this list, by the way).

7. Lower Decks
“Junior officers speculate on the reasons for recent unusual actions taken by the command crew near the Cardassian border.”

The only episode from season 7 to make my list, this is a particularly unique episode, in that the main characters in this episode are junior officers. Of particular interest in this episode is that the “normal” main characters seem almost God-like at times in this episode. Great writing and guest acting.

6. The Measure of a Man
“The Enterprise must defend Data’s status when Starfleet demands his reassignment for study.”

Another Data episode makes my list. This time, Data proves that he has all the rights of a living being, including the right to choose to reject an assignment that may disfigure him. A profound episode in all of the Trek world, “Measure” says a lot about Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future.

5. Relics
“The Enterprise discovers a ship that crashed on a Dyson Sphere more than 75 years ago with a single survivor suspended in the transporter buffer: Captain Montgomery Scott.”

Simply put, James Doohan as Scott is absolutely fantastic. Great writing and an interesting plot. How fantastic that Doohan was able to join the cast of TNG even for just one episode.

4. The Drumhead
“An overzealous Starfleet admiral begins a witch-hunt aboard the Enterprise to find a conspiracy, eventually accusing Captain Picard of treason.”

The high-brow topic addressed in this episode (conspiracies, witch-hunts and how we choose to react to them) is very well done. One of Patrick Stewart’s finest TNG performances, in my opinion.

Okay, now, the top three episodes are pretty easy. However, the order of the last three is something I change on a regular basis. Today, I give you the following list:

3. The Best of Both Worlds
“The Enterprise intercepts a Borg cube heading directly towards Earth. Unable to affect the Borg, Captain Picard is captured and assimilated into the collective.”

The Borg are simply the greatest enemy ever, and the assimilation of Picard at the end of the first part is the best plot twist ever. Fantastic episode.

2. Yesterday’s Enterprise
“A temporal rift opens, and the USS Enterprise-C emerges, changing the timeline into a reality where the Federation is in a bitter war with the Klingon Empire. The only one on USS Enterprise-D that realizes that something is not right is Guinan, and she must help return the Enterprise-C to its proper time in order to save themselves.”

Denise Crosby returns for her greatest Trek performance ever. Whoopi Goldberg delivers her best Guinan performance. These combined with the best (least full-of-holes_ time-travel plot ever in Trek result in a stellar show. I could go on and on about how awesome this episode is. However, in terms of emotional impact, it is a close second to:

1. The Inner Light
“An alien probe controls and disables Captain Picard, who wakes up as “Kamin,” a resident of the planet Kataan. While the crew of the Enterprise tries to jar the probe’s influence, “Kamin” lives through the dying days of his homeworld.”

For a while, I didn’t think this episode was as good as Yesterday’s Enterprise or BoBW. However, each time I watch it, it gets better and better. The story of Picard living a whole another life in the span of 30 minutes is just so heart-wrenching that I can’t help put this at the top of my list. Of course, the one-man-show by Patrick Stewart never gets old either.

Part of this episode’s beauty is that, aside from a brief mention in the episode “Lessons,” we never hear any more about Picard’s experience in this second lifetime. We as the viewers can only speculate as to what’s going on inside of Picard for the rest of the series. It had to have been a gut-churning thing for Picard to live a full lifetime, and then to have it pulled out from under his feet at the very end. That’s not something from which you can just push aside and go on with your life

The episode is much, much more than the 43 minutes of television we get. It’s the most emotionally deep and profound episode that TNG ever did, and possibly in all of Star Trek.

Honorable Mentions (in chronological order):
Where No One Has Gone Before
A Matter of Honor
The Defector
Who Watches The Watchers
Redemption
Disaster
Time’s Arrow
Chain of Command
Tapestry

What a Day!

It has been a very busy, but very nice day. The first thing I did was teach my normal Friday morning section of i310. Being the last class of the semester, naturally half the class did not show up (which was fine, because the head instructor made today’s section optional), but the other half seemed engaged in what we were doing.

After class, I headed over to the Informatics building to get ready for my Capstone presentation. When the time came, I felt ready to go, and I think I did a pretty good job! I was glad that people actually attended! And I was super happy that my parents were able to Skype in from Switzerland to watch my presentation!

When Lana and I returned home, we went on tandem bike ride, and even managed to get home before the weather got kinda shady! Lana is getting very strong on the back of the bike–I can feel her strength especially when we go up hills and into the wind. In turn, I am getting better at balancing the bike, at controlling the bike around turns, and at dealing with traffic (with Lana’s assistance at times).

After a quick run, I am now turning my focus to my race tomorrow. I’m doing a sprint tri (300m, 11mi, 3mi s/b/r) in Champaign, IL on the U of I campus. Hopefully I’ll do well in the race and see a few friends from U of I at the same time!

After this weekend, THANKFULLY it’s taper time for Triple T. I’m doing a full taper for the first time ever, so I have high hopes for the race. Triple T is on May 22-24 (I’ll post more about what exactly Triple T is at a later date).