Pretty typical weather for Boise this week, hot and dry with temps in the low to mid 90s. I hit the track on Tuesday morning for some of the fast stuff. The goal was one mile about 10K pace, 4x400, and finishing it off with another mile at around 5K pace. First mile went fairly slowly in 5:51, four quarters in 83, 81, 80 and 79. After that, I called it a morning and cooled down, as I just wasn't feeling it. I'll chalk it up to the past weekend's triathlon.
After an easy 5 on Weds. at lunch, I followed it up with Thursday morning hills, about 7 in the Highlands neighborhood north of town. Still felt a bit sluggish, but I sometimes expect that with an early wake up call.
I'm hoping for a good long run and ride sometime this weekend; maybe I can motivate myself to wake up early enough to beat the heat. Sunday it's off to Anaheim, CA for a conference, to return Weds. night. I've tried to scout out places to run in the Disney vicinity, but it's proving tough. Unless, that is, the surrounding parking lots have unusually pleasant scenery.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Emmett Triathlon
The nickname "Most Excellent" aptly describes my first triathlon of the year this past weekend.
This was my first triathlon as a Boise resident last year, when I finished 6th overall and somehow was able to not only win my age group (a rarity for me) but also win the prime for fastest overall run (a once in a lifetime rarity for me). At any rate, I knew the competition would be tougher this year, especially with my lack of time on the bike. But I knew my run fitness was quite good and I hadn't lost too much in the swim, so I thought a good race was quite possible.
My good buddy Brett from Portland, OR was in town for work this weekend and he was able to squeak in registration in the last hour. We headed up to Emmett (about 35 minutes north of Boise), parked at T2 (separate transition zones) and used the eight miles to T1 as a nice bike warm up. The air temperature was probably in the low 70s with threatening clouds, a bit warmer than last year. It did rain on us briefly, an unusual occurrence in SE Idaho for August. A brief wait for all of the buses to arrive, and we were off with a cannon shot!
I found clear water pretty quickly and used some random toes to guide me to the turn around. Water temp was quite nice, probably low to mid 70s, enough for a wetsuit, but there was no chance of overheating. I kept a nice, steady stroke on the last half of the slightly downstream portion and was able to finish in about 22:30 for the 1500m. Slightly faster than last year, but I think it may have been just a tad short.
Onto the bike, with a slow transition out of the wetsuit, when those insulating properties tend to conspire against me. This is by a good margin my weakest leg, so I just tried not to look too foolish for the nearly 25 mile ride. I expect folks to pass me, except on the uphills when I tend to be disproportionately strong compared to the flats and downs. The course is pretty flat with a couple of little climbs and a net downhill into downtown Emmett. Again, slightly faster than last year with a 1:08, or about a 22 mph average.
Now the run, where I tend to gain ground. The course is about as flat as you can get, but it is exposed with precious little shade and two laps around the Gem County sports complex, so the warm temps made for some slow times. I started out feeling a bit tired with the first couple miles around 6:15 or so. Fortunately I was able to hold that pace for the 10K and finish in about 39 minutes for a total time in the high 2:13s.
The kicker: I went from 6th overall last year to 16th this year with a faster time. I still managed to win my age group, though I would have been out of the top three in both the one ahead and the one behind. I felt like I had a good race, but most importantly I had fun. I feel like my desire to compete in triathlons has diminished over the years (15 years total since my first), but I get to racing and the familiar feelings return. There's one in Twin Falls next month which I am giving strong consideration to...
This was my first triathlon as a Boise resident last year, when I finished 6th overall and somehow was able to not only win my age group (a rarity for me) but also win the prime for fastest overall run (a once in a lifetime rarity for me). At any rate, I knew the competition would be tougher this year, especially with my lack of time on the bike. But I knew my run fitness was quite good and I hadn't lost too much in the swim, so I thought a good race was quite possible.
My good buddy Brett from Portland, OR was in town for work this weekend and he was able to squeak in registration in the last hour. We headed up to Emmett (about 35 minutes north of Boise), parked at T2 (separate transition zones) and used the eight miles to T1 as a nice bike warm up. The air temperature was probably in the low 70s with threatening clouds, a bit warmer than last year. It did rain on us briefly, an unusual occurrence in SE Idaho for August. A brief wait for all of the buses to arrive, and we were off with a cannon shot!
I found clear water pretty quickly and used some random toes to guide me to the turn around. Water temp was quite nice, probably low to mid 70s, enough for a wetsuit, but there was no chance of overheating. I kept a nice, steady stroke on the last half of the slightly downstream portion and was able to finish in about 22:30 for the 1500m. Slightly faster than last year, but I think it may have been just a tad short.
Onto the bike, with a slow transition out of the wetsuit, when those insulating properties tend to conspire against me. This is by a good margin my weakest leg, so I just tried not to look too foolish for the nearly 25 mile ride. I expect folks to pass me, except on the uphills when I tend to be disproportionately strong compared to the flats and downs. The course is pretty flat with a couple of little climbs and a net downhill into downtown Emmett. Again, slightly faster than last year with a 1:08, or about a 22 mph average.
Now the run, where I tend to gain ground. The course is about as flat as you can get, but it is exposed with precious little shade and two laps around the Gem County sports complex, so the warm temps made for some slow times. I started out feeling a bit tired with the first couple miles around 6:15 or so. Fortunately I was able to hold that pace for the 10K and finish in about 39 minutes for a total time in the high 2:13s.
The kicker: I went from 6th overall last year to 16th this year with a faster time. I still managed to win my age group, though I would have been out of the top three in both the one ahead and the one behind. I felt like I had a good race, but most importantly I had fun. I feel like my desire to compete in triathlons has diminished over the years (15 years total since my first), but I get to racing and the familiar feelings return. There's one in Twin Falls next month which I am giving strong consideration to...
Friday, August 8, 2008
The Olympics - Five Words/Phrases/People I'm Already Tired Of
With the quadrennial opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games tonight (or, rather, today), there are a number of items that have really become old quite quickly. Make no mistake, I truly enjoy the Olympics, the competition, the so-called human interest. But the intense scrutiny behind the larger "stories" sometimes wears thin. In no particular order:
1. China's "Bird's Nest" Stadium
Well, it is a stadium, and it is rather ugly. It doesn't look like a bird's nest, it looks like an Erector Set gone crazy. Plus I just can't seem to find a picture of it that doesn't have massive numbers of soldiers next to it.
2. China's "Coming Out" Party
This phrase seems to be used every four years for (insert city here). I'm rather familiar with China: we give them money, they give us stuff. Well worn phrase doesn't quite go far enough.
3. Michael Phelps
Look, this guy is a super fast swimmer, one of the greatest ever (size 26 feet help). But this obsession with gold medals and the "most ever" and "greatest Olympian of all time" is tiresome. Look at where this sort of hype got Marion Jones...
4. Smog/Pollution
Hey, guess what, Beijing is polluted, I'm shocked. Everyone deals with the same conditions, but in a country with some of the smoggiest cities in the world, did anyone really think the Chinese could mimic cool, alpine air and mountain breezes?
5. China's Human Rights Record
It's pretty miserable, for sure. But is this really a surprise? In a one party system of government, there's just one way of doing business. Maybe the Olympics will help, but forgive me if I remain skeptical. 2500 years of history tend to speak otherwise.
Citius, Altius, Fortius...
1. China's "Bird's Nest" Stadium
Well, it is a stadium, and it is rather ugly. It doesn't look like a bird's nest, it looks like an Erector Set gone crazy. Plus I just can't seem to find a picture of it that doesn't have massive numbers of soldiers next to it.
2. China's "Coming Out" Party
This phrase seems to be used every four years for (insert city here). I'm rather familiar with China: we give them money, they give us stuff. Well worn phrase doesn't quite go far enough.
3. Michael Phelps
Look, this guy is a super fast swimmer, one of the greatest ever (size 26 feet help). But this obsession with gold medals and the "most ever" and "greatest Olympian of all time" is tiresome. Look at where this sort of hype got Marion Jones...
4. Smog/Pollution
Hey, guess what, Beijing is polluted, I'm shocked. Everyone deals with the same conditions, but in a country with some of the smoggiest cities in the world, did anyone really think the Chinese could mimic cool, alpine air and mountain breezes?
5. China's Human Rights Record
It's pretty miserable, for sure. But is this really a surprise? In a one party system of government, there's just one way of doing business. Maybe the Olympics will help, but forgive me if I remain skeptical. 2500 years of history tend to speak otherwise.
Citius, Altius, Fortius...
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The Track
I have a certain love/hate relationship with the track.
It goes back to the days of high school track, of course, when lung-searing intervals were the norm. But there is still something primal about hitting the oval. Maybe it is memories of my somewhat faster days, maybe it is something in my mind that flips the metaphorical switch and sets me at a speed that is faster than I would do anywhere else. The benefits to fitness, of course, can't be ignored.
Tuesday morning is speed time, usually nice and cool here in Boise before things heat up. I can often find like-minded individuals to join me; today I was by myself. There were others doing their thing on the rubber, but they seemed to have their own agenda.
After a two mile warm-up, the task for the day was 4x1200 at just over 5K pace. The first is always the most uncomfortable and almost always the slowest; at 4:18, that would indeed be the case today. One lap recovery, ready again. 4:17, 4:15 and 4:13 followed, so the progression was in the right direction. Two mile cool down, and the total for the day was about 8.5 miles.
The Emmett Triathlon is this weekend, my first of the year. The proximity to Boise makes this race a must do. Plus, I won my entry fee back last year for having the fastest overall run split! I sure won't count on that happening again, but it sure felt good at the time (somehow, it still does)!
It goes back to the days of high school track, of course, when lung-searing intervals were the norm. But there is still something primal about hitting the oval. Maybe it is memories of my somewhat faster days, maybe it is something in my mind that flips the metaphorical switch and sets me at a speed that is faster than I would do anywhere else. The benefits to fitness, of course, can't be ignored.
Tuesday morning is speed time, usually nice and cool here in Boise before things heat up. I can often find like-minded individuals to join me; today I was by myself. There were others doing their thing on the rubber, but they seemed to have their own agenda.
After a two mile warm-up, the task for the day was 4x1200 at just over 5K pace. The first is always the most uncomfortable and almost always the slowest; at 4:18, that would indeed be the case today. One lap recovery, ready again. 4:17, 4:15 and 4:13 followed, so the progression was in the right direction. Two mile cool down, and the total for the day was about 8.5 miles.
The Emmett Triathlon is this weekend, my first of the year. The proximity to Boise makes this race a must do. Plus, I won my entry fee back last year for having the fastest overall run split! I sure won't count on that happening again, but it sure felt good at the time (somehow, it still does)!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
