Fisk Knob TT and Easter Sunday Century

Quick race report from Fisk Knob time trial that was on April 15. This race came at the end of a very long training week on the bike, totaling over 230 miles. In April, in Michigan, that's quite the feat. So, considering my mileage, I decided to ride on my friend's fixed gear bike and just enjoy the day. Great idea, medium execution. We put a brake on the bike to control downhill speed as this was a big concern. The TT course starts at the highest point in Kent County and goes straight downhill for a mile, and then has a 90 degree right turn. Was all over the brake on the way down as once I hit 28mph, as my cadence was north of 150. Once off the hill, the rolling course was rough but kept the speed up over 20 and felt pretty good. Then the wheels came off the bus. Or, make that, the chain snapped on the fixie. Day over at 4.5 miles. Strava file here. After I luckily got a ride back to the start, it was fun to watch the Cross Country Cycle guys come in. Everyone had a good race, lots of PRs, and Steve and Tim rocked the tandem. FKTT Results here.

Part of my long training week was a result of this ride. Since my family was out of town for Easter, I decided it would be a good day to get a century in. With the wind blowing 20-25mph out of the NW, it seemed logical to ride the middle 50 against the wind, and take the benefit of the tailwind home. Good decision. The last 25 miles were brutal and it was great to get home. 6 hours is an eternity to be on a bike by yourself, but it was good to get test my mental toughness this early in the year.

As the Grand Rapids 70.3 approaches, I'll be working on some shorter rides and picking up speed. In two weeks, I'll be racing the Fifth Third Riverbank 25k Run. Have some fun planned for the race, I'm looking forward to it. There will be pictures and I'm sure I'll be embarrassed!

Irish Jig 5k Race Report

Last weekend I completed my first race since IM Wisconsin 2011: an early season 5k road race. The 2012 Spectrum Health Irish Jig is a fun and popular race in Grand Rapids. Lots of green-clad runners looking to get some calories banked for a day of shenanigans. This year was even bigger since we've been experiencing this crazy warm weather. Not sure the official temp at the start, but I'm sure it was easily over 60 degrees at 9am. The last time I did this race, it was in the mid-twenties. Official results here.

I didn't have high expectations since I've been focusing on improving my weak bike legs. I did want to break the 20 minute mark again, and had some hopes of setting a PR at 19:12, given that I'd spent the previous week at 9700' in Colorado. I also wanted to get a quality run in the newton mv2's I bought at the end of last year (sweet shoes, but more on these in a minute).

Long story short, I paced myself very well in this race. The middle mile was a little slower than an ideal split, but there was a headwind and the road rolls a bit on this stretch. I picked up the tailwind on the way back for a negative split and crossed the finish line in an 18:44. A PR by 28 seconds! Very happy with how the race went, and only makes me wonder if sub-18 is possible with some track/speed work.

On to the shoes...I knew I was in trouble with these shoes at mile 2. You're supposed to train in these, not just throw them on and race. If you're not familiar with the MV2, they are a "zero-drop" shoe that weighs next to nothing. Needless to say, they are fast and efficient, but I've only been running 5-10 miles per week in my trail runners and other Newtons. Not quite the same. My calves were rocked and I was hobbling around for a few days. I'll have to incorporate some speed-work with these this year so that I can race in them without repeating my foolishness. This didn't stop me from following up the run with a nice 40 mile solo effort on the bike. Heck, if it is 85 degrees in March, you better take advantage of it!

Next race is the 5/3 Riverbank Run 25k on May 12. The biggest 25k in the US. Great race, great price. Can't go wrong with a post-race beer tent!

Giving this a shot...

Earlier this week I was surprised when I received notice from PowerBar that I had been selected to represent their Team Elite for 2012-2013. I'm beyond excited and can't wait for what lies ahead. I'll be using this space to talk about my training and nutrition, to encourage active and healthy lifestyles, and to share race reports.

A quick bit about me: I'm a 27 year-old triathlete from Grand Rapids, MI. I'm more of a distance racer than a sprinter, but that doesn't hold me back from mixing it up. My first Ironman (Wisconsin 2011) was a great accomplishment, but a crash in the weeks leading up to race day prevented me from reaching my initial goals, and subsequently has left me hungry and driven to go back attempt to qualify for Kona. I also race for a LBS, Cross Country Cycle in Holland, MI and am a member of the 616 masters water polo club.