Ocean Swim School

I did open water swim training yesterday.

In 90 minutes yesterday we got more practical triathlon swim experience than in my first 6 years of triathlon.  During most of my years of triathlon, I would only experience the chaotic start of a triathlon maybe 2x per year.  Yesterday our group kept racing from the beach into the surf and battling the crowd and the current around buoys, interval after interval.  I wish I had done this years ago. 

Niijima Triathlon 2010

Bicycle training is apparently not necessary in order to achieve a respectable Olympic Distance triathlon time.  I finished the Niijima triathlon this weekend in 2:31:23 despite essentially zero training on my bike.  

I finished the course 3 minutes slower than last year: 

             2010                           2009

Swim  26:09   (58^th)      26:28  (93rd)         

Bike  1:24:49 (100^th)   1:22:05 (76th)  

Run    40:25   (8^th)         39:42 (4th)

Total  2:31:23 (44^th)    2:28:15 (39th)

* 44th out of 242  /  39th out of 170 finishers

Going into the weekend I was very stressed about my lack of bike training. Though maybe I was even more stressed about sleeping in the bowels of a boat and then waking up and doing a triathlon swim in the cold Pacific Ocean. 

 The boat turned out to be a charming adventure again this year though - there is something inherently exotic about embarking on an overnight boat trip to a remote island with 21 fellow athletes.  And the triathlon went well -  

Swim - The ocean water was really, really cold.  The first moment jumping into the water was not at all pleasant.  But as usual the worst part was the anticipation of the cold water.  Once we started swimming, the water temperature was simply a non-issue.  Still I struggled at the start 

making the adjustment from a winter of training in a

 calm, warm swimming pool.  My first lap was 13:15, while my second was 12:45 as I got into a rhythm and I begun passing other swimmers.  My time is only 19 seconds faster than last year, but I think I did swim much faster as indicated by my much higher place this year.   

Bike - I thought I was in really big trouble when after only 500 meters of cycling my muscles started screaming with surprise.  What an unfamiliar activity.  But somehow the long-term muscle memory from decades of bicycling across the

 United States and around Seattle and San Francisco kicked

 in a bit. I was able to ride in my aero bars and push the bigger gears for a good percentage of the rolling course and enjoyed the sunshine and scenery.

Run – The lack of bicycle training seemed to manifest itself more once the ride was over and I started running. The uphill coming out of the bike to run transition was an ordeal. I could see teammates ahead of me on the turnaround sections, but I just did not have the strength this year to make up the huge lead they had established.

Though my Niijima time was "respectable" considering my lack of bicycle training, I do hope to improve on this by mid-summer.  

Fuji Susono 2010

Every May I run the Fuji Susono Half-marathon.  For some reason, that is not entirely clear to me, I am the organizer of this event and in charge of coordinating the overnight adventures for 25 or so teammates.  I am generally pretty good at planning travel, but in Japan everything is inscrutable to me, and I have been out of the country for weeks, so the activities are a bit chaotic.  Fortunately my teammate Chiba-san is amazingly organized and diligent and it turns out to be a great little weekend trip with a nice express train journey to the sprawling resort situated on the side of Mount Fuji.  We enjoy singing and dancing and feasting and skating and lots of family activities.

The race itself is a bit of an ordeal (for me anyway).  The course climbs for the first 5k, then it rolls up and down for the next 11k before dropping back down over the final 5k.  I feel reasonably good through about 10k but then start to run out of energy -

5k      -   21:05

10k    -   40:02
15k    -   60:20
21.1k -   83:21

Compare my times over the past 3 years at this course -

2008 - 1:20:18
2009 - 1:25:03
2010 - 1:23:21

I just could not stride out on the final 4k downhill section and make up for the slower uphill start like I did back in 2008.  Maybe it was the fatigue from recent travel and stress, or maybe just mental weakness (or maybe the basketball shorts I raced in).  I felt completely drained at the completion of the run and was passed by 3-4 people over the final 5k (in contrast to most of my recent races where I have managed to pass competitors the entire race).  Still I was able to enjoy a 5th place podium finish and the nice weekend. 

Jeju Ultramarathon

I was irrationally distressed about letting 18,000 JAL award miles expire on March 31. When I learned that the organizers of the Jeju Ultramarathon were offering my team free race registration and 2-nights of free hotel accommodations and I could journey to this South Korean island for next to nothing I was ecstatic.

There was just one catch - I had to run 50-kilometers.

50 kilometers is a long distance to run for me. (I know, I know, it is long for most people to run). In my case I have been doing 10k/half-marathon oriented training, and 50k dis

tance is about my average weekly running mileage. I was terribly concerned about suffering some over-use injury and taking weeks to recover. So I decided that I would emphasize survival and use the technique of alternating between walking and running which has been proven to reduce stress on the body. I repeatedly reminded myself before the race - walk early and walk often. As it turned

I got off to a very slow start - my stomach was full from eating a big break

fast, and much kimchi the

day before, my teammates and I started at the back of the pack of 500 runners; and so the first half of the 50k was a socializing and sightseeing event, punctuated by oddly frequent bathroom breaks.

Through it all, I was very disciplined about following my plan of doing 5 minutes of running, then 45 seconds of walking, then 5 minute running, 45-second walking, etc. I sensed th

at my run/walk technique drove the Korean competitors crazy as I passed them, then abruptly started walking. I was convinced that they were all thinking "look at this lazy American who keeps stopping to walk". Meanwhile I was thinking how darn much discipline the technique required and how it would be simpler to just run.

But the run/walk technique worked really, really well for me again. I kept feeling s

tronger and stronger as the race

went on, and begun to run faster at around the halfway mark - after each walk break I burst out into to a faster pace. It felt like a triathlon in the sense that I just

kept blowing past other competitors. At 35k I thought to myself that I should have taken the event more seriously as the start as I could have broken 4 hours, which struck me as a worthy goal. At 40k, I figured I sh

ould attempt to come as close to 4 hours as possible (though I would need to break 39 minutes for the last 10k). Yet still I adhered to the run/walk format all the way to about 47k before running it in. I was rather astonished that I actually did run under 39 minutes for the last 10k despite the walk breaks (not to mention that I had run 40k already).

Here are my rough splits for each 10k -

10k - :56:10

20k - 1:49:31 (53:21)

30k - 2:38:01 (:48:30)

40k - 3:20:56 (:42:55)

50k - 3:59:48 (:38:52)

I seem to have achieved the main goal of walk/run - minimal stress to my legs and minimal interruption to my triathlon training schedule. My right knee was sore the day after the race but I have felt good the last few days.

And it was a great opportunity to experience South Korea. I enjoyed a fine 35k bicycle ride along the Han River through central Seoul.

The Ultramarathon was a great chance to meet people from all over the world.

In addition to

free race registration and 2-nights accommodation at a 4-star hotel, we received a particularly s

harp-looking hot-pink jacket. This came in handy since it was surprisingly cool on the "Hawaii" of Korea. Matthias and I both wore our lovely pink jackets the day before the race as

we strolled along the waterfront near the hotel. Apparently Jeju is the number one destination for Korean honeymooners and the "pair look" concept of the newlyweds wearing matching outfits is quite popular. Matthias and I received a particularly disapproving look from the Catholic nun whom we asked to take our picture posing in front of the rocky coastline.

Ohyama Tozan Climb

I completed the Ohyama Tozan 9-kilometer run/climb on Sunday. 

I am racing so much lately, and I was a bit concerned to find myself limping when I tried to do some strides during the warmup.  Actually my struggles during the warmup may not have been the mileage and racing as much lately, as the tough yoga session the day before.  I really have no idea.  

So I started at a relatively slower pace - 3:56 on the flat first kilometer.  This may not seem that slow, but amazingly there must have been close to one hundred other 40-50-year old men and female runners ahead of me at this point.  By maintaining about a 4-minute per kilometer pace through 6k (23:55), even as the course got gradually steeper and steeper, I passed dozens and dozens of runners - and was feeling reasonably good given the increasing grade of the hill. 

But then we hit the stairs at 7k.  I just can't get over how the guys around me simply exploded past me at this point. This happens to me at every hill climb race. Today I was telling myself to be mentally tough on the first set of stairs and not let up.  But I still dropped from 12th to 17th place over the 8th kilometer.  Do these guys really train that much all winter on stairs (or am I just that weak on stairs and slowed down that much?)

I hung on fairly well over the final kilometer up the rocky steps to finish in 48:44.  This was good for 18th place.  Not 18th overall -  18th place in my age division.  Yet I felt like I ran nearly as well as at Arizona/Tokyo races where if finished 3rd/4th respectively -- overall. 

Ohyama Tozan is always an interesting challenge for me - even if I am not competitive on stairs. 

Below is a chart of my monthly running mileage for the past 8 months.

I begun making a concerted effort to run more after the end of my triathlon season in early October. A lingering cold and travel hampered this effort, but since late November I feel like I have been running an awful lot at over 50k per week.

And it seems that this additional running has improved my race times.

Arizona Marathon

I run a charity half marathon on the western edge of Phoenix. As you might expect if you know Phoenix, the course is flat and fast. So flat that the freeway overpass during the final mile seems like a mountain. As you might not expect, this race through the desert is surprisingly cold at 8am, and surprisingly lush with the first half winding through golf course resort neighborhoods.

I had low expectations for receiving serious race support. The early aid stations offered cinnamon rolls with gooey frosting. But then around halfway as I approach an aid station, a young boy sprints up to me, struggles to run along side me, holds out a handful of PowerBar Gels and asks me if I want one. I am so impressed: first by his effort, second to receive just what I wanted - Power Gels, and third to receive them right when I needed them at halfway right before water.

I finish 3rd overall out of 540 in 1:19:43 - precisely a minute slower than Kanagawa, but reasonably good given the lack of taper, and given that I could see no one near me for most of the last half of the race. All I could see was this huge futuristic stadium finish, and the freeway overpass looming across the desert in the distance.

1:18:43 Half-Marathon

I run 1:18:43 (chip time) at the Kanagawa Half-Marathon.  

This is my fastest time in 4 years.  My teammate Juergen points to a age-grading calculations that would suggest guys over 40 slow-down some 30-seconds per year in a half-marathon which would make this time even more strong for me.

I am not convinced we should make such a large adjustment for age (I would rather not concern myself with this at all), but in any case it is a very good run for me, perhaps the best in my second running life. 

My rough splits - 18:35, 36:55, 55:50, 1:14:48 reflect my generally consistent effort (I am puzzled why the 3rd 5k is not as fast). 

The additional mileage I have done recently seems to have helped my endurance at the end of the half-marathon.  And the barefoot running and strides seem to have improved my form, and perhaps helped improve my time versus last year, though it is difficult to gauge.

One-legged hill training

I attend a running seminar on forefoot running last weekend by my ekiden teammate - Mike Trees.

Mike comments that runners tend to be rather stuck in their ways and reluctant to try new things.  Well, there may be something to this --  I am quite jaded and skeptical about new training, nutrition and gear recommendations, and generally just want to enjoy the same old running.   But I am a triathlete, and Mike goes on to say that triathletes are more eager and willing to try new techniques...

(In fact one new technique I have tried -  the barefoot running mentioned in my post of December 3rd,  is progressing slowly but surely - I am up to 3k per week of barefoot running - with no serious ill effects.)

Mike tells me that if I wish to get faster I need to work on strength and form.  I have been hearing for some time now that plyometrics can be effective, so I am relatively open to doing Mike's strength drills which we practice a few times and you can see on his blog - 

 Mike's one legged hill running and cadence drills .

I will start a 6-week hill cycle after next month's races and post feedback to this blog. 

 

Shibuya Ekiden

I am the weak link on a stacked master's relay (ekiden) team at the 4x2.9k Shibuya Ekiden. Compare to last year when I was the star taking the lead for our winning team. This year I follow Kuri's blistering 9:21 and my 9:57 manages to hold onto first place, which is all that was really required of me, as I hand off to Mike Trees one of the faster 45+ 10k runners (in the world. seriously) Fabrizio anchors us to victory in total time of 39:20 - and I get the glory again at award ceremony in this picture.

Hong Kong Mountain Race

I am reminded again that trail running is not my strength - or at least reminded that racing down rocky stair steps is not my strength.

I had heard that the 14-kilometer Lantau Mountain Marathon in Hong Kong had an interesting climb followed by a nice flat trail section and I had gathered a group of teammates for the event.

The initial 4.5k climb up the rocky mountain trail went fine　- I started slowly and then passed dozens of runners on the narrow trail. The view was fantastic and I felt I was moving into good position. But then we crested the hill and I struggled on the downhill as runner after runner scampered around me. I was becoming a bit of a hindrance to the other runners with my slow, cautious side-stepping. Apparently I am just too caught up in self-preservation, and do not lean forward and let gravity carry me down. My only solace was the thought of opening it up on the final flat 7k and overtaking everyone.

However while the final 7k section proved to be relatively flat, it continued to be a narrow and rocky trail, and I could never really open up and simply "run". I had built up a lot of pent-up energy by this point and whenever we did hit a more open section, I burst into a sprint. I managed to overtake most of the runners who had passed me on the downhill, and finished 16th overall in 1:38:21, 3rd in my age group which was good for a HK$200 gift certificate.

My teammate from Tokyo, Fabrizio, was one of the runners who had blown past me on the downhill. I managed to catch up with him, and we were together with 2k remaining in the race when Fabrizio tripped on the treacherous trail and went down in a bloody heap. Poor Fabrizio staggered in 4 minutes behind me. Another teammate, Matthias, did the full 29k version of the course and fell several times plunging down the steep trail.

I felt vaguely responsible for my teammates' mishaps since I am the one that suggested this event - and this club definitely sits on the flat, fast, wide paved running surface side of the continuum. My friends that encouraged me to do the Lantau race on the other hand are trail runner purists who live to run in natural setting and uneven terrain, and who view urban running with scorn and disdain. I sit somewhere in between, and would prefer to do most of my running on mountain paths, but as I said at the beginning of this post, it was clear that when it comes to racing - plunging down rocky steps is not my strong suit.

1,500 time trial - 29:35

Thanks to my teammate Mary, I was finally able to do a swim time trial in the pool today and establish a benchmark for my swimming times.  The triathlon times in open water seem less accurate because of currents and other variables.

I struggled to swim 29:35.  Mary and I shared a lane, and I started first since I am usually faster, but she got fed up with my pace and passed me at 300 meters, afterwhich I drafted off her for much of the remaining 1200 meters.  

I did the 1,500 swim segment of the Choshi Triathlon in October in 27:32 (and my pace at the 5,000 meter Kamakura open water swim was also around 27:30 per 1,500 meters).

I guess this quantifies how important the buoyancy of my wetsuit is for me, and that I need to learn how to do flip turns if I hope to swim well in a pool.

Barefoot running

I have moved to the dark side and begun experimenting with barefoot running.

Barefoot running seems to have suddenly turned into a crusade in the US with websites and best-selling books. My friend Glen admitted to being a complete convert and evangelist for the barefoot running cult. Glen gushed about how running has eliminated his running related injuries, and how he just clocked a 10-year PB in the Vibram five-finger, a rubber sandal which apparently replicates one's bare foot.

I had been gingerly jogging a couple cool down laps bare foot on the track over the past few months since Bob, Namban leader suggested it to the club. But last night I decided to push a bit faster. I took off my shoes before the last 1000 interval in a 6x1000 workout. Pulled along by the energy of a group of 20 fast runners, I was amazed to blast through the first 200 meters in 40 seconds and finish the 1k in a respectable 3:27. The other runners seemed amazed too - "Jay, you forgot your shoes" several people shouted.

This morning the soles of my feet felt a bit tender, and my heel and right achilles tendon ached a little bit. Apparently it takes months (or years) to adapt to barefoot running. But given my chronic running injuries/imbalances I figure it is worth a try to at least do some of my running barefoot.

And anyway with the Great Recession, I cannot afford to keep buying $150 running shoes.

Choshi Triathlon

Japan has been barraged by typhoons the past few weeks.  Fortunately the Choshi Triathlon fell on this past Sunday --  the one gorgeous, sunshine-filled day.  Teammate Mary provided a ride to Choshi in her spacious SUV so I felt like I was back in the US.  I was still completely unorganized prior to the race and arriving 90-minutes before the gun did not give me nearly enough time to properly socialize with friends and register and pin numbers on my singlet and use the restrooms and deal with bike problems and eat/caffeinate exactly 30 minutes before race time and splash in the water, etc.  Nevertheless I somehow frantically made it to the starting line and ultimately did well -- 

Swim - 27:11 My primary goal for the day was to execute on the swim, and incorporate some of the improvements I have made in my swim technique this past year. So when the gun went off I energetically high-stepped through the shallow water. When I actually begun to swim my heart rate was high, I was breathing heavily and it took a long time to get into a rhythm. In fact I was feeling a bit discouraged until I noticed the numerous orange-colored swim caps around me. The orange caps meant that I had already caught up with swimmers from the 2nd wave which started 3-minutes before mine. I started in the 3rd wave and  I found myself facing a constant wall of swimmers in front of me throughout the race. However I was able to pass on the inside. Since I prefer to breathe to the left it was easier to stay to inside on the clockwise course and elbow my way right under each of the inflatable buoys marking the turns.  "Work the pocket" I kept telling myself, and was happy to see a time of 26:30 as I left the water (prior to long run to bicycle which completed the swim portion). 

Bike -1:24:46 - My goal for the bike segment was to avoid having anything really, really bad happen -- somehow I succeeded, though I did have a few near collisions on Choshi's tight corners and my bike made some irritating and worrisome noises. It was a pleasant ride. Maybe too pleasant. I need to push myself a bit more on the bike - unlike running and swimming I do not automatically push myself when bicycling. Next year I hope to ride with a bit more intensity.

Run - 40:17 - I hoped to break 40 minutes on the 10k run. But unlike my last two triathlons at Murakami and Niijima, I felt spent at the start of the run. Normally I am pretty good about cheering and waving at teammates as we pass each other on the course, but on Sunday I was reduced to just grunting when my fellow Nambanners yelled support during the numerous out-and-back loops. I managed to drop to 3:45 pace on the 2nd of Choshi's 4 run loops, but struggled from there to gut out a reasonable time - probably the best time I could expect going in.

Despite all the logistical challenges and high entry fees, I really enjoy experiencing triathlons and intend to do more than two next year (and certainly will try to do Choshi again).

Prize Money

I journey thousands of miles to Singapore to compete in the Singapore Bay Run.  And it is worth the 7-hour flight.  I win hard cash - 200 Singapore dollars (along with a Timex triathlon watch and other random prizes).  The big race payday almost covers the entire cost of my trip (which is not difficult since I used 20,000 award miles and teammate Fabrizio negotiates an amazing deal for us to cram a bunch of guys into the ultra-luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel).   

My half-marathon time is a rather lame sounding 1:26:50.  But it felt almost as fast as the 1:19 I ran in February.   

The Bay Run is the biggest running event in Singapore with over 70,000 participants and it seemed like most of them were ahead of me at the 1k mark.  I went out in a relaxed 4:10 pace and then picked my pace up slightly so I passed hundreds and hundreds of fellow runners through 20k. 

Needless to say it was terribly hot and humid in Singapore, even at the 5:30am starting time - I was told that the humidity would 

add 5-minutes to my half-marathon time.  But even though the heat slowed me down, running in the pre-dawn darkness was much, much easier than the mid-day sunshine of the half-ironman events I have done.  

My time was good for third place in the veterans division far behind the veteran winner from Thailand (not to mention the overall winner from Kenya).  But I was happy to take the money.  I am tempted to move to South-East Asia and live off race earnings.