Sunday, March 30, 2008

TNT Spring 2008 - Wildflower Training Weekend

2008 is a big year for me in multisport. USAT rules mean it's my last race season in the Male 25-29 age group. I'm back for my fifth stint with Team In Training this spring. (In part due to work travel commitments) I'm a TNT participant again, which allows me to concentrate a little more on training. Head Coach Chris Holland's program has been keeping me busy!

This post is mostly a record to remind me what to focus on until Wildflower. It's also a comparison between my experience this weekend and previous visits to Lake San Antonio.

Notorious hills aside, the most significant factor at Wildflower is the weather. Race day temperatures range from the 70s (2007, 2006) to above 100°F. Wind can be a factor too - last year, gusts of up to 20mph hindered athletes' efforts. This training weekend the high was a cool 67°F with light winds - 10mph maximum - imperfect for race condition simulation but a great opportunity to push for fast times.

Swim: race conditions on the lake in 2007 were choppy. This past weekend, the lake was calm and the sky overcast. I clocked in around 31 minutes compared to 33:35 on race day in 2007. (The training swim route goes northwest from the parking lot start point. On race day the course is to the southeast - an area normally used for boating).

Bike: during my first attempt at Wildflower's bike course, I bonked badly (and in part intentionally to discover my race day nutrition requirements). In my 2007 race I broke a spoke... Third time proved lucky - I was very happy with about 2 hours 59 minutes (thanks to Mike Spence for planting the "break three hours" seed! :P ). It felt so much better than my 3 hours 37 minutes crawl. I still need to invest in a more comfortable saddle but the tactical use of caffeinated gels (dropped one before Nasty Grade) seems to be working well and the 20 minute jog following the ride felt okay.

Run: in 2007, for my first jaunt around the run course I tagged along with Craig Dalton and Chris Gage. They are both awesome athletes, great motivators and tour guides, and cancer survivors! It was a highlight of that weekend, especially in comparison with the bike-bonk. My race-run that year was overshadowed by my bike mishap... This year at practice, I chased Tyler Dillavou and Ollie Ralph. They dragged me round the course in about 1 hour 36 minutes.

Ideally my training would continue as-you-were but work travel (and Coachella) loom large on my pre-race horizon so I cannot afford to become complacent. My bike needs a tune-up, especially the rear gears. The saddle and water bottle carriage also need tightening. I also need to schedule some physical maintenance.

Now, I'm off to sleep before a swim tomorrow morning!

PS Weather data courtesy of Weather Underground.

PPS Samples of Saturday evening's campground entertainment from the awesome TNT staff. :-)