2014 Oceanside 70.3 race report
OMG CHECK OUT THE BIB! it's been a big dream of mine to wear one of those bibs and race alongside the best triathletes in the world. And it happened last...last weekend. But just check out the bib. Alright I'll stop.
The lead in to the race was a little complicated with training camp, final exams/projects, and lastly I had serious food poisoning 2 weeks before. Though I got better after 2 days it definitely took out a lot of me. It took a while to get back in the rhythm to feel "good" again in the pool and on the run. I felt amazing on the bike but everytime I swam or ran it just felt like something was off. I did lose 3-4 pounds from food poisoning so that might explain it...Anyways, enough excuses, I felt good enough to tell everyone that I felt good and ready to kick some ass, or not get my ass kicked that badly.
The lead in to the race was a little complicated with training camp, final exams/projects, and lastly I had serious food poisoning 2 weeks before. Though I got better after 2 days it definitely took out a lot of me. It took a while to get back in the rhythm to feel "good" again in the pool and on the run. I felt amazing on the bike but everytime I swam or ran it just felt like something was off. I did lose 3-4 pounds from food poisoning so that might explain it...Anyways, enough excuses, I felt good enough to tell everyone that I felt good and ready to kick some ass, or not get my ass kicked that badly.
My dad was very generous again to roadtrip down with me San Diego. It's fun like usual with my pap. I met up with old UCLA friends David and Joey and had some bomb as teriyaki chicken plates at Rascal's Teriyaki. It was fun catching up but a little sad because I realized we've all spread out all over the world now (world as in California) and we will never really have the same life we had back in college. Anyways onwards! we bombed through LA and SD, traffic was great until we hit a the last 8 miles before Oceanside and it was stop/go traffic. I was furious that I was about to miss my second pro 70.3 meeting again, by 30min. I arrived and literally walked in as the Pro meeting was over. But I saw all my idols, Sebastien Kienle, Pete Jacobs, Jan Frodeno, to new a few.
I went for a quick swim, very quick swim b/c the swells were huge and I didn't want to die, then checked in to our motel 6. I got in a quick 5 mile run in to shake out the legs and get some nervous energy out of me. We went to a Japanese restaurant Teri Cafe (highly recommend it) and had some delicious curry chicken fried rice.
Swim: 29:02.
The swim started well and I was actually swimming with a couple dudes. I was ecstatic. Are you ready fro the next part? I then passed 3 dudes and bridged a gap to 2 dudes up front. I was freaking happy. I thought I was swimming well and I'm caught up to some dudes feet. But just as things were going well, the leader of my pack took a turn too early at a buoy and made me swim off course. It wasn't anyones fault but I was too dizzy to pay attention so I'd figured I'd just follow. It wasn't long until paddlers came and told us to go back to the course! We'd lost about 40-60 seconds I reckon. NOOOOOO, then I saw pink caps, the pro women.....god darn it lol getting chicked from the get go. The water got really choppy and it looked like 1000 people swimming and by that point I stopped trying to sight and just followed the pink caps in front of me.
Swim: 29:02.
The swim started well and I was actually swimming with a couple dudes. I was ecstatic. Are you ready fro the next part? I then passed 3 dudes and bridged a gap to 2 dudes up front. I was freaking happy. I thought I was swimming well and I'm caught up to some dudes feet. But just as things were going well, the leader of my pack took a turn too early at a buoy and made me swim off course. It wasn't anyones fault but I was too dizzy to pay attention so I'd figured I'd just follow. It wasn't long until paddlers came and told us to go back to the course! We'd lost about 40-60 seconds I reckon. NOOOOOO, then I saw pink caps, the pro women.....god darn it lol getting chicked from the get go. The water got really choppy and it looked like 1000 people swimming and by that point I stopped trying to sight and just followed the pink caps in front of me.
Bike, 2:24:17
The bike was pretty fun. But it being the first time I rode this course, I wasn't too comfortable with it. It didn't help that my brake lever was coming off for some reason. (Well, that reason is known, b/c I didnt install it correctly.) I spent a good 20min trying to fix it with extra electrical tape I had from taping my gels. I finally it got it fixed by just pulling the cable housing tighter so the brake lever won't of the bar end. After that I concentrated on keeping my heart rate in zone 3, (155-160). and waited for the hills. All in this chaos I was ready to have my lunch. I tried opening up a clifbar which was tied to the aerobars as shown to the left. I fumbled to open it for the longest time and finally got in open only to find out that there was nothing inside. Someone stole my lunch. Or in reality, my lunch decided to eject from the bike. With how I taped it and all the bumps, it kept pushing against the wrapper's edge that eventually it just fell out. Bummer.
(thanks to Eric Larson for the great photos at trilounge.com)!
I had raced with only gels before (I had three for this race) so I thought i would be fun with only three gels and sports drinks...or so I thought
The bike was pretty fun. But it being the first time I rode this course, I wasn't too comfortable with it. It didn't help that my brake lever was coming off for some reason. (Well, that reason is known, b/c I didnt install it correctly.) I spent a good 20min trying to fix it with extra electrical tape I had from taping my gels. I finally it got it fixed by just pulling the cable housing tighter so the brake lever won't of the bar end. After that I concentrated on keeping my heart rate in zone 3, (155-160). and waited for the hills. All in this chaos I was ready to have my lunch. I tried opening up a clifbar which was tied to the aerobars as shown to the left. I fumbled to open it for the longest time and finally got in open only to find out that there was nothing inside. Someone stole my lunch. Or in reality, my lunch decided to eject from the bike. With how I taped it and all the bumps, it kept pushing against the wrapper's edge that eventually it just fell out. Bummer.
(thanks to Eric Larson for the great photos at trilounge.com)!
I had raced with only gels before (I had three for this race) so I thought i would be fun with only three gels and sports drinks...or so I thought
Run 1:21:22
I got in transition with my dad yelling "add oil" in chinese, meaning GO! in English. I came in to transition changed pretty fast, took a 60 second piss in the porta pottie. And gunned it out of transition. I went through the first 3 miles in 5:40 pace feeling really good, heart rate controlled (158-160). I passed my teammates Jason and John who were gracious enough to come out and cheer for me with a smile. But that was the last smile. Right after I passed them I hit the infamous wall. The clifbar that had disappeared had come back to haunt me. I was seeing stars and all sorts of good food. I wanted some of that curry chicken fried rice from last night. Man was I hungry. I tried to push through it like I usually do because I have had lows like this and pushed through it. But it just got worse. It got so bad that I thought I was going to walk from mile 5 and on wards. I decided to calm the f*** down and regroup. This was right when Heather Wurtele and Heather Jackson passed me (1st and second place female finished, congratulations on the bright note). It was a very depressing 2 mile trying to hang. So I walked through a couple of aid stations and ate a couple of powerbars and drank all the coke that they had. After a couple more depressing miles my body came back a little bit and I pushed on. This went on and the second loop (We had to do two loops) was really miserable but I brought it home somehow, and finished in 4:19:02. Not a terrible finish with such a big bonking fest.
I got in transition with my dad yelling "add oil" in chinese, meaning GO! in English. I came in to transition changed pretty fast, took a 60 second piss in the porta pottie. And gunned it out of transition. I went through the first 3 miles in 5:40 pace feeling really good, heart rate controlled (158-160). I passed my teammates Jason and John who were gracious enough to come out and cheer for me with a smile. But that was the last smile. Right after I passed them I hit the infamous wall. The clifbar that had disappeared had come back to haunt me. I was seeing stars and all sorts of good food. I wanted some of that curry chicken fried rice from last night. Man was I hungry. I tried to push through it like I usually do because I have had lows like this and pushed through it. But it just got worse. It got so bad that I thought I was going to walk from mile 5 and on wards. I decided to calm the f*** down and regroup. This was right when Heather Wurtele and Heather Jackson passed me (1st and second place female finished, congratulations on the bright note). It was a very depressing 2 mile trying to hang. So I walked through a couple of aid stations and ate a couple of powerbars and drank all the coke that they had. After a couple more depressing miles my body came back a little bit and I pushed on. This went on and the second loop (We had to do two loops) was really miserable but I brought it home somehow, and finished in 4:19:02. Not a terrible finish with such a big bonking fest.
Looking back it wasn't so bad. First of all I think I wasn't completely recovered from the tough training camp in Arizona with Pacwest. The training plus traveling plus finals kind of took their tolls just enough so that I couldn't really PR at this race. That and the food poisoning episode. The bonk fest could have been a lot worse as well. And it was my first race for the season, so I'm pretty bummed but happy about it at the same time. If things come together I'm ready to let it rip at the next race.
In hindsight I should have probably not have changed the drink of choice for this race either. i've been training with gatorade all this time and it works fine but I've never tried it out in a race situation. I usually use Clifbar's drink mix. But gatorade probably didn't do it this time around. My stomach was having issues. So I'm testing out new drink solutions right now (carbo pro is looking like a very good candidate) If you have suggestions please let me know!) Oh, and I'm taping two bars on next time...
On the positive note, and ending on it, I met Pete Jacobs and Jan Frodeno was a bonus. They are legends, very cool dudes.
Until next time, I will be racing Wildflower and maybe an Olympic race coming up pretty soon. See you guys around. Happy Training.
In hindsight I should have probably not have changed the drink of choice for this race either. i've been training with gatorade all this time and it works fine but I've never tried it out in a race situation. I usually use Clifbar's drink mix. But gatorade probably didn't do it this time around. My stomach was having issues. So I'm testing out new drink solutions right now (carbo pro is looking like a very good candidate) If you have suggestions please let me know!) Oh, and I'm taping two bars on next time...
On the positive note, and ending on it, I met Pete Jacobs and Jan Frodeno was a bonus. They are legends, very cool dudes.
Until next time, I will be racing Wildflower and maybe an Olympic race coming up pretty soon. See you guys around. Happy Training.
2014 Season, races and team
Hi everyone, hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season. I've had a pretty laid back 3 weeks of winter break from school. I had 3 weeks of solid training under my belt for the upcoming season. I'm very excited for 2014 season. I have a couple of exciting news and updates:
I will be racing for PacWest Athletics this year. They're the best and most dominant Triathlon and Athletics Club in the Bay Area. I've already worked out with the group once and really enjoyed their positive and friendly atmosphere. The owner and head coach of the team Jay Ridgeway is super knowledgeable/professional and I'm excited to work with him for this coming year. You should really check them out! http://www.pacwestathletics.com/
I am currently signed up for 3 big races,
1. Ironman Oceanside 70.3,
2. Wildflower Loug Course,
3. Ironman Vineman 70.3.
I've been working at a lot of areas particularly the swim and bike to get to the next level to compete with these fast dudes!
With that, I'd like to conclude 2013 season as it has been my most successful and fun year in triathlon. I have had 4 wins (2 age group, 2 overall pro wins) and turned professional. Also fulfilled my dream of racing at Vineman 70.3 as a pro, a wish that I had 3 years ago when I first raced the event. It's definitely been a milestone year and hopefully there will be more to come. I'm sure there are a lot more obstacles out there but hopefully with each one of them I learn more and become wiser and a better athlete. I couldn't have done any of this without all the support and encouragement from my family, my training partner Matt, mentors Brad, Brady, and John P.S. and many more.
Happy New year and let's all go out there and kick some butt!
I will be racing for PacWest Athletics this year. They're the best and most dominant Triathlon and Athletics Club in the Bay Area. I've already worked out with the group once and really enjoyed their positive and friendly atmosphere. The owner and head coach of the team Jay Ridgeway is super knowledgeable/professional and I'm excited to work with him for this coming year. You should really check them out! http://www.pacwestathletics.com/
I am currently signed up for 3 big races,
1. Ironman Oceanside 70.3,
2. Wildflower Loug Course,
3. Ironman Vineman 70.3.
I've been working at a lot of areas particularly the swim and bike to get to the next level to compete with these fast dudes!
With that, I'd like to conclude 2013 season as it has been my most successful and fun year in triathlon. I have had 4 wins (2 age group, 2 overall pro wins) and turned professional. Also fulfilled my dream of racing at Vineman 70.3 as a pro, a wish that I had 3 years ago when I first raced the event. It's definitely been a milestone year and hopefully there will be more to come. I'm sure there are a lot more obstacles out there but hopefully with each one of them I learn more and become wiser and a better athlete. I couldn't have done any of this without all the support and encouragement from my family, my training partner Matt, mentors Brad, Brady, and John P.S. and many more.
Happy New year and let's all go out there and kick some butt!
FINAL RACE OF 2013, WIN AT HITS SERIES PALM SPRINGS HALF iRONMAN
After Marin had gone so well, I thought Id maybe take another crack at a final race for 2013. I felt that there's a still a couple of percent that didn't come out this year and I wanted it to show, particularly for the run. I felt I can go under 1:20. Many people thought I was crazy. But I was pretty certain I can achieve it.
After Marin County Tri I got in a really good rhythm with training. With my crazy schedule at Stanford, my training has sort of changed a lot. Not knowingly, but just forcibly due to time and energy constraints. I found that I was in much better shape week after week that way. Most my runs I kept my pace no faster than 6:30s. I used to blast 2 to 3 runs faster than that with my heart rate above 160 bpm. Now I only have one run where I come near the 160bpm mark and rest are around 145-155 region, which keeps me sharp and fresh week after week while helping me progress in terms of fitness.
I got a power meter just before Marin County and began using it extensively. I realized I'd biked too hard for the last couple of years and could not maintain good form for too long as my body would get in really good shape than fall to crap because I get too fatigued. Most rides I can squeeze in I kept my power under 190 watts for most of the time, and only above 200 watts in segments like uphills. I also made an effort to hold back when I increase my volume. For my long rides, I increased the minute by 5-10min for each ride instead of what I used to do: 20min to 30min of increase per week. I found that I can ride comfortably without straining physically or mentally because my body was gradually adapted to the volume. The power meter was also really useful for holding me back. At days when I felt "crappy", I would see that my power is in the 220s, and obviously there was some wind or grade so it was okay to hold back. It's pretty crazy how hard I push myself on the bike without realizing it. The power meter was super helpful with intervals as well. It's really hard to hold a certain wattage during an interval due to constantly changing gradients and possible wind. So its extremely easy to overshoot your target wattage and then fade. So overall, it's a great investment for the long term.
I swam about the same. Did the same work outs. 3 pretty standard 60min swims with some intervals (1 on endurance, 1 on pulling, 1 variation sprints), and 2 long swims, 90min (5300yard swims) with extensive intervals, almost always 4x1000s (4x250, 10x100, 5x200, 10x100), and 4x400, 4x200, 4x100.
What the video didn't mention about this race was my final exam schedule. I had a homework problem set due the day before the race, a final exam 2 days after the race, followed by another final and final presentation/documentation 5 days after the race. And the race was in Palm Springs which was a 7 hours drive for me. Fortunately my dad offered to come with me and it took a lot of stress off. Thanks dad!
To summarize the race.
1. I need to swim more open water and 2k swims to get a feel for navigation and pacing. The swim shape is there. I feel like I can push really hard during the swim but by the time I realize this it's too late. Navigation is getting far better though.
2. The water was freaking cold. So was the air. Friction due to viscosity with these fluids did not help warm me up at all.
3. My feet and hands were frozen.
4. My T1 time was atrocious but worth it. Changing into dry clothes was a blessing.
5. The bike was awesome but I seem to lack the endurance and mileage. Nevertheless managed to split the fastest bike. But need to work on high cadence work.
6. Run was epic. 1:17:28. Next target is sub 1:15.
2013 is officially in the books. 2 overall wins. 2 age group wins. turned professional. I think I can call 2013 a success.
Training for 2014 has already begun so I look forward to racing all of you out there. Happy holidays!
After Marin County Tri I got in a really good rhythm with training. With my crazy schedule at Stanford, my training has sort of changed a lot. Not knowingly, but just forcibly due to time and energy constraints. I found that I was in much better shape week after week that way. Most my runs I kept my pace no faster than 6:30s. I used to blast 2 to 3 runs faster than that with my heart rate above 160 bpm. Now I only have one run where I come near the 160bpm mark and rest are around 145-155 region, which keeps me sharp and fresh week after week while helping me progress in terms of fitness.
I got a power meter just before Marin County and began using it extensively. I realized I'd biked too hard for the last couple of years and could not maintain good form for too long as my body would get in really good shape than fall to crap because I get too fatigued. Most rides I can squeeze in I kept my power under 190 watts for most of the time, and only above 200 watts in segments like uphills. I also made an effort to hold back when I increase my volume. For my long rides, I increased the minute by 5-10min for each ride instead of what I used to do: 20min to 30min of increase per week. I found that I can ride comfortably without straining physically or mentally because my body was gradually adapted to the volume. The power meter was also really useful for holding me back. At days when I felt "crappy", I would see that my power is in the 220s, and obviously there was some wind or grade so it was okay to hold back. It's pretty crazy how hard I push myself on the bike without realizing it. The power meter was super helpful with intervals as well. It's really hard to hold a certain wattage during an interval due to constantly changing gradients and possible wind. So its extremely easy to overshoot your target wattage and then fade. So overall, it's a great investment for the long term.
I swam about the same. Did the same work outs. 3 pretty standard 60min swims with some intervals (1 on endurance, 1 on pulling, 1 variation sprints), and 2 long swims, 90min (5300yard swims) with extensive intervals, almost always 4x1000s (4x250, 10x100, 5x200, 10x100), and 4x400, 4x200, 4x100.
What the video didn't mention about this race was my final exam schedule. I had a homework problem set due the day before the race, a final exam 2 days after the race, followed by another final and final presentation/documentation 5 days after the race. And the race was in Palm Springs which was a 7 hours drive for me. Fortunately my dad offered to come with me and it took a lot of stress off. Thanks dad!
To summarize the race.
1. I need to swim more open water and 2k swims to get a feel for navigation and pacing. The swim shape is there. I feel like I can push really hard during the swim but by the time I realize this it's too late. Navigation is getting far better though.
2. The water was freaking cold. So was the air. Friction due to viscosity with these fluids did not help warm me up at all.
3. My feet and hands were frozen.
4. My T1 time was atrocious but worth it. Changing into dry clothes was a blessing.
5. The bike was awesome but I seem to lack the endurance and mileage. Nevertheless managed to split the fastest bike. But need to work on high cadence work.
6. Run was epic. 1:17:28. Next target is sub 1:15.
2013 is officially in the books. 2 overall wins. 2 age group wins. turned professional. I think I can call 2013 a success.
Training for 2014 has already begun so I look forward to racing all of you out there. Happy holidays!
Experimental Race 2013, Another Win at Marin County Triathlon
I was pretty exhausted after Vineman. I honestly had plans to race a few Halfs, such as Superfrog or Santa Cruz. But those plans never materialized. I was exhausted and just didn't enjoy training. I knew that my tank was empty. So I slept a lot. Gained some weight. Did things I didn't really get to do after a whole year of 100% commitment (well almost) to triathlon. After a while I realized I really enjoyed doing triathlons since I don't have any realy concrete hobbies outside of triathlon. So after 2 weeks of completely off time I started swimming like a fish. Like I swam more than I ran, and bike. That's how much I swam. I watched a couple of videos by Gerry Rodriguez, brilliant dude on open water swimming and learned a ton. So I swam 5k everyday for a month, and ran/biked as much as I felt like. I for the first time in my life want to swim every morning and I got to a point where I didn't feel right if I didn't swim.
Anyways, my swim improved, that was what I was trying to get at. School started and it got pretty busy. I had to swim at 9pm 2-3 times a week due to my heavy work load. But i managed and had a blast. I just trained, did school work,(poorly), and slept. Marin County came pretty fast, and I felt like I was in good form. The swim went well, i never felt so good in a swim before. I felt in control and felt like I could go faster and push harder like i can on the bike and run.
I came out of the water in 3rd behind two former NCAA swimmers I think. in 22 minutes ish? I know the time isn't great, but at least I felt great. The bike was freezing at first but I soon took the lead. 22 miles went by really fast and i felt really good.
The run was tough. My garmin was off and was telling me that I was only running 5:40 pace per mile. I was quite disappointed the whole time. I pushed harder but my lap pace never went down. So I went as hard as I could without falling over, and was quite agitated the whole time. I crossed the line in first. It was great to win the race again. Did my jordan post that no one really cares about anymore, but it's still special to me.
I ended up running 34:39. which is pretty damn fast for me given that I haven't done any work on my run besides a couple of tempo runs. I was running 20-30 miles per week. Yea I know pretty pathetic. But pretty fast eh? lol.
Got a ton of free stuff.
Thanks to Dad for driving, and being my soigneur.
http://www.marinij.com/sanrafael/ci_24399872/hsiao-wins-his-second-consecutive-marin-triathlon
Racing HITS series Half in a couple of weeks, see you guys there!
Anyways, my swim improved, that was what I was trying to get at. School started and it got pretty busy. I had to swim at 9pm 2-3 times a week due to my heavy work load. But i managed and had a blast. I just trained, did school work,(poorly), and slept. Marin County came pretty fast, and I felt like I was in good form. The swim went well, i never felt so good in a swim before. I felt in control and felt like I could go faster and push harder like i can on the bike and run.
I came out of the water in 3rd behind two former NCAA swimmers I think. in 22 minutes ish? I know the time isn't great, but at least I felt great. The bike was freezing at first but I soon took the lead. 22 miles went by really fast and i felt really good.
The run was tough. My garmin was off and was telling me that I was only running 5:40 pace per mile. I was quite disappointed the whole time. I pushed harder but my lap pace never went down. So I went as hard as I could without falling over, and was quite agitated the whole time. I crossed the line in first. It was great to win the race again. Did my jordan post that no one really cares about anymore, but it's still special to me.
I ended up running 34:39. which is pretty damn fast for me given that I haven't done any work on my run besides a couple of tempo runs. I was running 20-30 miles per week. Yea I know pretty pathetic. But pretty fast eh? lol.
Got a ton of free stuff.
Thanks to Dad for driving, and being my soigneur.
http://www.marinij.com/sanrafael/ci_24399872/hsiao-wins-his-second-consecutive-marin-triathlon
Racing HITS series Half in a couple of weeks, see you guys there!
Postmortem 2013
After every year after Wildflower I usually do a postmortem about the things I've done right and mostly the things I've done terrible wrong. But first this season has been totally different to me on many levels. I've basically left the collegiate racing circuit as I have 0 interest in the shorter stuff. I realized that I never enjoy doing the short intense interval stuff. Or I just never put my heart into improving my above-threshold work. Because I like doing long tempo runs and long rides instead of intervals for some odd reason. Anyways, I just decided to focus solely on Wildflower this year. I basically trained since July of last year specifically focusing on Wildflower. All the bike interval training and run training were shifted toward that specific hilly course. I also decided that after spending two years swimming 6 days a week with no significant improvement in swimming, I was going to only swim 4-5 days a week and focus on my technique.
In terms of things I was able to improve on, I'm now able to breath on both sides comfortable at any speed, and I think my right elbow drops little less than before.
I've improved my bike fitness and my threshold power and mostly my pedaling technique. I realized that for years I've meshed gears (Infamously known for staying the in the big gear for silly situations) and pedaled in squares. So I've worked very hard on pedaling in circles. I watched a lot of video footage of Bradley Wiggins pedaling and studied his technique. I felt like I am a motor now and was able to produce power all the way around the pedal stroke.
For running I kept the same mileage (40-50 miles a week) and ran more mileage per run, meaning my individual runs were longer and ran longer long runs 16 miles. and cut down on interval work and focus only on tempo and long runs. Since the intensity seems to break me down and get my sick.
So I guess those changes were good enough to get me qualified for my professional license. But before Vineman I identified a lot of things that went wrong during my build up toward Wildflower.
1. I probably increased my volume and intensity on tempo runs and rides a little too fast over a period of 3 weeks and was only about to keep that fitness for about 2 weeks. I also reached my race weight (147lb) about 2 months out from Wildflower, again overdoing things too fast too soon
2. I was too committed too early. Ended up burning out mentally and a little bit physically. As a result, I had to take about 2 weeks break during mid March to rebuild. In the end, I was never able to reach my peak fitness that I achieved during late February. (swimming 4000yards, riding 50miles avg 21mph, and running 9.2 miles at 5:30/mile). I came close to that before the race, but I wasn't quite the same. So there's a lot for improvement.
3. I didn't swim enough intensity. In terms of mileage in the swim, it was definitely lacking but still enough to get me 28. But since I swim alone in all my sessions (big flaw) I didnt swim enough intervals and really struggled with race pace.
4. I screwed up my taper big time. I had a 2 week taper and probably dropped my mileage too fast. And detrained.
5. That's about it.
With these weak points identified, I really only had a chance of trying a 1 week taper, and everything else had to stay the same. After Wildflower I somehow couldn't train back to my regular mileage, (I stayed around 10-15 hours a week instead of 20-25 hours a week), so I was only able to do 3 weeks of 20 hour week training leading up to the race and execute a one week taper to see what happens.
As it turns out, the one week taper worked. So for future reference, my taper needs to be revisited and examined again. Going into the rest of the season and next year, I need to1. Swim a lot more. Try out 90min sessions for swimming. and try to do them very often. with intensity built in at the right amount daily.
2. Run less, and bike more. I really need to step up my bike training. I have a power meter now so I can really hone in on specific bike training. I'm excited.
3. Bike and run with more intensity at moderate levels. Instead of overdoing things, do intensity in small amounts and moderate levels throughout the season.
4. Race a little more.
In terms of things I was able to improve on, I'm now able to breath on both sides comfortable at any speed, and I think my right elbow drops little less than before.
I've improved my bike fitness and my threshold power and mostly my pedaling technique. I realized that for years I've meshed gears (Infamously known for staying the in the big gear for silly situations) and pedaled in squares. So I've worked very hard on pedaling in circles. I watched a lot of video footage of Bradley Wiggins pedaling and studied his technique. I felt like I am a motor now and was able to produce power all the way around the pedal stroke.
For running I kept the same mileage (40-50 miles a week) and ran more mileage per run, meaning my individual runs were longer and ran longer long runs 16 miles. and cut down on interval work and focus only on tempo and long runs. Since the intensity seems to break me down and get my sick.
So I guess those changes were good enough to get me qualified for my professional license. But before Vineman I identified a lot of things that went wrong during my build up toward Wildflower.
1. I probably increased my volume and intensity on tempo runs and rides a little too fast over a period of 3 weeks and was only about to keep that fitness for about 2 weeks. I also reached my race weight (147lb) about 2 months out from Wildflower, again overdoing things too fast too soon
2. I was too committed too early. Ended up burning out mentally and a little bit physically. As a result, I had to take about 2 weeks break during mid March to rebuild. In the end, I was never able to reach my peak fitness that I achieved during late February. (swimming 4000yards, riding 50miles avg 21mph, and running 9.2 miles at 5:30/mile). I came close to that before the race, but I wasn't quite the same. So there's a lot for improvement.
3. I didn't swim enough intensity. In terms of mileage in the swim, it was definitely lacking but still enough to get me 28. But since I swim alone in all my sessions (big flaw) I didnt swim enough intervals and really struggled with race pace.
4. I screwed up my taper big time. I had a 2 week taper and probably dropped my mileage too fast. And detrained.
5. That's about it.
With these weak points identified, I really only had a chance of trying a 1 week taper, and everything else had to stay the same. After Wildflower I somehow couldn't train back to my regular mileage, (I stayed around 10-15 hours a week instead of 20-25 hours a week), so I was only able to do 3 weeks of 20 hour week training leading up to the race and execute a one week taper to see what happens.
As it turns out, the one week taper worked. So for future reference, my taper needs to be revisited and examined again. Going into the rest of the season and next year, I need to1. Swim a lot more. Try out 90min sessions for swimming. and try to do them very often. with intensity built in at the right amount daily.
2. Run less, and bike more. I really need to step up my bike training. I have a power meter now so I can really hone in on specific bike training. I'm excited.
3. Bike and run with more intensity at moderate levels. Instead of overdoing things, do intensity in small amounts and moderate levels throughout the season.
4. Race a little more.
1st Pro Race VINEMAN 70.3!
One word. Full Circle. Oh wait, that's two words.
3 years ago, Vineman 70.3 was my first ever half ironman experience. I had probably my best experience athletically, life-wise, anything, just absolutely the best experience. I hand't really prepared for the race but I clocked a 4:36. A thought kicked in: "I'm gonna turn pro and come back and race as a pro".
When I told my Dad about this he looked at me and basically said well good luck. After plenty of failures, plenty of long and epic bike rides, and epic runs, and stirring pool water with chlorine, and 3 tries at Wildflower, I finally obtained a top 3 overall amateur placing and earned my pro card.
I immediately applied for the card and signed up for Vineman 70.3. I've just entered my first pro race. I didn't quite grasp the gravity of the situation until the day before the race, my Dad said to me, "remember how you said you wanted to race Pro here? here you are."
Rad. Plus some of my favorite pros are gonna race alonside me, more like in front me, too :D
I know people's times are valuable, and I hate writing, so here are a couple of bullet points of my race:
3 years ago, Vineman 70.3 was my first ever half ironman experience. I had probably my best experience athletically, life-wise, anything, just absolutely the best experience. I hand't really prepared for the race but I clocked a 4:36. A thought kicked in: "I'm gonna turn pro and come back and race as a pro".
When I told my Dad about this he looked at me and basically said well good luck. After plenty of failures, plenty of long and epic bike rides, and epic runs, and stirring pool water with chlorine, and 3 tries at Wildflower, I finally obtained a top 3 overall amateur placing and earned my pro card.
I immediately applied for the card and signed up for Vineman 70.3. I've just entered my first pro race. I didn't quite grasp the gravity of the situation until the day before the race, my Dad said to me, "remember how you said you wanted to race Pro here? here you are."
Rad. Plus some of my favorite pros are gonna race alonside me, more like in front me, too :D
I know people's times are valuable, and I hate writing, so here are a couple of bullet points of my race:
1. I got a ton of sleep, 6 to 7 hour somehow at a Motel 6 with my dad Snoring.
woke up at 4am feeling really good. 2. Had my mom's custom made bread and peanut butter. secret recipe. and chocolate soymilk. That stuff is amazing. Shout out to mama, mamasboy# 3. Managed to poop twice before 5am. My dad taught me some technique that helps with bowel movement and defecation techniques (yes i looked it up). I won't describe the technique. But here's the thing. It worked. :D 4. Transition picture above. Rad. Enough said. and Shout out to Keith who lined up next to me and let me have some of this "stuff". I think it was body glide. 5. I lined up right behind Tim Don and Terenzo Bozzone for the swim. No Big deal. Yea no. I was scared. The swim was like a one of those spinner things for cabbages for salads that drain the liquid out. It was chaotic. But I managed to find feet for the first 500m. 6. And not surprisingly, i got duwoapped, aka dropped, and left behind. It got shallow at one section and everyone started doing dolphin dives. So did I. But I got duwoapped big time. It's cool. |
7. I got chicked by a few Pro Women. I was surprised that I only got passed by a few. So that was a positive. I probably swam in the 28s or 29s.
8. AS YOU CAN SEE. THERE WERE STILL BIKES LEFT :D Positive thought Yu. Positive thinking. 9.I took my sweet time in the transition because I thought it's gonna be a long day. No need to rush 30 seconds. (which would come back to bite me later) 10. Bolted out of transition and got going. 11. The bike was honestly uneventful but beautiful. I managed to pass one pro men who I found out had a flat tire. :[. But I ended up riding with Heather Jackson the whole way, trading the lead. I would pass her on the downhills and she'd pass me on the uphills. We went back and forth til t2. I tried to hold my average speed at 23.5 +. I ended up around 23.7, so I was pretty happy. My legs were definitely tired coming into transition. AND I again couldn't pee on the bike. All the pros do it, don't look at me weird. I just couldn't. Whoever potty trained me did a great job. I'm apparently piss proof on the bike(see picture on the right for proof). :P 12. I got out of transition and my first thought was wow...my legs feel really good. let's check my pace on my garmin. "5:45 per mile". Holy sheep. I said to myself, well it's going to be 6:30 after I stop in the porta potty. So I did. 13. I stormed into the first potty at first aid station. The volunteers thought I prolly needed #2. So one yelled "Oh dear God". lol. 14. I took the longest piss of my life. It lasted about 45 seconds. I ran out and tried to get my pace back up. 15. Then my shoe laces came off..... 16. I tied it. 17. Then It came off again. 18. I tripled knotted it like nobody's business and got going again, going 5:50s. 19. I saw Matt and Emily at mile 7 and they definitely gave me a boost. Thanks guys. I surged and went even harder. 20. The rest of the run was quite uneventful, except at one aid station I decided to speak French. After I grabbed a coke I yelled "MERCI BEAUCOUP!" 21. I finished at 4:16:08 and ran a 1:20:30 half marathon. I was stoked! Healthiest and best Half Ironman I've ever done. There are quite a few things from this race that I did poorly: 1. Swim. I need to join masters. been saying that for a year now. lol. (could have saved up to 1-2 minutes) 2. Transitions. Shouldn't have taken my time. (about 1-2 minutes ) 3. Shoe lace. I'm piss proof, but not shoelacefalloff proof. (about 1 minute) |
That would have given me a couple of minutes that would have moved me up a few places and helped me break the 4:15 barrier. But it's all good. I'm STOAKED.
Like my friend Alina puts it, AMAZEBALLS.
This is the stuff Dreams are made of. I'm really lost for words. A 20 minute PR on this course and to have such a fun and good 1st race as a pro was something very special and something that I'll cherish for a long time. I wanna thank Matt and Emily for coming out and cheering me on. As well as Brian, Michael and Brad for all your encouragements. And mostly my dad for massaging me every night without fail, and helping me out all the time.
Next race.....: not sure. Santa Cruz Sprint or Olympic? see you at the races.
Like my friend Alina puts it, AMAZEBALLS.
This is the stuff Dreams are made of. I'm really lost for words. A 20 minute PR on this course and to have such a fun and good 1st race as a pro was something very special and something that I'll cherish for a long time. I wanna thank Matt and Emily for coming out and cheering me on. As well as Brian, Michael and Brad for all your encouragements. And mostly my dad for massaging me every night without fail, and helping me out all the time.
Next race.....: not sure. Santa Cruz Sprint or Olympic? see you at the races.
Vineman Epilogue
I met one of my favorite pros at the race last weekend. Meet Tim Don! I watched his videos hundreds of times. He is probably the coolest triathlete and friendliest too.
At the race meeting a pro asked if there are different cups for different drinks. The director said no. Tim Don then responded in his classic British accent:
"Volunteers should line up, 1st three should be water, 2nd three should be gatorade, and third 3 should be coke."
Another pro responded and said you're just trying to change the sport now Tim!"
Tim Don is just as urban as he is in all he videos.
:D
At the race meeting a pro asked if there are different cups for different drinks. The director said no. Tim Don then responded in his classic British accent:
"Volunteers should line up, 1st three should be water, 2nd three should be gatorade, and third 3 should be coke."
Another pro responded and said you're just trying to change the sport now Tim!"
Tim Don is just as urban as he is in all he videos.
:D
All the Cool Kids are doing it.
"You feel like everything belongs to you. A moment of eternity. At that point I'm free. I'm doing what I want to do. No one's there to tell me if it's good or it's bad. It's a moment of freedom, total freedom."