Rockman Race Report + Week 23 Summary

D6 Update:

Going back, here's the D6 story (and why there's no pictures yet). So my bike shop was able to get a size 54 D6 Race (the model I ordered) and a size 56 D6 Pro (the more $$$ model). When we measured me up, I fell in the middle of the 54 and 56 sizing. So Peter ordered both sizes with the intention of finding the best fit. So we tried the 54 to no avail. So I need the size 56. Which left me to either upping the $'s (something Heidi's not in favor of -- after all we need things like food too), or waiting for the size 56 D6 Race. Hmmmm. What to do?

Week 23: Another good week. Grooving now and ramping up for September.

Here's my workouts for the week.
Mon., 6/1: An Off Day.

Tues., 6/2: Swim day, 3500 yards.

Weds., 6/3: Low gear, High RPM Bike workout, about 37 miles.

Thurs., 6/4: Hill program workout on the treadmill (not too many hills around here). About 5.5 miles.

Fri., 6/5: Swim workout. This was supposed to be an open water swim, but I did a long pool swim. 4000 yards.

Sat., 6/6: An Off day. (Prep for Rockman)

Sun., 6/7: Rockman Half Distance Tri. See Race Report Below.

Rockman Race Report:

Rockford is about an hour twenty from my house, which made for a very early morning. Of course I was awake before the 3:45 alarm went off. The truck was loaded up on Saturday evening. I had my smoothie, grabbed my bottles out of the fridge and hit the road a little after 4. I arrived at the park about 5:30. We had to walk in from the parking area to the transition area, not a short walk, maybe 1/2 mile, with the bike and all my gear. I got my number, got marked up, found a spot on the rack, and set my area up. All the folks around me were very nice and we passed the time as we set up and waited for race time.

Swim:
The swim was a two lap lake swim around a triangular course. The lake was a bit on the chilly side getting in. I managed to position myself well for the mass start. There was some bumping in the first 100-200 yards, but nothing too violent. I tagged on to the first chase group behind the pros and did my best to just draft and take it easy on the swim. It started raining while we were in the water. No big deal (we were already wet), but our transition gear got nice and soaked. The swim was uneventful. I just drafted and took it pretty easy. Sighting was no problem. I only swallowed water once. I reached the beach feeling good.

Swim Time: 31:25

T1:
I was using this as a gear test for IM Wisconsin, so I did not wear a tri suit, opting instead for bike shorts and a separate jersey, plus sock in the shoes. I took my time getting situated, no rushing.

T1 Time: 3:39

Bike:
The rain continued for about the first third/half of the bike. The course was an out and back on fairly rural roads. The roads were pretty smooth and only a little bit of gravel at the intersections. The course was mostly slowly rolling hills with about 3-4 short, but steep, climbs each way (out of the saddle, little gear, 9MPH by the crest and big gear, 35+ MPH on the way down). I managed to stay on the aero bars for most of the ride, including some climbs where I saw others out of the saddle. The goal was to work on my IM pace, so I settled in to a nice 18-20 on the way out and a little slower on the way back. More uphill or tired? The rain stopped and it got a bit muggy. The fresh possum road kill at mile 54 was a nice touch.

For nutrition I used Hammer Perpetum as my main fuel source. Hammer Heed and water for hydration. No stomach problems. I had mixed my Perpetum bottle to hold about 3.5 hours of fuel. I didn't finish it all. I went through two full Heed/water bottles.

Bike Time: 3:11:25

T2:
An easy swap out of bike and helmet to running shoes, race belt and hat. Again, working on IM gear, I didn't rush the transition. I used regular, old-fashioned, tie laces, not speed-laces.

T2 Time: 2:17

Run:
The run was a meandering course throughout the Rock Cut State Park. We were on roads and paved bike/walking paths. It was a hilly course. My plan, again as IM-MOO prep, was to start with a real easy jog for the first few miles and then run from there. My one complaint about the race was that there were no signs showing distance. Every time we passed, or got passed by, someone with a Garmin someone asked, "How far are we?" On some of the paths, there was no wind and with the sun out after the rains, it was down right steamy. The aid station folks were pleasant enough. They had Heed, water, Hammer gels, salt tabs, oranges, and cola. I ran solidly for about the first 7-8 miles (again not sure because of the lack of distance signage). I took a few walking breaks during the last few miles.

Run Time: 2:14:52

Good race. Nice prep for September.

Total Time: 6:03:41