Tri Tyler

Eilen oli puolimatkan triathloni ,taas Tylerissä. Kun en ihan hirveesti ollut viimeaikoina varsinkaan määrää harjoitellu niin aika viime hetkillä piti tehdä kaksi pitkää harjotusta.
 8 päivää ennen kisaa eli lauantai päivänä 4,5 tuntia pyorällä vähän tavallista reippaammin ja siihen sitten reilut puoli tuntia juoksua jossa kolme reipasta kilometriä.
Maanantaina tein hetken mielijohteesta harvoin suoritettavan uintitestini 2000+ 1000+ 500 täysillä neljän minuutin palautuksella. Kaikilla matkoilla ajat parantui ilahduttavasti ja yhteisaika kohentui 1min25 viime kerrasta joka oli huhtikuussa, sitä edellinen tammikuussa.
Tiistaina pyorällä 1.45 jonka lopussa 25 minuuttia melkein täysillä jossa myotätuuleen keskinopeus oli 52,1km/h ja heti perään tunti juoksua jossa radalla 3x1600 eli maili kovaa
ja vielä keskiviikkona (kisa sunnuntaina) tunnin uinti jossa 20x50 ja sen jälkeen vähän yli neljä tuntia pyorällä perusvauhtia.
Kisassa uinti olikin hyvä niin kun osasi odottaa koko vuoden uintiharjotusten perusteella. Aikaa mitatulla reitillä meni 28.30 joka on ensimmäinen puolen tunnin alitus jos ei kahta alimittaista uintia lasketa. Veden lämpo oli 21 astetta
Pyoräreitti oli yhtenä lenkkinä ja osittain tuttu kun seudulla (Tyler ja Jacksonville) tuli kaksi vuotta vietettyä, ja tiedossa oli että muutamia isoja mäkiä ja paljon pienempiä nousuja olis matkan varrella ja aika kovasti pitikin sitten vääntää ykkosvaihteella kun jyrkkyyttä oli sen verran. Teksasin itäosahan on metsäistä ja kumpuilevaa, toisin kuin esim läntiset osat jotka on puutonta ja tasaista. Aika 2.28 eli pitkään meni.
Juoksu oli edestakainen reitti jossa ei paljoa tasaista ollut vaan koko ajan ylos ja alas ja tietäähän sen sitten minkälaista oli juosta... 1.28 meni aikaa ja loppuaika
Kuudes tila tuli. Voittaja sai 1500 dollaria, toinen 700 ja kolmas 300 ja hyville urheillijoillehan ne menikin. Hauskaa kuintenkin kilpailla vielä lokakuun loppupuoliskolla kesäisissä olosuhteissa, kun Suomessa aletaan kohta jo talven lumia odotella.

Since I had not been training too much lately, I decided to do two long workouts within the last eight days before the half ironman triathlon in Tyler. It was not my typical preparation but on the race day my legs felt fresh. Here´s what I did to get ready for the race:
8 days before the race 4,5 hours bike slightly faster than a normal long ride, followed by a 35 minute run with 3 faster kms on the track.
Monday I was already in the pool when I decided to do my quite rare, long test set 2000+1000+500 all out, the rest being 4 minutes. All the times were better than ever before in any training or tests and the total time was 1minute 25sec better than the last time I did this which was in April (and before that the last time was in January). In 2012 my swimming has improved a lot which is encouraging.
Tuesday I did 1.45 on the bike with 25 minutes very hard close to the end. Thanks to the wind the average speed for that hard pull was 32,4 mph which made it fun! Right after that,I ran one hour with 3xmile hard.
Wednesday: one hour swim with 20x50 and after that 4 hour basic bike ride.

then I rested 2 days, and on Saturday did a little 20 minute swim in Lake Tyler and jogged 10 minutes.
It was fun to come to a race where I would see so many familiar competitors and other people, plus the venue was familiar to me as well.
Swim time was 28.30. I had a good swim, much faster than I had done ever before on a legitimate half iron course but swimming the first third I felt like I was zig zagging way too much and could not find my course at all.
On the bike it was somehow difficult to judge the pace because the course was so hilly. I was not able to just spin the steepest hills up but I really had to push, so I guess I should get a new cassette for next year to allow for better climbing. I drank a lot on the bike, almost 3 bottles, and took 2 gels so I knew I was ready for the run. My time was 2.29 which is the longest I have spent on a half iron course.
After running the first mile it started to look like I had dropped Clay Emge for the last time. Running felt quite good until mile 5 or 6 until I started to really get tired. I was crawling up one of the many hills and that´s when I saw the leaders Nick Waninger, Mark Saroni and Brady O´Bryan cruising down, already coming back...I was like oh man, that´s at least 10 minutes if not 15 that they are ahead and got little discouraged even though the whole day I had not been thinking about what happened at the very front of the competition. Soon I saw Seth and then another guy who was running strong so I knew I was 6th at that point but without any real hopes of catching anybody so I kinda settled with that and finished in 4.28 a full 15 minutes behind the winner. I´m not getting old but still this year I have not quite had the same mental toughness/crazyness in long races that I had a few years ago. At the Bolivian oly distance nationals and also at Rose City I was very happy with my level of efforts but in long races I have not been able to find the same fire.