November 2011 - Racing, Pacing, or misplacing your goals?

As the triathlon season comes to a close the running season is kicking into full speed. The weather is getting cooler and its time to get out and add some mleage to your training logs.

How much racing has everyone been doing?

I ended up having a busy November, entering in three events. Only one was I taking seriously as a competition: The 2010 IronStar Triathlon in Conroe,TX.

This was a half-Ironman distance which I was challenged to compete in by a co-worker. I agreed to enter as a relay team and put together a great team shortly thereafter.

I had seven weeks to prepare for the 56 mile bike that lie ahead of me. What I didn't realize is that 56 mile bike course would prove to be one of the toughest rides I had ever attempted!

It wasn't the distance that kicked my butt, it was the elevation changes. You see, I live in the Houston area, which means unless you find man-made "hills", you aren't getting in that type of training. This race was a great experience and has me leaning toward many more Half-Ironman distance races in the future. I may try some on my own, but the relay is alot of fun and much more realisitic given my work schedule and list of hobbies that I try to fit in when I have any free time.

So we finished second place in the Mixed Relay Division. Two of us, Myself and our Female Swimmer Kelly, had never raced a triathon much less a Half-Ironman! Our runner, Brian, was awesome and ran a great Half-Marathon at the end of our race. Our total time was 4:54:20. Team MZC ran an awesome race and a huge thanks to Kelly and Brian!!

Next time I will have everything in place, my bike fully prepped with all available gears for climbs, and bottle holders that will not fly off during the ride! I'm going to predict a win.

The other two events were purely for training and a good workout. I rode in the Bike The Bend for Literacy ride in Ft. Bend County on November 21, and ran the Turkey Trot 10K on the following Thursday (Thanksgiving).

The bike ride went well although I need to practice on riding in a pack and staying in the draft. The 10K didn't go as well as previous years. I was really overtrained and hungover to add to the difficulty of running in 97% humidity. No biggie cause I was able to burn a few calories before the feasting began that afternoon.

I took three days off of training and was back in the gym today doing some Metabolic Density Training. Wow, it felt great. I mixed in a little running with weights and some sprints at the end of my workout. Time to start building my running again, although I've really been into cycling and enjoying the longer rides.

Good luck and Happy Holidays to everyone,

Cheers,

Tags: Half, IronStar, Ironman, Jason, Triathlon, Zamora

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