Minocqua Island Swim Challenge!

So I was looking on facebook last week Thursday and saw this race.  It was the first year for the event and I was intrigued.  It was a 1 mile swim out and back in Lake Minocqua.  Now, I have been swimming a fair amount this year but have only done one .93 mile practice drill so far and I did one last year, so needless to say I didn't have many big swims under my belt.  I wanted the challenge and thought it would be a good test to see where I am.  Nothing like an impromptu race!  So, I got there about 7:45 that morning, signed up and started chatting with some fellow racers.  After the mandatory swimmer meeting I suited up in the wetsuit and did some warm up swims.  I knew I was in a field with some very strong swimmers, some on collegiate teams so this time around I decided to stay in the back of the pack so I could concentrate on form and maintain a good rhythm.  The gun went off and everyone took off.  It did take me a few more seconds to get swimming as the front pack cleared out.  About 1/3 of a mile in I was thinking...."This is long!" as I was siting buoys.  LOL!   Overall siting was pretty good.  There were a few times I needed to make adjustments but overall I was pleased with staying on course.  I never really was passed and I did pass a few people along the way.  Felt good to see the finish line!   Total time was 43:43 ranking 9 out of 12 in my AG and 60 out of 71 overall.  The good news was that other than a little dizzy coming out of the water, I was not tired.  This will play well in my triathlons going into T1 and the bike. Time was almost exactly what I thought it would be.  I could have pushed it a little more but wanted to make sure I didn't run out of steam towards the end.  Form was ok, and I'm still trying to improve on it.

I'm in the black Xterra wetsuit adjusting goggles.

Here's a link to a nice video of the event

Back to training!

Took a couple days off after last week's triathlon in Eau Claire. Wednesday, I decided it was time to get back in the saddle....Why?  I found a tri to do on July 1st!  So Wednesday I went for a run.  Felt good.  Didn't do any type of speed drills, just a nice easy run about 4 miles long.  Heart rate never got into the 140's so I could have pushed it a little more.  Thursday I had a little time so I went to the gym to lift.  It's been a while (about 4+ weeks) since I've done any weight lifting so I wanted to mix it up a little.  Did some Dead lifts and shoulder work.  I went light though since it's been a while and my shoulder still is bugging me from an injury last Feb which I probably should have had looked at in hindsight.  Friday was a bike day.  My lower back started to hurt about 10 miles into my race last week so I wanted to see if it was a fluke or if it would happen again.  After 17 miles it felt ok so I'm hoping it was a one time issue.  Took Saturday off because Ann came home from being gone a week at school and it was our anniversary.  Movie time and dinner at Pub and Prime!  So that comes to today.  Bought my state park pass and jumped into my training ground....Crystal Lake.  I love this lake.....all sand, deep and crystal clear.  It's about 50 acres in size and no motor boats are allowed.  the short way across is about 1/3rd of a mile and the long way across is about .47 miles.  Today I wanted to push and see what I can do.  I went for the long way across and back.  Ann said my sighting was bad but there wasn't much to use to sight with.  My form wasn't the best so that's something I need to work on.  Good news was I wasn't overly winded.  Total time came to about 40 minutes at .93 miles.  I need to get that time down substantially.

Chris      

Eau Claire Triathlon

My first triathlon of the 2012 season is in the books!  Had a great time and had one of my better events.  My goal was simple....to come in at the top half of my division.  Mission accomplished!  15 out 32 and 60 out of over 200+ total participants!  

Started out hot, already in the 70's at 6 in the morning.  Got to the event site about 6:30.  The swim course was shortened due to some weed issues.  The coordinator said it was now about 370 yards.  Transition spots were predetermined and I had a good one!  spoke with some fellow triathletes, got prepared, body  marked and at around 7: 30 put on my wetsuit and headed down to the lake.  Waves were about 3 min apart and I was in wave 2.  The gun went off and I found myself in the middle of the pack, just where I did not want to be.  Lots of kicking and being kicked.  Took a while to get separation and had to deal with floating weeds on an ongoing basis.  Couldn't get into a real good rhythm because as soon as I did I ran into people who were floating on their back.  Got to the beach and ran up the hill to T1.  Wetsuit came off pretty easy but I was winded from the swim, something that hasn't happen much in the past.  Felt like it took forever in transition but apparently I did ok.  Jumped on the bike and headed out.  The course took us through some residential streets to get us out of town.  After a couple miles we were on some county roads that were straight and long with a couple hills.  There were two hills that took me longer than I wanted to get up and after the second one I became a little winded and noticed I was slower.  After a few more miles I regained speed and started passing people again.  By this time my lower back was starting to ache.  I have no idea why since it hasn't in the past.  My goal was to break 20MPH on average for the bike portion.  I hit 19.5 MPH average, short of my goal but a decent time none the less.  Got back to T2 and almost forgot my race belt.  Started to run and for the first time in my life, my calves and quads did not cramp up!  By now the temperatures were getting HOT.  I would guess around upper 80's maybe more.  I dreaded the sunny spots and took water in at each water station.  They had a sprinkler set up at about the halfway point and I took full advantage of it. by the time I got to mile 3 I was wanting to be done.  Saw the finish line and it felt great to cross and finish strong!  There were a few challenges along the way but overall I was VERY happy with my performance.  One of my better races.   

Open water swim training!

Trying to get in some quality open water swimming.  Water temps are in the low 60's and on the cool side but doable.