VANCOUVER

Steve in a Speedo

Friday Funny 313: Falling While Running



Ummm... what did I just read?....

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Long Run SUCCESS and Some Links
A week ago, I was bitching about this hot run where I bonked pretty hard. This week, things have changed.

Pharmie worked all weekend, so I had Henry for 13 hours each day (her weekends are long!). Saturday, we headed out for the same long run that I bonked on the week before. It was sprinkling when we started, but Henry didn't care:


I snapped this photo, then "sealed up" the stroller to keep him dry!


Damp trail along the river near the Shriner's Hospital (around mile 2.5)

It rained, then it drizzled, then it stopped, then it rained, etc. And Henry slept for all of it. I warmed up for 2 miles, kept more of a moderate pace for another 3.5 miles, and then hit the next 6 miles a bit harder. Again, this was similar to what I wanted to do last weekend, but I tried to keep the harder miles a BIT easier so I didn't kill myself.

I did the harder miles in 6:32, 6:33, 6:34 (then turned around), 6:09, 6:18, and 6:01. That was 38:09 for those 6 fast mile, or 6:21 / mile. AND UNLIKE LAST WEEK WHERE I ONLY GOT THROUGH 3.5 MILES BEFORE STOPPING TO DIE WALK, I HAD JUST RAN 6 MILES HARD AND FELT GREAT!!

Well, I FELT great, but I was pretty sure I looked like hell. I stopped for a few seconds to snap a wet, chilly, gross photo of myself after 11.5 miles (just after my 6 hard miles):



I run because it's sexy.

And then I immediately snapped a contrasting photo of Henry all warm, cute, dry, and sleepy in the stroller:



I did my remaining 2 "easy" miles home in 14:30 total (fast-ish miles for feeling "easy!"), for a grand total of 13.53 miles in 1:32:43. That was 6 minutes faster than last week!! AND I had the stroller this week! Last week, I was over-heated and felt sick/dead, and this week I felt just fine and could have easily gone another 6 miles.


Unrelated to that....

I've been writing more Examiner articles lately, and here are a few from the last 10 days:

WORKOUTS / GENERAL:

• A run workout from the first US female at the Chicago Marathon called Killer Hills.

• Matt Fitzgerald's speed workout called 600 Meter Breakdowns that he claims is good for ALL distance runners. (I still have to try this.)

• Five thoughts from Sam McGlone about preventing overuse injuries. Number 2 is the big one most "smart" people can forget (I'm getting better at it), and I swear by number 3!


LOCAL INTEREST:

• Lake Minnetonka will be host to the USMS 10-Mile Open Water National Championship later this summer (check the slideshow for photos from last year).

• World Champion triathlete Julie Dibens will be in town in a few days!

• Popular local magazine the "City Pages" just came out with their "Best Of" for 2012. Here are some "bests" that local sporty people will want to be aware of.

• Photos from Goldy's Run 10 Mile.

I tend to write more "article-like" articles (that was a genius phrase) on my Examiner page, so feel free to subscribe via e-mail or LIKE my Examiner page on Facebook to get links to my articles in your Facebook feed. Oh, and if you're thinking about becoming an Examiner, use this link when applying and I'll make a few bucks. :)

Thanks everyone! Back with my race thoughts for Saturday's race shortly!

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Fitting in a Workout!
No matter WHAT life throws at you, always try to fit in that workout!



Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Instagram of the Day: Tugboat Races



From stevestenzel: “And we learned on our run that Henry and I are about twice as fast as a tugboat pushing 2 barges upstream in the Mighty Mississippi.”

True story. We got to run beside a tugboat for a while, and then we beat it to the Franklin Ave Bridge. We raced a tugboat, and we totally won. Awesome.

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Friday Funny 320: GPS Issues
A "funny" from Runner's World:



Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Get in Gear 10K Race Report
I can't believe this was only my SECOND EVER 10K! I've done a lot of Olympic Distance Triathlons that end with a 10K run, but I've only done 1 other "stand alone" 10K.

It was going to be a cold, damp, and windy day, so I packed all different kinds of shirts. The only thing that was certain is that I was wearing my calf sleeves (which help my weak Achilles AND they keep me warm) and my new "Pinky and the Brain" shorts. Henry rubbed my shorts for good luck before I left the house:



I drove to NEAR the race site. I parked across the Mississippi River from the race, and then I jogged a mile across the river to get my packet. I also sent out the following tweet and picture:

No joke... I'm live-tweeting from inside of one of these...



It was true. I actually pooped and felt the "blue liquid" splash back against my butt cheeks. Super. I now have some sort of anal disease, I'm sure. But instead of being upset about that, I smiled for a pre-race porta-potty picture:



I snapped a quick photo of the finish line being cranked up as I headed back to my car to drop off the rest of my gear:



I walked and ran back to my car as my face was being pelted with sleet. Yep, the rain had turned to sleet. But that was just fine with me: sleet doesn't get you as wet as rain! And I love these cooler temps (lower 40s), so all was right in my world... as long as it didn't start raining TOO much.

I decided what to wear, put on my race number, peed a little into my Jen Harrison water bottle (What?... I had to go!), grabbed some "throw away gloves," and jogged BACK across the river to the race. So all-in-all, I had 3 miles of warming up, so THAT was good!

I popped in line about 20 feet back from the starting line behind LOTS of speedy "crazies!" The 10K had over 3,600 runners, and the half marathon (starting along with the 10K runners) had over 1,200 runners, so there were about 5,000 of us lined up!

"RUNNERS TO YOUR MARK.... GOOOOOOO!

My goal was to take off easy, but not TOO easy. The first thing I had to do was shoot around a number of 60 year old women who apparently lined up right at the starting line who had no business being up that far (I accidentally nearly ran one lady right over!). I felt like I was doing a good job with my pace. I came across the first mile marker and checked the time...

MILE 1: 5:56. "Good! My first 10K was at 5:55 pace, so this is GREAT right now!"

It was just lightly raining / sleeting, and the race felt good so far. I was really "running the tangents" as REAL runners say. I really know those roads along the river, so I hit the angles well. I realized around mile 1.5 that I was slowly passing a few people - it wasn't that I was any faster than them, I was just running better lines.

Mile 2 had a nice "usable" downhill, so I was hoping for a decent time. I was still keeping it a BIT easy, but I was working a little too.

MILE 2: 5:59. "Still good. A bit slower than I had hoped... but still good."

The next mile had us turn and cross the river, and this was the only real stretch that was into the wind. I tucked in behind a guy in orange and had him break the wind for me. I felt like the pace was a little too easy, but I was just trying to conserve a little energy into the 15 mph wind high up on that bridge.

I was looking for Pharmie and Henry across the bridge. I knew that if it wasn't too cold and wet, Pharmie was going to go out for a run with Henry and plan it so that they could see me on the far side of the bridge. Part way across the bridge, I spotted Henry in the Baby Bjorn that Pharmie was wearing! She snapped a photo of me:


I had just passed the woman in yellow and the man in orange
(who was breaking the wind for me most of the way across the bridge)

I ran past with a big smile as Henry was transfixed on me (or my shorts), and I yelled "HI HENRY!!!!"



It was such a fun boost to see those 2!! Later, I apologized to Pharmie for not saying hi to her, but she didn't even remember that. :)

MILE 3: 6:12. "Damn. WAY too slow. Up the pace now!"

FIRST 5K: 18:47. "Had hoped to be more in the mid-to-lower 18s, but just go harder now!"

I worked up the steepest hill on the course, and then back down the other side. I tried to really keep a solid pace.

MILE 4: 6:00. "Come on... suffer a little and go faster!"

The road was starting to get a little slick from the rain and sleet, but I just tried to keep to my tangents. I was a tangent running mo-fo.

MILE 5: 5:46. (overall time: 29:56) "Yes!! I think you saved too much in the first half, so USE THAT ALL NOW!!!"

I was going back and forth with an Asian man in orange (seen in the foreground in front of me in that first photo of me crossing the bridge), and he said "go get em" when I passed him for about the 3rd time. I said "back and forth... keep after me" as I pulled away. I worked my way up the hill to the Ford Bridge back to the park. The wind was at our backs now for the final stretch across the bridge, and I tried to use it. The bridge was a little slick, but I was flying. I shot past a few other runners.


Just across the bridge... really hurting... but not looking TOO bad.

When I was part way across the bridge, I noticed someone that looked like Scott a few blocks ahead. Scott was the "Grand Prix" racer who JUST beat me at the last Grand Prix race (as I recently showed here). There was NO WAY I was going to catch him before the finish, but I just ran with everything I had. He ended up finishing 30 seconds in front of me.

MILE 6: 5:42. "Good. Now just this little uphill to the finish. Wait... UPHILL?!? F*ck."

I had NO ONE in front of me, but I was still pushing the pace. With about 10 seconds left, someone went FLYING past me! That NEVER happens that late in a race, but he totally got me!! I heard his name called over the loud speaker, and it was Ryun Hess. That was the same guy who passed me in the closing seconds of the Free to Run 4 Mile in 2009! He got me again! Here's Ryun on the left and me on the right half way into that race:



Anyway, he congratulated me after we had finished, and asked if I remembered him. I said "Yeah, and you got me at the line the last time we raced too!" He apologized, and we both laughed as I said "No, don't apologize! It's a RACE! Ha!"

My watch read 36:46, and that was my EXACT 10K PR from 2.5 years ago! I'd have to wait for the official results to see if I PRed or PWed.

It turns out, I PWed.

Official Results:
STEVE STENZEL, Age: 31, Residence: ST PAUL, MN
36:47
5:55.18 pace
86th out of 3,654 overall
12 out of 233 in the 30-34 age group

Mile 4 to the finish:



Here's a photo from racing buddy Willie that shows her heading to the finish (she wasn't that far behind me, so I'm up there somewhere past the finish line):




FIVE CLOSING THOUGHTS:

- I got a LOT of "I LOVE YOUR SHORTS!" from the spectators as I ran by! Sometimes, I'd pump my fist and they'd cheer again. One (frisky) middle-aged-woman gave me a cat-call. I'll take it. :) People liked the shorts! And I did too!

- 10Ks freaking hurt. One-mile races and 5Ks get the suffering over with pretty quick. Ten miles and half marathons you can "settle in to." But a 10K hurts. I kinda like it. :)

- I MAYBE saved too much in the first half of the race, but I was pretty happy with how I everything worked out.

- I had a SOLID negative split! (Maybe because of my previous point....) I did the first 5K in 18:47, and the second 5K in 18:00! And the second 5K has more hills!

- The "blue liquid splash-back" from the porta-potty didn't seem to give me any sort of anal disfunction. So that's good. But it didn't burn off any unwanted body hair either, so that's bad. :)

I got back to my car, put on some dry and warm clothes, and got home quickly. Pharmie and Henry were still gone! They were having a good long run together! Here's a photo that Pharmie snapped once she got Henry all loaded back into the stroller after watching runners go by for 30 minutes:



A few minutes down the trail, and he was passed out:



I snapped a photo of Henry and Pharmie getting home JUST as Henry was waking up from an hour+ nap:


Pharmie was wet; Henry was cozy, warm, and dry.

I grabbed the little dude, and he congratulated me on a solid race:





Back with the official photos and the "Grand Prix" standings once they come in.

If you want to see more of the photos that Pharmie took at mile 2.5, check out the slideshow in this article.

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Shortest Brick Workout EVER
Yesterday, I had an hour to squeeze in a quick SUPER SHORT brick workout before this weekend's duathlon.

Normally, my brick workouts look like one of these:

#1. 15-30 mile ride with a 5K-10K run afterwards. If I'm training for a sprint race, I'll do less milage. If I'm training for an Olympic Distance race, I'll lean towards higher milage.

OR

#2. That crazy duathlon workout that I like to do a few times a year where I bike on a trainer and do 10 minutes of biking followed by a 1 mile run back-to-back-to-back-to-back.

I've done that second workout a number of ways.... from on the track:



... to out of my garage with friends:



But yesterday, I didn't do a longer "traditional" brick workout, nor did I do the long "burning" bike / run / bike / run / bike / run / bike / run workout. Yesterday, I did a quick 16 mile ride with a 1 mile run-off at the end. Why so short? Because my duathlon this weekend is only a 2 mile run, a 10 mile bike, and a 2 mile run.

On the bike, I warmed-up for about 2 miles, hit the next 5.5 at more of a moderate pace, and then went HARD for the remaining 8.5 miles.

Here's the route I rode:



- At "A:" 20.2 mph ave. It's downhill to there, and then I started the HARD miles.
- At "B:" 20.5 mph ave. Then I started climbing back up from the river's edge.
- At "C:" 20.1 mph ave. I was at the base of a nasty hill, and I took the "back way" up.
- At "D:" 19.5 mph ave. I was spent at the top of the hill. Nice.
- Back at home: 19.6 mph ave. It was a LITTLE into the wind the final few miles, but I pushed as much as I could. I "spun out" my legs a bit near the end, but I kept up the effort.

I had a 1:15 transition as I hopped off my bike, ran it to the house, put it in the basement, changed shorts (cause I wanted to - I didn't NEED to), changed shoes, took quick swig of water, ran out the door, and hit watch on front sidewalk.

Then I did a quick lap about our "big" block:


A counter-clockwise loop from the green arrow back past the green arrow
and around the corner for 1 mile

My legs had that great / horrible heavy feeling as soon as I took off. And that's why I wanted to do a quick brick - to make sure I knew how to react to those heavy legs during the race! After less than a quarter mile, my legs felt looser.

I hit the half mile mark in 2:53, and made it back past home to the 1 mile mark in another 2:54, for a 5:47 mile. That was hard, but not "all out."

Time for some stretching / rest, and then a RACE ON SATURDAY!!! First multi-sport race of the season! It shouldn't be a problem that I wasn't on my bike during the entire month of April... right?....

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
2 Burst of Speed
About 10 days ago, I hit the track for some 1 mile repeats. I did my good ole' "go to" speed workout of 3 x 1600 with 90 seconds rest. Here's what I was able to do:

800 m split, 800 m split = 1600 meters total
2:47, 2:43 = 5:30
2:50, 2:39 = 5:29
2:45, 2:39 = 5:24

Descended each 1600 AND the 3 intervals. Solid workout!!

Then last weekend I had that super crappy long run. Dang.

Finally, a few days ago, I headed out with Henry for a few easy miles before work (to get him to take a nap). I dropped him off at daycare, and I had about a half hour yet, so I headed right back out for a hard 5-mile tempo run. I wanted to slightly descend, but run it all pretty hard.

Here are my mile splits:

- 5:58: Mostly downhill, so I knew that'd be fast. But sub-6? Nice!

- 6:04: Solid. I wanted to get back under 6 now.

- 5:50: I turned around here, and I was working! I realized I could (and SHOULD) be going faster. I recalled something that Kevin O'Connor (2009 duathlete of the year) said at a duathlon clinic 2 years ago. He recommended doing tempo runs so hard that you think you won't be able to finish. Well, I thought I was going to finish just fine, so I upped the pace.

- 5:37: YES! I was working, but that was a great split! I was so happy with my times so far that I NEARLY let myself ease up. But I kept pushing hard. The final mile was uphill, so I knew I wouldn't descend even more, but I just "worked it" as best as I could.

- 5:51: Nice. Done. Time to walk.

So that's a total of 29:21 for 5 miles, or 5:52.2 / mile!! I was REALLY happy with that!!

Well, the Get in Gear 10K is a week away, and my current 10K PR pace is 5:55.8 / mile, so can I PR next weekend?!?! More on my pre-race thoughts next week.

Happy weekend!

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
First Duathlon of 2012 TODAY!
Much like I did last week, I want to post some thoughts / goals for today. I have this set to publish DURING my race in the hopes that doing so will help me remember what I'm supposed to do. ;)

RUN:

There are two 2-mile runs in the sprint race at the "Cinco 'Du' Mayo" Duathlon today. I want those to be fast. The Cannon Falls Duathlon (which I did in 2009, 10, and 11) starts with a 2 mile run, and I ran those in 11:31, 11:35, and 11:27. I'm hoping to be under 12:00 like that for both of my runs today. I've heard it starts with a bit of an uphill, and then it's mostly downhill on the way back. I'll TRY to keep each mile sub-6, but that might not happen.

I want to go out pretty hard in each run, and then try to "evenly split" them. But again, that might not happen. The first run is easier to predict. The second run is just all about suffering.

BIKE:

Between those two 2-mile runs, there's a 10 mile bike. I don't know all of the roads on the course, but I've ridden out in that area a lot in the past. Here I am on a ride with 2 of my brothers-in-law with the park where the race is being held (Square Lake) right behind me:



And the reason we ride out there is that it's HILLY. I don't expect anything KILLER (I hope I'm not being naive - I've heard there's a decent hill on a side-road to start the ride), but I DO expect lots of "rollers."

Being I haven't been on my bike much this year and biking splits can really be course / weather / wind dependent, I don't know what to expect here. I could be happy or disappointed with an 18 mph average. Or I could be happy or disappointed with a 21 mph average. Who knows. I think I'll really try to ignore the numbers on my bike computer and just try to go hard. Sure, I'll look at those numbers, but I won't think "Oh, I really should be going faster," or "Oh, that's pretty good... I think I can ease up a bit." I'll go 100% by "perceived effort."

And look for the plaid "Pinky and the Brain" shorts again today....



... I'll be rockin' those for 2 weeks in a row!!

Back with maybe a quick photo later this weekend, and then a full report on Monday!

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Friday Funny 316: Pick-Up Lines for Runners
Top 20 Pick-up Lines for Runners (via Run The Edge):

1. Dang it! My coach told me not to get my heart rate over 160 today but then I saw you!
2. What’s your PR (Personal Record)? If you go out with me, you will be mine!
3. You can stop chasing your dreams. I am right here.
4. Was that an earthquake or are you rocking this run?
5. You run like DSL. How can I get high-speed access?
6. Roses are red, violets are blue, would you mind if I ran with you?
7. Do you know karate? ‘Cause you have a great finishing kick!
8. (At the end of a race) I am like chocolate pudding. I look like crap but I am sweet as can be!
9. I hope there’s a fireman around, ’cause you’re smokin’ fast!
10. Apart from being a running gear model, what do you do for a living?
11. I am not sure if it was this run or you that just took my breath away.
12. You run faster than my nose in allergy season!
13. Since distance equals velocity times time, let’s let velocity or time approach infinity, because I want to run all the way with you. (For the nerdy runner.)
14. My love for you is like an ultra-marathon. It goes on and on.
15. Your voice is so beautiful, you make fartleks sound appealing.
16. When it comes to love I am in it for the long run. Want to join me?
17. On a scale of 1 -10 you are a 26.2!
18. When I log my run in my journal today, it will say I ran 10 miles with my future wife/husband.
19. My name is Garmin. Will you take me running every day?
20. Excuse me... Do these shorts make me look fast?



Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Friday Funny 315: Two Kinds of People



Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
BEST DUATHLON FINISH EVER!!
We'll, I'm back from the "Cinco 'Du' Mayo Duathon," and the race went well! Here's a photo of me side-by-side with 2 strangers just seconds after the start:



The race came down to the 3 of us!!

I gave up a lot of time on the bike, but I ended up finishing 2nd OVERALL!!!


About to finish

Back with a full and fun (and hopefully entertaining) "race report" on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Good News in the "Grand Prix" Standings
Well... it's happened. I've finally worked my way up to the LEAD in the Minnesota Distance Running Association's "Grand Prix" series!!!



But I don't expect this to last.

- 7th place (Patrick Russell) has beat me at every race, but he didn't race Get in Gear, so that's how I was able to take the lead.

- 8th place (Scott Davis) has beat me in the last 2 races, but he didn't race the Half Marathon in January.

- 9th place (Nathan Campeau) was right on my tail before he skipped Get in Gear.

- 21st place (Ben Merchant) has kicked butt at both races that he's raced, so if he finishes off the series, he could easily take the overall win.

- 25th place (Michael Nawrocki) was just behind me at the first race, and just beat me at the second. And then he hasn't ran the last 2 races.

The Grand Prix is 14 races, and only your best 10 count. So all of these guys are still TOTALLY in the running. And I bet most of them will beat me by year's end.

And technically, a bunch of great runners could sign up today and race the rest of the series, and they'd have 10 races under their belt. So, it's ANYONE'S game at this point....

.... but I AM pretty thrilled to be up there! :)

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Semi-Wordless Wednesday: A New Speedo
My friend (and my wife's EvoTri teammate) Robby B sent me this AMAZING tweet last night:



Yes, it's for real.

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Friday Funny 314: How Gyms Work



Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Friday Funny 317: Star Wars Yoga
Because it's "National Star Wars Day" (May the fourth), I thought I'd play along...



Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Get In Gear 10K Preview and Upcoming (Impromptu) Duathlon
So I'm skipping the "Cannon Falls Duathlon" this weekend. I've done this race the last 3 years in a row, and it's a great little race - I've got NOTHING against it. Here's a photo from each of the last 3 years:


2009: after racing with a lot of my wife's family!


2010: a BEAUTIFUL (but windy) race!


2011: wet and a bit chilly pre-race with Ross and Matt.

(Check my right side-bar for links to race reports and photos from those races.)

Instead, I'm racing the "Get In Gear 10K" on Saturday. It's part of the MDRA "Grand Prix" series, so I've gotta go race and earn some more series points! It's a big race, and all the "crazies" show up (meaning "super fast people"). Last year, nearly 3200 people raced this 10K, and another nearly 3000 raced either the half marathon or 5K as part of GIG too!

Here's the map and elevation chart on the GIG website:





At the north end of the race course (around mile 3), I'm less than a mile from home! This race is on roads that I'm VERY comfortable with!

And the elevation chart is "weird." I think those 2 big dips are where we run DIRECTLY ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. So... I'm pretty sure that's wrong. But that nice little hill from 5-6K... THAT hill is real. It's the same little gut-buster that's on the TC 10 Mile and TC Marathon course with 5 miles left.

And then there are just gentle little rollers along the river the rest of the way, with a bit of a climb to get up to the Ford Parkway bridge with a half mile left. Super... that's a GREAT spot for a little climb. Sheesh.

My current 10K PR (the ONE 10K that I've ran) is 36:46, or 5:55 / mile. I'm hoping to better that on Saturday morning! It's supposed to be COOL, and I do good with cool weather. I just hope it's not cool AND wet. Here's what weather.com is saying a few days out:



And then the weekend AFTER that (Saturday the 5th of May), I'm doing my first multi-sport race of the year! I'm doing the Cinco "DU" Mayo Duathlon at Square Lake (just north of Stillwater, MN). They have a long course (5K run, 20 mile bike, 5K run) and a short course (2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run), and I signed up to just go "balls to the wall" in the short course! I put 100+ miles on my bike in March, but I haven't touched it yet in April, so..... yeah......

It should be a fun couple of weekends!!

- Check back on Saturday for my pre-race thoughts and specific goals going into the 10K. (One of my goals is the opposite of what I've been saying for the last few years...)
- Check back on Sunday for maybe a quick photo from the race.
- And check back on Monday for a full race report!

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
The Inaugural Running of the Pink Plaid Shorts
The "Pinky and the Brain" shorts held up fine during yesterday's wet 10K!!

I, on the other hand, BARELY held up...



Full report tomorrow!

(In the meantime, here's an article and a slideshow of images my wife took around mile 3. If you look CLOSELY through the slideshow, you'll see my pink shorts in the background of one of the images.)

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
10K TODAY!!
So I mostly wrote this up on Friday afternoon, but I'm scheduling it to post during my 10K race today as a way to remind myself HOW to race this race. (And here's my race course preview if you missed it earlier this week.)

In past years at "important" races, I've told myself to go out hard and try to "hold on."

I'm NOT planning on doing that today.

In the past (for example), I've said things like this - this appeared in my 2011 Oakdale Duathlon race report: "Race plan for tomorrow's duathlon relay: Go TOO HARD in the 1st run (really), and hold on for as much speed as possible in the 2nd." Granted, that's a 2-part duathlon run, but the idea held true to other races as well: I would try to go out hard and then maintain the pace in order to post the best possible time.

But lately, my training has been different. I'm more "endurance based" now, and not as "speed based" as I was in years past. I'm doing more long runs now (with my son), so when I run even a BIT faster, it REALLY hurts. I have to walk that "about to die" line very carefully right now.

Speed vs Endurance PROOF:

In April of 2011, I ran a total of 60 miles, and I had long runs of 6.5 miles.

This April (2012), I've ran a total of 97 miles, and I've had 3 long runs of 13+ miles. And I'll probably still log another 10-16 miles this month for possibly my highest-mileage month ever!

SO MY POINT IS THIS: If I go out too hard, I haven't done the speed-work to survive. But if I start "strong" (not TOO strong), I can build on that with my endurance training and still have a solid race. I think. I don't know that I'll negative split the race because I'll actually have a hard time slowing myself down TOO much at the start, but I MIGHT be able to more EVENLY split the race.

Just for 1 last example, we can look at the Securian Run Half Marathon vs the Human Race 8K. At the half marathon, I started easy-ish, and then built to a major negative split (44:31 / 40:51). I felt decent at the finish and happy with my time. At the 8K, I went out hard running 5:44 and 5:46 for the first 2 miles, and then I died in the next 2 miles with a 6:05 and 6:02. (Granted, that was a warm day, and I think that had something to do with it too.) Regardless, I'll stick to the "start off easy-ish" plan for this race, and then see what I can do!

And I HAVE to remember to not give in until the finish line! Remember this photo of me coming to the finish from my Human Race 8K report?



I didn't know this at the time, but that man's name is Scott, and he's doing the MDRA Grand Prix series too! So because I couldn't quite catch him, he earned an extra 13 points in the series!

Oh, and final thing.... I'll be breaking in the new "Pinky and the Brain" shorts today....



... so check back tomorrow for maybe a quick photo, and stop back Monday for the full race report!

Happy weekend!

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Cinco 'Du' Mayo Duathlon Race Report
Or, "I Thought Big Guys Weren't Supposed to Be Able to Run Fast!"

Or, "How Long Can I Hold Them Off?!?"

Pharmie had to work this weekend, so I got the car packed Saturday morning with Henry in the Baby Bjorn:


So unimpressed.

Then I took him to the sitters, and I headed off to the race. I ran into a lot of old "race buddies," and quickly got set up in transition.


4th "nervous poop" of the morning... but who's counting...


Old HS buddy Tim!


Lisa, who's all dressed up to volunteer
AND who took the majority of the following photos for me! Thanks Lisa!!

First off were the LONG COURSE athletes doing a 5K run, 20 mile bike, and 5K run:


Lots of familiar faces in the front in this photo: Diane, Omar, Charlie, Dan, Sam, and Chad.


Heading out of the park.

I warmed up a bit with Nordica (one of Henry's flirty ladies) and we checked out the course. We were doing the SPRINT COURSE which was a 2 mile run, 10 mile bike, and 2 mile run. The runs were the same out-and-back that went like this: up a hill, down a hill, turn around, up a hill, down a hill. As I was waiting for the race to start, I was full of nervous energy. I tweeted this:



And the next 4 photos that Lisa took show my nervousness:


Nervous energy - pacing with a cheesy grin.


Nervous energy - awkwardly playing with my hands in front of strangers.


Nervous energy - dancing??... I don't know WTF I'm doing here.


Nervous energy - even my tongue was nervous.


"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... GO!!!"


That's Nordica in the red, white, and blue shoes to the left.

2 MILE RUN:

I was right up there, and I ran side-by-side with these 2 strangers:



NOTE THOSE 2 STRANGERS!! I'll be talking about the "tall guy" (#240) and the "guy in black" (#222) a bit later. We ran out of the park, and twitter peep Kyleen grabbed a photo:



I jumped in behind "guy in black" who was behind "tall guy." I quickly got around "guy in black" to move into second. My next thought was "Dang - guys THAT tall with THAT broad of shoulders are usually NOT fast runners, but they can usually KILL it on the bike. I'm doomed."

I was right on "tall guy's" tail as we crested the hill at the half mile mark. He really didn't seem to use the downhill too well, so I started "striding it out" and worked my way past him (saying "good morning" on the way past). I had just taken my first lead ever in a duathlon!!

We rounded the cone at the turn-around (at 5:45 - right where I wanted to be!), and I nearly laughed out loud! (I believe the kids say that as "LOL" these days.) There was a classically trained guitarist serenading us from the ditch!


Seriously. Awesome.

I said HI to lots of my "race buddies" on the way back towards transition. Lots of complete strangers were happy to see "the guy in the shorts" currently in the lead, and they'd shout things like "IT MUST BE THE SHORTS!" and "NICE JOB, MR. PINK SHORTS!" I loved it. :)

Nearing transition, a stranger (who I'd talk with later and learn his name was Craig) snapped a GREAT photo of me and shouted "it's for your blog!" as I ran past. Check out this beautiful image:


Majestically and gracefully flying (with "tall guy" in second behind me).

Kyleen got another photo of me that looks equally effortless and smooth:


Ready to turn into the park.

I hit the edge of the park, and Lisa saw me coming:


Off in the distance.


I didn't realize I had THAT much of a lead - there's no one visible behind me yet.

T1:

I threw on my bike shoes and fumbled with my new aero helmet strap. I ran out of transition still in first place. And it's obvious from the photos that I haven't worn my new aero helmet before… it seems to really sit on top of my head too much. I need to adjust it. See:


Mounting my bike.


Awkward helmet… but LOOK at the focused look on my face!!


Heading out of the park to start my ride.

10 MILE BIKE:


Turning out of the park (from Kyleen)

The thought HAD entered my head: "Steve, hold off some of these bikers, and you MIGHT be able to win your first duathon!! I wasn't counting on anything (especially with my "0 miles biked" in April), but I was really going to TRY to hold off the bikers!

Well, "tall guy" came flying past me near the top of a hill around mile 1 or so. I tried to keep him in my sights, but soon he was gone. I was being passed by a lot of people, and it wasn't until about half way through that I realized some of them were "long course" athletes doing their second lap of the course - they had started 35 minutes before us "short course" athletes. So even though I'd been counting those who passed (I think I was up to about 8), I don't know how many of them were racing me or how many were in the long course race!

I was ready for some rolling hills on the bike. But everyone after the race was saying "Wow… that was a little more challenging than I thought it was going to be!" It ate me up. I tried to keep the effort level pretty high throughout. I was really "spending" my legs. I was just looking forward to some decent downhills coming back into the park.

I looked at my computer each quarter of the bike portion, and here's what my overall average was at those miles:

- Mile 2.5: 19.1 mph
- Mile 5.0: 19.5 mph
- Mile 7.5: 20.2 mph
- Mile 10.0: 20.0 mph

As I entered the park, I saw "guy in black" running up the hill out of transition. "He's got a solid lead, but I HAVE to gun for him!!!"

I NEED TO ADMIT SOMETHING HERE THAT I'M NOT TOO PROUD OF. But it's the truth, and being I tend to share EVERYTHING (note porta-potty picture above where I stated it was my 4th poop of the day), I should mention this. Many times in multi-sport races, I'm well behind the elite athletes, but I'm ahead of the "middle-of-the-pack" athletes. I usually finish in a bit of an alone area with few people around. I end up finishing HARD, but not always "all out." Going "all out" would not gain me any more places, and now that I'm getting older, it helps keep me from getting injured. So, honestly, when I'm finishing a multi-sport race and no one is around, it's not uncommon for me to go about 98% - it's HARD, but not "everything I have."

Well, at this race, I was going to give 110% and try to win this damn thing! I didn't want to give 98% just to wonder what might have been. I wanted to go out and give EVERYTHING and see what happened! I hope this "98% vs 110%" stuff makes sense - I think I'm describing as well as I can. So I was ready to go NUTS on the final run!!


Down into the park.


Getting ready to dismount.

T2:

Jerry MacNeil was shouting over the loudspeaker: "There's Steve Stenzel in the lead of the sprint race! Can he hold on for his first win?!?" I yelled over to Jerry: "There's at least 1 guy in front of me!"

And you can tell I meant business about giving 110% by my T2 time! I'm NOT a fast transitioner!! For proof, let me offer my IM WI transition times: I spent about 20 minutes in transition, and I was fine with that! Looking through the results of this race, I had the 4th fastest T2 time!! Yep, I was NOT going down without a fight!!


Leaving T2 with some competition right on my tail.


Clawing at a cup of water…


The volunteer handing me the water is TOTALLY checking out my ass. Totally.

2 MILE RUN:

It was time to REALLY go hard to catch that guy in front of me! I ran up the little hill out of the park with heavy legs:



Once I got out of the park and around the corner, I saw the "guy in black" about 3 blocks ahead of me. I was running hard, and I was running out of air! My legs were heavy, but I was able to make them move. The biggest issue was that I couldn't catch my breath! I just tried to run as hard as I could while consciously trying to breathe.

I was gaining on him fast!!! Only 2 runners were running back towards me (heading to the finish), and they were "long course" athletes. "I'm GOING to catch this guy, and then can I hold on TO WIN MY FIRST DUATHLON?!?!?!?"

Nope.

I had forgotten ALL about "tall guy."

Suddenly I saw "tall guy" heading back towards me from the turn-around, and I was still a minute or more from the turn-around cone when I met him. So he had a 2-3 minute lead on me with a mile left. "Let's see… he was on my tail for the first run, so I'd probably only have to run about a 3:30 mile to take the win. Whatever. I can do that." Yeah. Right.

So I was bummed that I wasn't going to win, but I was STILL about to catch "guy in black" to move into 2nd, and that's still BY FAR the best I've EVER done in a duathlon! So you're NOT going to hear me complain! I hit the turn-around in 5:54, and passed "guy in black" shortly after. "Nice running" he said enthusiastically as I passed.

"Tall guy" didn't seem THAT far up the hill, so I thought he was maybe bonking. I did NOT let up! I was still giving 110% thinking that I still had a chance at winning. (And I wanted to make sure I held off "guy in black" and anyone else just behind me coming out of T2.) But when I got to the top of the hill with about a half mile left, "tall guy" was no where to be found. He was well on his way to a victory. But I fought him with all I had.

Oh what's that? You want PROOF that I was giving 110%? Well here you go. Remember that photo from Craig where I was leading at the end of the FIRST run? It was this one where I looked "majestic and graceful:"


Floating. Fast. Sensual. Pink. Plaid. Perfect.

Well Craig snapped another photo from the same spot on the second run where I was giving it my all. Now I looked like this:


Ahhhhh!! Kill it with fire!!!!!!

I hit the park and headed into the finish:


Coming into the park.




Looking fast.


Looking about 10 years older than I really am. And I think that's a Mexican Borat behind me….


A final photo from Kyleen just after Lisa (volunteer and picture-taker) gave me a big hug!!!


OFFICIAL RESULTS:

Steve Stenzel, #299, 31, M, St Paul

- 2 MILE RUN: 11:31 (5:46 / mile and 1st fastest run)
- T1: 0:38 (T for 8th fastest)
- 10 MILE BIKE: 30:57 (19.4 mph and 5th fastest bike)
- T2: 0:28 (4th fastest)
- 2 MILE RUN: 11:36 (5:48 / mile and 1st fastest run)

55:08 total
2nd out of 139 overall
2nd out of 15 in 30-39 M age group


5 QUICK NOTES:

- Fast runs: I had the first fastest run by 19 seconds, and the second fastest run by 48 seconds.

- Pretty even splits: I had noted in my pre-race post that I had hoped to pretty evenly-split the runs. Well I NAILED the first run with 5:45 and 5:45 mile splits (11:31 official)!! And I did pretty well in the second run with 5:54 and 5:40 mile splits (11:36 official) - the first mile was slower as it usually is for me when my legs still feel so heavy.

- OK bike: Fifth fastest bike split is pretty good, so I'll take it. Guess who had the fourth fastest bike? Racing buddy Nordica out-biked me! Nice job, Nordica! AND she finished as the first female in 4th place OVERALL!

- Safely in 2nd: I had no real shot at first - "tall guy" finished over 2 minutes in front of me. But I had no danger of being passed back and losing a spot - "guy in black" was 60 seconds behind me.

- Second overall IN A SMALL RACE: All of the real speedsters did the long course, and it was a small race. So I know I'm not some sort of "duathlon god" for placing 2nd. But I'm still proud of it! :)


I chatted with LOTS of friends post race, and I stopped to congratulate Dan and Sam who finished first and second in the long course race:



Then I grabbed Tim and Omar and we did a nice cool-down together:


Cows on our cool-down.


I told Tim and Omar that this one would be called "Athletic Asses and Cows."

I got back to the park and had to get going to pick up Henry. So I missed out on the TACO FEED after this race!! This smelled SOOO good as I walked away:



So that's how I finished my best duathlon ever. I'll have more photos in the next day or two.

In the meantime, if you want to see more photos from the race, check out my Examiner article (with slideshow) about the race, and "like" the St. Paul Triathlon Examiner on Facebook.

Happy Monday!!

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Friday Funny 312: Pregnancy Questions Answered
Pharmie's sister and her hubby (Steph and Jon) just had a baby this week! Here's Jon with little Evelyn:




Pharmie, our niece Evelyn, our little Henry, and me


Henry and Evie! Henry's no longer the little one!

So in honor of that, I have to share this. I found a bad photo of this online this last week... so I re-typed it just so I could share it.

Pregnancy and Women

PREGNANCY Q&A & MORE!

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labour, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labour?
A: Not unless the word 'alimony' means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: So I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college.

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Friday Funny 319: Unintentional Sexual Sports Moments
Funny potentially inappropriate "Unintentional Sexual Sports Moments" from Jockular:






Is that a tail?...






















Most guys like "ringing their bell," but THIS guy is REALLY into it.

Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Friday Funny 318: Star Wars Cereal
One more "May the 4th" Star Wars funny for the day:



Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Friday Funny 311: Can I Borrow Your Shaver?
I have to admit... I did this to a friend once. It was in Honduras. Sorry Brian K.



Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo
Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Bike Helmets



Steve in a Speedo http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Read On: Steve in a Speedo