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This summer I set a goal to climb all the canyons adjacent to Salt Lake City - City Creek, Emigration, Milcreek, Big and Little Cottonwood, Corner Canyon, and Butterfield. I've tackled the first two on several occasions, and Milcreek was the beast that tempted me on.
From the base of the canyon to the top took 1:05 - 3000 feet of climbing in roughly 9 miles.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/10308602
VERY tough climb - fairly relentless during certain sections. The first half of the climb is manageable and moderate, but once you pass the White Creek bridge (I think that's what it was), the hills really pour on one after another. I distinctly remember 4 sections that had me in granny numero-uno (lowest gear on both rings), pounding away trying not to stop. There were also a few "flat" sections where you can recover slightly. I hit the top of the climb with a great adrenaline rush and chatted with the other cyclist who was just slightly behind me for most of the climb.
Now that Milcreek is out of the way, the rest should be easy, yea? ;)
My Echo race report comes 3 weeks late - better than never, yea?
July 11th was the Echo Reservoir Tri in Coalville - a race I was really looking forward to after my floppingly-bad swim a month earlier at the BAM race and the cold waters of Deer Creek. Echo reservoir was running in the high-60's water temps and the bike course (previewed the week prior) was nice and fast. I stayed in my tidy new tent a few miles south of the lake and rode up early morning of race to prep transition. The Sprint wave fired off at 7:30, and I wanted to be in the water by 7 to give me time to warm up, etc.
Pre-race nutrition: 1 banana, 1 cereal bar, 2 advil, and 22oz of water.
Swim: With the warm inviting water, I knew this would be a strong swim for me. I had a great pre-race swim of maybe 100 meters - enough to get the blood flowing and the muscles loose. We were stuck between two yellow buoys for the start wave, and I lined up on the far left so I could dart to the inside track toward the first race buoy. Gun fired - and I made a hard fast push to get ahead of the main pack and veered left slightly to avoid the washing machine. For a guy who can't swim a straight line to save his life, I did fantastic - my sighting was frequent and I wasn't doing much zig-zag. Start to first buoy felt great, second buoy slowing a little, finding my tempo, less and less bi-lateral but I was keeping a great pace and breathing 2 on each side before switching, then sighting. Rounded the third buoy and I realized there were only 2 or 3 people ahead of me in my wave - this energized me and I made a hard push the last 200 meters to shore. Time to T1: 14:19. This definitely felt like more than 750 - but the run up the carpet and into T1 probably took over a minute.
T1: 2:39 - Not bad considering that awful run from the shore. My rack was located on the far end of transition so I should make up time at the run exit. In retrospect, having to fight with sandles is a bad idea!
Bike: I've always considered myself a strong biker. Maybe not fast, but consistent and moderately good at climbing hills. The Echo course spits you out onto a hill the first quarter-mile, and it rolls along-side the reservoir until the East turn up the canyon. I was off to a strong start, but just like BAM I was passed by AG riders (not too many). This was my first race with my aero bars, and they made a difference but more on downhills and extended flats. Getting in aero is slightly uncomfortable with my road geometry, so it's not an ideal position. I climbed strong up the 4-mile false flat up the canyon, and hit the turnaround point feeling good. Tried to swig down as much propel + water as I could reasonably take after turnaround, maybe 12oz. Jammed half a raspberry hammer gel in before coming in on the bike finish. Total bike time was 38:59 (19.1 MPH), but after looking at my AG leaders, a 34-35 minute time would've probably kept me on the podium.
T2: I lost time here. The RD's ran the transition point to the same entrance as the swim-in, which means I had to run ALL the way around again (everyone else had to, so I digress). 1:37 and I'll call it slightly above average - the AG leaders were around 1:20-ish.
Run: Started off about how I figured - legs slightly tight and sluggish that first half a mile. The run course felt slightly downhill - which wasn't true - but it helped me get over the mental block that seems to hit you as you take off. That's why they call em "bricks". I wasn't exactly blazing a trail, but I felt strong and pushed a little on the second half of the run. Run time was 24:28 - not bad, but again just slightly above average. AG leaders were around 22:00.
Total time was 1:22:04 - good enough for 7th of 39 AG - 9 minutes of the AG winner Eric May and 7 minutes out of podium. I was ecstatic about how I felt - I know there were moments when I could've cranked up just a little more, but if I do that I run the risk of exploding on the course later. In retrospect, my swim is definitely my strength in these events - not my biking (which I always assumed). My bike time was only good enough for 15th AG and nearly a full MPH slower than the leaders. Gotta find a way to make up that gap!
Next race up is Jordanelle on August 22nd!
When I first began swimming last fall, and in my quest to improve swim times and fitness levels for this season's Triathlon(s), I often heard the term "Feeling the Water". At first this phrase perplexed me; of course everyone can "feel" the water, so to speak, every time they dive in. Certainly cooler water can be felt easier, and any old lake will leave you "feeling" pretty damn cold - however - that's not the point. What was the point?
Months and months of swimming passed, and even after marked and continual improvement, I reflected back on this quote often. I wondered if I had experienced it, and the answer always seemed to be no.
About a month ago, shortly after the BAM triathlon in June, something remarkable happened. I was swimming at my normal 6 AM masters group, lamenting to our coach about how my disastrous swim unfolded the prior weekend out on Deer Creek. She didn't look surprised, but rather told me to get my ass out of the pool and demonstrate to her my stroke on dry land. I scoffed, but complied begrudgingly, because after all - I'm a world class swimmer! What could I possibly learn after nearly a year of swimming 2 and 3 days a week?! I was in for a great shock.
As I hunched over with my head facing downward, I began paddling as if I were moving through the chlorine-induced pool water, hastily tossing one arm forward, down, then back toward my thigh. After two quick "air strokes", she stopped me. What I saw next was nearly as scary as the horror movies that haunt our dreams from childhood - DROPPED ELBOW. I couldn't believe it. Not me!
No wonder I had become so comfortable with lap swimming and mediocre splits - my upper body muscle memory had imprinted itself with a terrible dropped elbow stroke. BAD, bad habit. Swim coaches everywhere are tearing up their workouts and manuals and crying uncontrollably for me, whether they realize it or not. For those who don't know, dropped elbow is one of "the" cardinal sins of swimming 101. Dropped elbow causes inefficient pulling. Inefficient pulling causes bad form. Bad form causes slower workouts, and more difficult workouts. Difficult workouts lead to slower times and less distance - and the bottom line is that it can be hard to correct. Here is a great link if you wanna read more about it.
So back to poolside with my cynical-sorry-ass standing there, freezing, wondering what my elbow was doing. Coach Becky quickly adjusted my elbow to square, had me practice a few on dry land, and motioned for me to get back in the pool. What ensued was a real miracle, as I started up the next set. My pulls seemed more fluid, my follow-through was more deliberate, and my arm was square. No more dropped shoulder! As I continued swimming that morning, I made a focused conscious effort to keep the arms square, and catch as much water from the tip of my fingers up through my forearms, and finally my shoulders.
One week later, continuing workouts and focusing on avoiding this dropped elbow, I FELT THE WATER. I was streamlined - I was rolling, and I was PULLING like you wouldn't believe! More importantly, I was faster! What a relief. To this day, I still think about squaring that arm and "reaching over the barrel" as it were, and catching as much water as I can. I feel the water all the time now and it has literally changed the way I swim.
Today was the Echo pre-race swim clinic & course preview. Out of bed at 5:30 and in Coalville by 7 AM - I was greeted by another workout club friend Kris, donning his suit and ready to swim. Sans some campers, we were the only two at the lake and it was an awesome chance to get a pre-swim in. I threw my suit on (remember the body glide next weekend, please) and we wandered down lakeside and found a safe spot to start. Echo is really full, so the whole "sandy beach" thing didn't exactly materialize.In the water - slight chill at first, but acclimatized very fast in the suit and it felt absolutely perfect. Even a tad on the warm side after the first swim. We scoped out some bouys lining 100 meters or so from the shore, about 500 meters south and headed out, pausing at each bouy to chill. I wish I could express how much more relaxed and unhypoxic I was during this swim compared to BAM. Deer Creek was an absolute freezefest in retrospect. I enjoyed myself thoroughly!Back to shore at 7:45, and the core group / Sharks club group showed up and we decided we would forego the "instructional" open-water preview, and took off again on our own. Same deal, rounded bouys - felt great, sighted great, pulled great, still swam crooked. Ahwell. I didn't wanna get out!We undressed, dried off, threw on the bike garb and headed North. The first thing I noticed was we had the wind at our back going East up the canyon out of Coalville. The course was pretty uneventful - very roller-coaster and a false flat that gives roughly 600 feet of climbing over the 14 miles we rode out. The wind on the way back slowed us down some, but for the most part it was a pretty straight shot. This is gonna be a fast course - plenty of time in aero. My patellar tendon was giving me a little twinge during the last 10 miles so I opted out of previewing the run course to be safe. I'll try a long tempo run tomorrow - 8 miles, then taper the run next week.Overall it was a great morning and effective swim-ride brick training session. Can't wait for next weekend!A few takeaways for next weekend: RELAX! Get a pre-race warmup in so the shoulders don't tighten up at 200. REACH and glide! Don't drop the elbow. Hook and pull square, and pull through the thighs. ROLL! Adjust the seat slightly forward for a more comfortable aero. Wear some support under the jammers. Push it on the climbs. Small stride, lean forward, shoulders square, strong toes. I can see the podium already! Is that all too much to ask? ;)
