Miami Man International and Half Iron Race this Weekend - Triathlon Week

DOUBLE DOWN · 11-08-2006, 11:29 AM

Well, the last race of our season is here. I'll be competing in the International distance race, to be held in South Miami. So far, I have finished 4 sprint races and 1 international distance race. More info can be seen at [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
0.6 mile swim/22 mile bike/6.5 mile run

I'll be testing a new bike at the race. My LBS is letting me test a new line they are carrying. Valdora released the new PHX this year, and has gotten some interest from our local market. I'll give you guys the 411 on the bike and the race next weekend.

One question I do have for you guys. What to do after the season ends. I am training for the Miami Marathon, but how much do you cut back on trianing in the "off season".

Eddie

hmullett · 11-08-2006, 12:48 PM

Well, I've taken 4 days off, and I'm getting into the pool tomorrow. So, I'll go into a rebuild phase with weights and different cross training. But, I'm trying not to cut back too much.

Good luck this weekend and let us know how it goes!

Heather

DOUBLE DOWN · 11-08-2006, 01:19 PM

One thing that I've noticed recently is the amount of weight I'm losing. I started out in the 180 lbs. range, and am now fluctuate under 170. I'm hoping to cut down on the amount of cardio I'm doing over the winter and build some muscle mass back up. I can see my collar bones and ribs like never before, and one thing I've always liked about triathletes is that they have a more muscular tone versus the rail thin runners or concave swimmers.

Maybe moving some of my hours to weights versus long swims. My marathon training will increase my run training and I really enjoy the biking, so looks like I'll cut the swimming down a little.

sfricks · 11-08-2006, 02:17 PM

What off season? You live in Miami dude! There is no "off season"!

Weights typically build "fast twitch" muscle fibers. Endurance events require not only fast but primarily "slow twitch" muscle.

If you're sticking with triathlon - especially if you're planning on racing long (70.3+) go easy on the weights. Work the core but get your arm & leg muscle mass from muscle specific S,B,R workouts. Doing "big ring" bike drills, lunges & hill repeats will strengthen your legs and build muscle there. Swimmimg will natually build your chest, lats and arms. Situps, rows, leg lifts & dog drills will take care of your stomach and back (core).

If you have no life and can train 40+ hours week, forget what I just said and do it all :) If you're like most of us, you only have so many hours/ week to cram your workouts into. If that's the case, an hour of cycling workout will make you faster in your next tri than an hour of weight lifting.

Spike10 · 11-08-2006, 02:57 PM

Scott is right about the hour being better spent on the bike instead of the weight room, and you won't have to carry that bulk next season either;)
As for the off season, I rode to work today in CO and it's in the high 70's, I'm still waiting for the off season weather to kick in.
Spike.

DOUBLE DOWN · 11-13-2006, 11:13 AM

Alright,
Finished the last tri of the season, and by far my best. Here are the splits:

18:17 / 3:47 / 58:26 / 2:00 / 54:18 = 2:16.48

Add to that a 2 minute penalty for drafting ????

and my final time was 2:18.44. I don't know where they saw me drafting but passing and getting passed in a race of 1200 participants sometimes leaves you a little tight on the course.

I bettered my last international distance race by 44 minutes! All around the best race I've run of any distance. I didn't get to try out the new bike, but I was definitely riding my best bike split in a long time. With the calm winds and cool weather, I was able to keep between 24-27 MPH most of the course and keeping my cadence between 95 and 120 throughout.

I remember hitting the first turning bouy in the swim and noticing that there weren't many people in front of me. On the next turn, I realized how many swimmers were behind me. That motivation carried through to the bike.

The bike course has many straight aways and with the calm winds, it was a dream. The run passed through the Miami Zoo, so the sights and sounds felt like you were running through the jungle. I beat my last 10K by 11 minutes!

To my surprise, I came in 6th in my age group and in the top 65 overall. I can't believe I have to wait another 5 months to race again!

I am taking a few days off and starting to hit the long runs on my marathon training. I'm going to reduce my weekly training time to about 8-10 hours total this month and next.

I can't wait for March to come around. I will be thinking about that first sprint tri of 2007 for a long time.
Eddie

sfricks · 11-13-2006, 12:39 PM

KICK BUTT DUDE! I'm totally jealous 1) for your incredibly fast race and 2) for your great course. Congrats! Looks like it's time for you to go L_O_N_G...

hmullett · 11-13-2006, 05:08 PM

Dude, YOU ROCK! As Scott says, go long! Start planning your first IM, trust me, you'll be a lifer then! Great times, Eddie. You should be so proud of yourself for that finish time!

Heather

DOUBLE DOWN · 11-14-2006, 05:57 AM

I'm looking for a half IM around the middle of the year of 2007 in my area. I actually tried to sign up for IM Florida earlier this month, but didn't get through.
I would love to do the St. Croix IM, but I want to get a couple of half IM under my belt first.

Heather,
Did you get the M-dot yet?

sfricks · 11-14-2006, 09:05 AM

DD, St Croix is a 70.3 although Triathlon Magazine rated it as one of the toughest in the world. Come on down!

DOUBLE DOWN · 11-14-2006, 10:01 AM

Yeah Scott,
I just looked that up. Still sounds like a great time. I forwarded the info on the St. Croix 70.3 to my training group. I would live to go down there and race, then stay around to fish and relax.

What are the rules on spear fishing?

sfricks · 11-14-2006, 11:30 AM

USAT rules on spear fishing:
Section 4 Subsection 2a says: "Athletes may not use any spear gun, Hawaiian sling, hook or barb to spear, hook or entangle another athlete during the swim portion of any USAT sanctioned event".

Other than that, knock yourself out. I will tell you that most of our reef fishes are smaller species and therefore not much game. There is one area called Lang Bank that has prolific pelagic fishes but 99.9% of us sport fish it due to logistical difficulties in diving it.

Now that said… Our lobster season runs from Jan 1 to Dec 31. There are great places to snorkel and SCUBA for them IF you know the right guide. I’d even loan you a snare! :)

hmullett · 11-14-2006, 01:31 PM

You're killing me! I'm so bummed about not going this year! But, one must work to pay for all of these expensive toys.

No M-dot yet, I'm thinking tomorrow I might get it. I'm going to shoot guns with the guys from work tomorrow afternoon, so might be a good day for a tattoo. I do have the sticker on my car, though. I'm still so amazed at that day! People who ask me about it say that I just glow when I talk about it and that my eyes light up. Truly an experience.

Heather

sfricks · 11-15-2006, 06:46 AM

Heather Mullet: Ironman (Irongirl/Ironmom), mother, protector of the skies AND gun afficianado! All that AND she has a tattoo. Your husband better be proud and recognize the woman he has!

When you get here, I'll take you to the local range (actually we pass it on the 70.3 bike) and we'll pop a few off from my Glock 30.