Last time I spoke with you, I had just returned from a fun training camp in Scottsdale, Arizona with the PacWest Athletics triathlon team. Well...I just got back from another adventure with the PacWest crew. This time to the prestigious Wildflower Triathlon venue for the weekend of April 6-8. 3 days of hellish fun. I've also got loads of other updates regarding my first race of the 2012 season and a new addition to my training regime, a coach! Not to mention my first race of the season, the Metro triathlon (or rather duathlon since the swim was cancelled on account of high E Coli levels, yuck!).
Wildflower Training Weekend with PacWest Athletics
That's right, we packed our training gear and took a trip down to Lake San Antonio, just an hour north of San Luis Obispo. About 30+ athletes of all levels either piled in their tents or lakeside cabins to get in 3 days of solid training on the course most of us would soon be thrown on for race day May 5 at the Wildflower Long course triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). As you can see, we made a pretty tight squeeze to get 5 people, 4 bikes in my car. But we made it happen. I think it was a little too close for comfort.Day 1 - Friday, April 6
As soon as we arrived, we took off on Day 1 of training. And it wasn't a light day either. We downed a nice glass of 35 miles on the bike with some big gear work into an 8 mile tempo run. All in good fun.
As soon as we finished, we kicked back in the shade from the blistering sun with a view of Lake San Antonio. I stayed with the lucky group who crashed in a double wide trailer. Definitely luxurious camping!
Day 2 - Saturday, April 7
Today was the day to test out the challenging 56 mile bike course for Wildflower Long course. It's was a perfect day to simulate the race conditions, slightly windy with clear sunny skies. About 10 of us boyzz got into a pace line and took strong pulls as we made our way to Nasty Grade, the killer hill that is the true test of survival in this race. If you go too hard early, you will be gassed afterward. I maintained a smart pace and rolled back into camp ready for a little tempo run to shake out the legs. Afterwards, I found myself kicking back with my teammate as we devoured a rotisserie chicken and downed straight up chicken broth, cheers! Best post workout hydration, second to scotch, which was on the agenda for later.
Later that night we all got together for a massive feast at the PacWest headquarters cabin. I stuffed my face.
Day 3 - Saturday, April 8
Last day of this mini camp called for nothing less than the last hurrah to destroy our legs. We enjoyed a short transition clinic down by the lake's edge before plunging into the cold waters for a short open water swim. We quickly tested out our transition skillz as we mounted on our bike saddles for a 1 hour tempo ride. I believe in the philosophy that you should take your time in transition during workouts so that you save those extra speedy transitions for race day. Therefore I was the last on the bike! :)
Afterward, I headed right into the actual Wildflower run course, all 13.1 miles. After a swig of my leftover chicken broth! I won't give any numerical details on how the run went, but let's just say I'm looking forward to catching some folks on the race day.
Coaching Update
Metro Triathlon - First Race of the Season!
And so the 2012 season has begun for me. I started it off with a test to my fitness at the Metro Triathlon located in San Jose, CA. And it went great! Sadly due to poor water quality with high E Coli levels, the swim was cancelled. While I was bummed I couldn't test out my new swim stroke, I was prepared for a speedy race. The new race format was a 1 mile run, 40km bike, into a 10km run.
I took the first mile out somewhat conservatively as I kept my heart rate in check and stayed behind one pro. We both entered the transition in under 5 minutes for the first mile. I was ready to have a strong and smart 40km bike. I knew I had the upper edge when it came to the closing 10km, but I couldn't let a large gap form on my main contenders. After riding a 59:10 40km bike (averaging 25.2 mph), I was in 4th position. I knew that I had more than a minute to make up to get into 2nd position so I took off from the start of the 10km. I hit 5:11 for the first mile and caught Brian Lavelle. Within the 2nd mile, I was able to catch Eric Clarkson with another 5:11 mile. Both Eric and Brian are strong swimmers so I will have to look out for them in future races as they will start with a lead on me.
When I looked at my watch and I saw that I was hitting even splits, I got pumped. Although I still didn't know where first place was, I kept running hard. The race was an out and back format, so it wasn't until close to the turn around that I found out that I still had 2.5 minutes to make up on the leader. I thought to myself how that could be since I was running such a strong pace. I later found out that the winner had biked a blistering 54:58 bike split (that's 27.1 mph average), a time that is rarely seen in triathlon. Props to Stephen Kilshaw, a Canadian pro triathlete. I came across the finish line feeling strong in 2nd place. I am happy with my race and ready to test out my fitness at Wildflower Long course triathlon in a week.
After the race, I relaxed and kicked it at my grandparents pool. The pool wasn't heated, but the jacuzzi sure was. Great post race recovery jumping from hot to cold on repeat.
Take a look at the results from Metro Triathlon.
"Congratulations to our stud young pro triathlete, Ken Rakestraw, for his first Pro/Elite podium finish (2nd overall) of 2012. He was one of the sub-5 min milers at the start and then, get this, he ran his final 10K leg in 32:17. That’s an average pace of 5:12 per mile! The man can run folks! =)"
I'll keep you all posted on how my race goes at the Wildflower Long Course this coming weekend. Fingers crossed!
-Ken
Ken you are so sexy!!
ReplyDeleteSuperstar 10k run in San Jose - looking good for The Flower !!
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