Not skippin a beat

It’s hard to believe that just a week ago I took my last final and wrapped up my third year of dental school and at this time next year I will be graduating! This year flew by and I assume that next year will as well. After my last final I was ecstatic, as opposed to how I usually feel which is burnt out and sleep deprived. As usual after my last final, it’s time for a celebration. So Sarah and I celebrated by going to see The Avengers at movie cinema grill. It was fun, but it’s no Alamo Draft House. I thought it was great, but the way I really knew it was a good movie was the fact that Sarah liked it as well. After 2 weeks of finals and a night of celebrating, you would assume one would want to sleep in, take a couple of easy days, but instead I did the opposite and started putting in some solid training. The day after my last final I actually woke up at 6:00am (which was sleeping in 30 minutes) so I could go swim and then be in Austin by 10am. The first place I visited was ATC to pick up some goodies for my long ride of the day (4hrs w/lots of hills). I was greeted by Adam who happened to be jamming out to Gangster Paradise and watching the Tour de California on TV. I thought to myself, “It doesn’t get much better than that (unless you can be out riding).” Much to Sarah’s dismay, I spent the rest of the week in Austin swimming, biking, and running. While it was a dramatic increase in my number of training hours, I found that my body was able to handle the increased workload due to the fact that I lacked the stress of school, and was able to get a full 8 hours of sleep at night. I’ve learned the lesson that it’s often not the fact that you can’t get the proper amount of training hours in while working, but that you are not able to fully recover, and recovery is a HUGE part of training often overlooked. IMO, That’s what makes the difference between the pros that are on the cover of triathlete magazine and everyone else. So, what are my plans for the rest of the break? Well, it's going to be a lot more training and getting organized for the start of summer school.

Kemah Triathlon

10 seconds. It may not sound like a long time, but in a race it can make all the difference. First off, let me start out by saying that this was my 3^rd time racing the Kemah Triathlon, and every year the race just seems to get better and better. OnUrMark does a fantastic job of making the race fun, safe, and competitive. They also go above and beyond to put the finishing touches on the race that really make it stand out as one of those have to do races. If you’ve never competed in one of their races your really missing out. That being said, the Kemah tri is always a challenging race. The water is usually choppy, you can expect to be battling the wind on some part of the bike, and there is this huge luming bridge that awaits you at mile 4.5 on the run. It’s definitely not a PR course, but that’s not the reason you race it. You race it to jump off a boat in the middle of the ocean, be treated like a rockstar, and compete against some of the best triathletes TX has to offer, and maybe if you’re lucky, get a spot to race the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon that’s held in June.

So, back to my race. 10 seconds. That number has been ingrained into my head after Sunday. So many doubts and second guesses of if I had done this or that, I would’ve, etc… Whatever, I’m getting ahead of myself. It started with the fact that for the overall fastest swim, bike, and run times there would be a 500 dollar prize. So naturally I wanted to get the fastest bike split. So going into the race my game plan was to swim aggressive, bike superhard, and survive the run. The race started with the pro/elite men and women all starting together in one massive wave diving off the side of the boat. This picture is worth a 1000 words, so I wont take up any more space describing it.

The swim was choppy and the current kept pulling everyone to the right. Overall, I think my swim went well. I trusted myself that I could hang with everyone there. My only regret was that w/aprox 500m left I didn’t hop onto the person who I was swimming next to and lost maybe 30 seconds to him. T1 felt slow, my legs were heavy and I was searching for air, but I made sure that when I hopped on the bike I was ready to go. Again, at first, my legs felt a little heavy and I feel that I should have tried to push harder from the start of the bike, but instead I kind of eased into the bike. It wasn’t until around mile 10 that my legs started to come around and I picked up the pace. From that point on I was gone, and started picking off racers one by one. By the end, I had biked myself into 4^th place, and at this point all I could do was wait and hope that I had done enough to get the fastest bike split.

 T2 was good until I realized I had run to the swim in part of transition instead of the run out, easily costing me precious time. On the run, I knew I was going to be hurting, that I can handle. What I wasn’t ready for was the knots that started forming on my quads. By mile 3 my legs were definitely cramping. Again, I think this picture says it all.

I went from running 5:50/mile to 6:35/mile. For two miles I battled severe cramping in both legs, before they started to work themselves out. But by that time, I was running uphill against the wind and felt like there was nothing left in the legs. I was passed by 2 runners around mile 3.5 and then about a quarter of a mile from the finish, I was passed again. Never a fun experience.

That brings me back to 10 seconds. Later, I find out I missed the fastest bike split by 10 seconds, and then got 6^th overall by just 10 seconds. Like I said, one of those days. Looking back it’s tough to know I was right there but just wasn’t able to close the deal. At the end of the day, I know that this is just a stepping stone to where I want to be by the end of this season. Thanks again to Shama, who after placing a tire w/a leak on my rim earlier this week, was able to come through and get me a disc for the bike. For Jussi and OnUrLeft for all the moral support and current updates race status. To my coach, Muddy, for the pep talks and training plans, and lastly, to Sarah, for always supporting me and helping me see the big picture in life. I couldn’t do it without you.

New Orleans Race Report

So where do I start. I think that this is going to be more of a travel report over a race report. Sarah and I left Houston in a storm of bad weather that persisted all the way until Lake Charles. At which point Sarah took over the wheel and I got a chance to relax and watch a movie. Before we knew it, we were crossing over the bridge which leads to New Orleans. It was only 11, but Sarah and I decided it was time for a midnight treat. So the first thing we do is stop at Cafe Du Monde. Never wanting to pass up a chance to demonstrate her excellent French, Sarah informed me what du Monde means, Cafe of the world, and it is a very accurate description. Stepping out of car, I felt like I was stepping into a different world. Even though it was close to midnight, the streets were alive with tourists, bums, musicians, and armed forces. We got the beignets to go, and couldn't wait till we got back to the hotel to eat them. One bite and I was covered in powdered sugar, and so was my clean car and shorts, but it was so worth it for a bite of the hot, fried treat. Perfect carbo loading.

The next morning we awoke, and the first thing we did was go in search of food. Since we didn't know what was around we decided to go and grab some starbucks. While in search of the Starbucks, we stumble upon Oak Street Cafe. This was a treasure, that I assume most travelers don't experience. We walk in and theres a man in a tuxedo playing the piano to our right, and a busy counter in front of us with an off green paint covering the walls which was barely visible under all the photos. Sarah got a bagel and I got ... (wait for it) shrimp and grits. It was by far one of the best meals I've ever had.

The rest of the day I was your typical triathlete. I swam in the hotel pool, which in retrospect was really important since afterwards I realized that they canceled the swim. I biked on my trainer in our hotel room, and then ran along the river. Then we went to the pro meeting where there were lots of statements like, "well, we're thinking, if all goes to plan, the start line will be in this area, etc." Not quiet what you want to hear from the RD the day prior to the race.

After the meeting, we went in search of dinner. Are you starting to see the whole reason we went to New Orleans (just to eat the great food, JK). I think that triathletes love food about as much as we love training. Our next meal, was from a little Italian restaurant on St. Charles street, called Vincents. Another great meal and it was back to the hotel to digest and watch a movie. Then off to bed.

Finally, the race report: It's been at least 3 years since I have travelled anywhere besides Austin or Galveston to do a race. Travel definitely takes a toll on the body, but I was feeling good on race morning. I think the general consensus among the racers were that they were all disappointed that there was not going to be a swim. Even though the swim is not my strength, I was still looking forward to redeeming my swim after the poor time at Galveston. Race morning I stole a glance at the water, and think the race director made the right call. I couldn't imagine swimming in that water. The waves were crashing into rocks that would have crushed me in a heartbeat. I would have required a snorkel and life jacket to hop in that water. I knew having a duathlon would benefit me as I would be in a group on the bike. Sure enough, I hung out at the back of the pack for the run, but I had the 2nd fastest transition and came out right in the middle of a pack of strong cyclists. I felt good on the bike, the weather was cool, and I was working my way up the field, when at mile 20 my back tire blows. Trying to stay positive, I hop off the bike and use my fix-a-flat inflator to fill up the tire, and then hop back on the bike. I get another 1/2 mile down the road and the tire is flat again. Now I'm at the mercy of the bike techs. It took almost 30 minutes before I got a new tire and was on my way. At this point, I wanted to just quit, but I decided that I needed the workout, so I finished the bike and did an easy first loop off the bike. Instead of trying to kill it I decided to save my energy for next weekend in Kemah. While I was disappointed, I know I did the best I could on that day at that time, and am ready to go for next weekend.

What makes a good movie night?

This past weekend Sarah and I celebrated Easter with her family in LA. We had an awesome time eating crawfish (Lots of crawfish!), playing ping pong, and watching movies. Watching scary movies has become a tradition that every time we go to LA we rent a scary movie at night, but there is so much more that’s involved in a proper movie night. Let me walk you through a traditional movie night.

First, the movie night can not start until its dark out, because its no fun watching a scary movie in daylight. Usually it’s been a busy day of eating, drinking, and hanging out w/the family. Everyone slowly gathers on the couch, easy chairs, table, and sometimes even on the floor. The next 20-30 minutes are spent browsing through the scary movie section on direct tv. This is my favorite time of the night. It consists of scrolling through the movie selections, making fun of the low budget films, watching previews, vetoing and arguing over which movie to watch. Some are too graphic, some are too sexual, some are just too stupid. Eventually, we are able to settle on one movie. Typically, it's never anyones first choice, because it has to be a movie no one has seen, but in the end we eventually are able to all agree on one movie. Once the movie is decided, its time to load up on snacks. The typical culprits are popcorn, coke, chips, and little Debbie snacks, but what makes a movie night a true movie night is having oreos (lots of oreos) and milk. While some argue for double stuff, the majority of people agree that single/original oreos are the best, quoting reasons like, “you can eat more for the same calories, there are more in a bag, and some  say that they don’t taste as good when dunked in milk.” Luckily, we had single, double, and triple stuffed this weekend. And yes, I do partake in the oreo festivities. Life is too short to not enjoy some of the simple pleasures and a little gourging every once in awhile is fine.

After everyone has their snacks it’s time to start the movie. In the beginning there is typically lots of talking and hyping up how scary the movie is going to be. How we’re not going to be able to sleep tonight, etc. Then we quite down as the plot thickens and the movie progresses. There is always a point where the whole room jumps, which is followed by laughter and the guys trying to act like they were'nt scared. Then just as the really scary point of the movie is about to happen, you start to hear the banter from around the room. “Don’t go in there, why are you leaving everyone, look behind you, just run away!” Of course the characters never listen to us, and eventually die. Then before we know it, the movie is over. The movies are typically never as scary as you thought, but no one ever leaves right away. We switch over to normal television and watch something else to take our mind off the movie.  One by one people slowly drift off to bed or fall asleep where they are, and that concludes our movie night tradition. It doesnt get much better.

Tri Season has begun

This past weekend kicked off the start to my tri season with me competing in the Memorial Herman TX 70.3 Ironman in Galveston. My build up to the race was one of the best I've ever had. With the help of my coach Muddy Waters, I felt prepared to race against some of the best in the sport, including cycling legend Lance Armstrong. It worked out to where I had Friday off, so I headed down to Tiki Island where my great uncle let me and my "entourage" stay for the weekend. It was so relaxing to be down there with my family. Part of my ritual when I go down to Galveston is to do some fishing. Along with the help of my brother, we managed to catch two flounder, an eel, a catfish, and a stingray. It wasn't until Saturday afternoon when I attended the pro meeting that I finally started to feel the nerves of racing creeping in. It didn't help that everywhere I looked was tons of media and fans lining the pro tent trying to grab a pic of LA (Sarah included). He even had his own personal escort suburban so he didn't have to walk through crowds. Race morning I awoke feeling rested and ready to go. I got to transition early to set up, and when I arrived there was already a crowd of people outside transition taking pictures and waiting for Lances arrival. At 6:20 he arrived with a look of determination and focus that you rarely see. Talk about someone who is mentally preparing for a race. From there I made my way over to the OUL tent for our team photo then off to the swim start. I'm not going to go into huge details about the race. It was a mentally tough race for me as I was pretty much alone the entire bike and run, but I took a lot out of the race and it was a good learning experience. Here's kind of the good and the bad of the race.

Swim: 28:26 (1:28/100m) 30th
       - Pros: new wetsuit fit like a glove(thanks Adam, let me know when the next time you need it)
       - Cons: Didn't hang with the lead pack for more than 1-200 meters before falling off, got scared and hopped onto what seems like probably the slowest swimmer out there. 500 meters from the end I realized that we are going slow and set out on my own and was able to put a 20-30 second gap in those last 100 meters.

Bike: 2:16:19 (24.65 mph) 24th
        - Pros: held to my nutrition plan perfectly, legs/back felt good the whole time, this was the pace I had been hitting in training, mentally was able to survive being out on the course alone w/no one around to help pace.
        - Con: My goal was a 2:10 bike split, I feel that it's there, just today wasn't the day and I ended up having to work harder than expected just to get the results I got.

Run: 1:22:03 (6:15/mile) 19th
       - Pros: this was a 3 min faster run than last year even with what felt like a harder bike split, passed 3 people on the run and didn't get passed by anyone, nutrition was good
       - Cons: consistently got slower as the race went on (I think everyone did)

Overall, I'm very happy with the way I raced. I set a new PR by a minute from last year, my nutrition was dead on, and was able to mentally push myself on the bike and still have a good run. Thanks to all the support from OnUrLeft and Austin TriCyclist for getting me ready to race. While I didn't hit my "A goal" but I was still able to walk away knowing that my training is coming along the way it should for this time of year and I am looking forward to my next race which is New Orleans 70.3 in a little over 2 weeks.

Mixing Dentistry w/Triathlons

I'm sure that a lot of triathletes could relate to this. From 8-5 they go to work just like everyone else, but as soon as they are off they change from mild mannered worker bee to superhuman triathlete (at least in our heads). In each world they have their friends and social groups and for the most part neither know about side of that person's life. That's how it's been for me the first 2 years of dental school. I would wake up, go to school, and be a dental student, then at 5 I would come home and exchange my scrubs for spandex and become a triathlete. It felt like I was living two separate entities. Well, that kind of changed when I mentioned to the dental school dean of admissions that I had competed in a triathlon. Well, he got the wheels in motion which eventually led to an article to be written on me. Now all of a sudden, both my lives have collided together, because now everyone knows my "secret identity" and it's led to some interesting scenarios this week. For example, I was getting ready to give a presentation Friday to our class, when our professor made a joke like, "So Grant, I assume that your going to talk to us today about triathlons." It just completely caught me off guard, and I didn't even know how to respond to the comment. My first thought was is she serious, b/c I probably could have given a better presentation on triathlons instead of limited access of dental care to the elderly, but then I realized she was joking with me. I've also received a lot of support, which has motivated me and held me accountable for my training. Anyways, it has just been an interesting week, and I just thought I would share. Two more weeks till spring break and 4 more till Galveston. Can't wait, let the count down begin!

Austin half-marathon

What a great weekend. It started off kind of rocky, or should a say a little wet. Seems like it had been raining non-stop all last week. So I was looking forward to getting out of town and do some riding outdoors, but Saturdays weather forecast was not looking good. So I bit the bullet and hit the trainer Saturday morning, and then took off for Austin. After checking in at the Austin Marathon expo I went over to ATC where I learned that I had a time to beat. Adam had laid down a solid 1:21 at the 3M half-marathon. So I knew the time I had to beat. The shop also had a great marathon sale going on and a shiny black Cervelo R3 happen to catch my eye. After I sold my first ever bike (a Fuji), I had been looking for a new road bike to replace it, and this was that bike. Before I knew it, Adam had already fit me on it and after a short test ride on the trainer, I was hooked.

The next day the weather was ideal running weather. With over 15,000 runners, we took to the streets of Austin for the race. I went into this race with no expectations (except to beat Adam's time), and was interested to see how my body had adapted to the last 6 weeks of training. The first 3 miles are slightly downhill and when I looked at my watch, I was holding 5:30s. Yikes! That was fast, too fast, and I knew I would pay the price later. But I let it ride and wanted to see how long it would last. Well, it lasted to mile six, then I slowed to 5:40s where I stayed for the next 3 miles, and that was downhill. So when the hills picked back up around mile 9 I was toast. Slowed down a bit more, but was still able to hold and put down a 1:16 for the half (5:52/mile). This was a 2 minute PR from the last time I raced here, and I had tapered for the race then as well. So, I was happy with this time. Now I just need to be able to hold this after a swim and bike. I've got the Woodlands half in 2 weeks and 2 big training weeks coming up, so I'm interested to see if I can improve this time on a faster course. Afterwards I celebrated by going for a swim in Barton Springs and then had the best Migas and Magnum ever at the TX Chili Parlor, which is a Glauser/Sherwood favorite. Thank you for letting me crash with you and for the meal. Oh, and the cookies, I forgot to mention this, but my pre-race meal was coffee, oatmeal and a large chocolate chip cookie. I may have to do this before a triathlon b/c it seems to work.