Last week’s workout was quite the challenge to most that took it on.  It’s a workout that seems simple and not all that difficult to run.  It really is one long progression ending in total exhaustion.  From what I remember, I went one lap further than I did last year.  I’m not sure if that’s a true sign of my fitness, or more of a luck of the draw with the weather and the timing of the workout relative to races.  The weather was pretty good for what we’ve been putting up with.

When we first started out it seemed like we were crawling along and we were still 5 seconds fast at the 200 and nearly 10 seconds fast at the quarter.  We then thought we’d keep the same pace and catch back up.  We were, again, 5 seconds off.  This played true until we were actually running at about the mile mark.  Soon enough though, the 5 seconds fast became 5 seconds slow and we were continually checking splits and playing catchup.  It’s amazing how fast that workout goes by.  I think I made it 10 laps with my last lap being a :75.  It hurt.  I was pretty exhausted by the end of the run, but luckily not sore.

Today, there has been mention of 800s with full recovery.  (Most likely 6)

Not quite sure what I’m planning on doing.  I’m in between races this week.

In this video, American triathlete Andy Potts talks about his first Ironman victory at Ironman Coeur d’Alene back on June 27.

Potts comments on preparing for the race and what his strategy was on race day.

School’s out, the Summer is in full swing, and the Illinois State Fair is right around the corner. This only means one thing… Parade Run 2010!!! It’s that time again so plan on joining us on Thursday evening, August 12th at 5:30 PM for this 2 mile race. There is an electric atmosphere and the streets will be lined with cheering fans waiting with anticipation for the Illinois State Fair Parade. This race is exciting and is a great tune-up race for Abe’s Amble!

The race starts and finishes inside the fairgrounds by the Ethnic Village. The race will be chip timed and results will be available immediately following the race. The course travels along the same route as the Illinois State Fair Twilight Parade and is lined with encouraging fans. Personally, I was a little worried about running a race with SO many people watching but it turned out being an incredible experience. A water stop will be available at mile 1 and there will be plenty of post race food and beverages.

Awards will be given to the top overall male and female winners and age group awards will be given 3 deep in various age brackets.

In an effort to save some trees, the Parade Run will be on-line registration only. Registration will be available through www.getmeregistered.com.

New this year because you talked and we listened… A “No Shirt” entry fee. Entry fee for those that do not desire a shirt is $10.00 until August 10, 2010. The price increases to $12.00 if registering for this option at packet pick-up or on race day.

For those who wish to have a Chris Britt designed, technical fabric race shirt, entry fee is $18.00 with SRRC members receiving a $1.00 discount until August 10, 2010. Packet pick-up & race day registration will be $20.00 (no discounts).

Packet pick-up will be from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Springfield Running Center on Wednesday, August 11th.You will also be able to pick up your packet on race day starting at 4:00 PM.

If you are not planning on participating in the race and would like to volunteer for the event, we could definitely use your assistance. Please e-mail Lance at ltcull@aol.com or Kevin at milwardcrew@sbcglobal.com and we will be more than happy to find an “easy” job for you to do.

Hello, everyone!

Sorry this took so long to get the results to you all. Those of you who were there know there was a problem with the timing-Brennan hit the wrong button on the stopwatch & cleared the memory – SORRY! And thanks for help from Tracy, getting the numbers put together & to all of the riders for their help and patience. To get these results, we took the times from the riders who tracked their own time, then added or subtracted a guessed number for the riders who were either ahead or behind those riders. I’m confident that we have everyone within 15 seconds of their actual time.

Welcome 3 new riders, Mitch Johnson, Andrew Horin & Larry Perko! There were 33 riders tonight – 16 of you had OVER 1-MINUTE IMPROVEMENTS!!! Great job!!! Rob Brokaw set a new best time for the season at 22:45. His best time for 2008, and was the record for that year was 22:56. His best time for 2009, and was a record for THAT year was 22:35. Way to go, Robo! You’re closing in on it!

Results from July 21st:
Wind, 3mph from the NNW. Temp 92 & fairly humid. Partly cloudy skies, a storm had passed through the area a few hours before the start.

Rider                    Time      MPH

Ladies:

Bette Chesser            25:22     25.66
Nicole Sommer            27:37     23.57
Marilyn Powell           28:25     22.91
Gina Champion            28:55     22.51
Brigitte Cutler          29:32     22.04
Emily Chesser            30:15     21.52
Tracy Chestnut           35:45     18.21

Overall:

Rob Brokaw               22:45     28.62
Eric Sommer              24:12     26.90
Mark Shea                24:37     26.45
Jake Buescher            25:02     26.00
Dan Dungan               25:19     25.71
Bette Chesser            25:22     25.66
Mike Vonnahmen           25:30     25.53
John Halterman           25:35     24.49
John Hulcher             26:00     25.04
Tom Chesser              26:02     25.00
Kenny Vennell            26:15     24.8
Adam Sergent             26:15     24.8
Keith Buescher           26:32     24.54
Steve Schien             26:53     24.21
Mick McGlasson           27:27     23.72
Nicole Sommer            27:37     23.57
Bryan Albracht           27:41     23.52
Michael Dwyer            28:15     23.04
Kent Kraft               28:16     23.03
Marilyn Powell           28:25     22.91
Peter Wise               28:31     23.25
Mitch Johnson            28:35     22.78
Gina Champion            28:55     22.51
Sawyer Negro             29:00     22.45
Luke Perko               29:23     22.16
Brigitte Cutler          29:32     22.04
Neil Glessner            30:14     21.53
Emily Chesser            30:15     21.52
Tim Mallette             30:30     21.34
Andrew Horin             30:50     21.11
Don Mallette             35:35     18.3
Tracy Chestnut           35:45     18.21
Larry Perko              36:00     18.08

Congratulations to Adam Sergent & Jeanne Romanotto who, along with Tim Mallette & Tracy Chestnut will be married on July 31st! I’m going under the assumption that you will not be at the next time trial session!

I’ll see the rest of you on August 4th!

Steve Schien

Photos and Results are now available for the Springfield Tri Fest.  Hundreds of triathletes came out to participate and race in the 5th annual Springfield Tri Fest.  The event started out on Saturday July 24th with the Dew the Tri for Kids event at Lincoln Park.  On Sunday July 25th, the main event consisted of the Stoneman Sprint Triathlon and the Iron Abe Olympic Distance Triathlon.

Photos are not complete, and more will be uploaded over the next couple of days.  I also want to thank our photographers Tom Kulmacz, who has taken photos for us over the past couple years.  Also Kathy Nelson, Dave Holland.  Without their help, we would not be able to share these with you.  So if you do find a great photo, download it for free.  And if you really like it buy us a beer, by donating to HardyBreed with the link below.

[Stoneman & Iron Abe Race Photos 2010] [Dew the Tri for Kids Photos 2010]

Stoneman Overall Results 2010
Stoneman Age Group Results 2010
Iron Abe Overall Results 2010
Iron Abe Age Group Results 2010
Dew the Tri for Kids Overall Results 2010
Dew the Tri for Kids Age Group Results 2010

Find a good photo? Like what you see? Help support HardyBreed, and donate a buck or two.

It could have been the 14,000 feet of climbing I did earlier in the week.  It could have been the humidity.  It could have been the travel from the day before.  It could have been blah, blah, blah.

It could have been a lot of excuses but the truth is my legs were heavy and I just didn’t have it for this year’s Iron Abe.  My time was slower than last year but my training has been better than ever.  Oh well.

The race went amazingly smooth and there seemed to be more volunteers and crowd.  Thanks, Bill, for putting on another great race but come on…..enough of the Bob Marley.  Can we get something a little more uplifting?

The octopus that we ran two weeks ago was as usual as they come.  The difference was that we had someone to actually run with Lawyer on most of the hills.  Bean and Lawyer were running well along with several other guys.  I was very much struggling in the back because I was dumb enough the day before to ask, “how hilly could Hannibal, MO actually be?”.  Well, the roadies showed me.  We had a decent sized group and it was very warm.

Last week was back to the track.  Again, we broke into two groups doing completely different workouts.  The first was prepping for the sizzling mile (tomorrow night), the other group was doing longer tempo work.  The mile group ran 800, 400, 800, 400, 800, 400 with half the distance of recovery.  The other group ran 3 repeat miles at around 10K pace.  It was very hot on the track and made for a miserable day of Noon running.  My miles were 5:56, 5:53, 6:02.  It shouldn’t have hurt quite like that.

Today we are running the progressive run that we did last August.  This is done entirely as a group.  We start out at 8 minute pace for the first quarter and then drop 5 seconds every quarter until you can no longer maintain that pace.  It’s a great way to test your fitness and see where you are midway through the season.  We’ll warm-up with a couple of quarters to get the legs over the shock and then get into it.  Remembering the pace schedule ends up being a bit complicated.  Last year I wrote it down and (luckily) took a photo.  If you get a chance, copy this down and have it with you if you’d like to know the pace.  Bring a heart-rate monitor if you have one, it’s great way to learn your maximum.  It’s going to be relatively cool out there compared to the last few workouts.

On Saturday, Steven and I got up early and did a 13 mile long run.  I felt a lot better than I thought I might.  I guess I’m still shooting for Chicago.  After the run we went to Sportscare and helped with the Early registration and expo for the 2010 Women’s Biathlon being held on Sunday September 12th.  I wasn’t sure how many people to expect. I brought an  example of how I would set up my transition area, and what I would bring and wear to race in.  We also handed out biathlon check lists.   It was great getting to answer questions and share my knowledge.  I was pleased at the number of women who are first timers.  Some said they can run 3 miles and bike 12 mile but back to back?  I gave a lot of encouragement and tips.  This is a great first time multisport race!  Dr. Dan Adair gave a great speech on multisport athletes.  I learned some things, like it takes 3 weeks for your body to benefit from the exercise.  So, a tempo run a week before my marathon is not going to change my fitness level.    I think the slide with the “only weight loss plan”  was my favorite.  Get your hands out of the chips and your @ss off the couch. Simple  as that.  You don’t have to be good you just have to get moving.

Memorial’s SportsCare will hold an Education Fair and early Sign-Up Event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday for the third annual Women’s Biathlon later this Fall. I encourage you to take advantage of this great opportunity.

The education fair will be at SportsCare, 100 Chatham Road. It will be the last opportunity to receive a $5 discount off the registration fee. Other highlights include:

• Registering to win a free Garmin Forerunner.
• Getting advice from experts at R&M Cyclery, Springfield Running Center and SportsCare.
• Hearing Dan Adair, MD, speak on “How to be Happy in a Multisport” at 12:30 p.m.
• HardyBreed Rabbits Kim and Steven Graves

[View photos from last years event]

If you need more information about the sign-up event or want to register for the Biathlon, visit SportsCareWomensBiathlon.com.

Saturday, July 10 was a  perfect day for the 31st annual Women’s Distance Festival, a 2-mile race through beautiful Washington Park. A record participation of over 500 women completed the race to benefit the SIU Breast Center.  HardyBreed photographer Tom Kulmacz was on the scene taking hundreds of great photos to share with all of you.  (a BIG thanks to Tom!)  So go ahead I know you want to….Take a look at the 2010 Women’s Distance Festival results and photos.

[View the 2010 Women's Distance Festival Results] [Age Group Awards]

[View and Download FREE HardyBreed Photos from the 2010 Women's Distance Festival]

[Women's Distance Festival website]

Find a good photo? Like what you see? Help support HardyBreed, and donate a buck or two.

SUPERWEEK is pleased to announce that we will be offering much more to Masters riders in 2010. We also want to thank Team Mack for their support and making this program possible.

by Peter Wise

How do you measure a good weekend race experience? If rain and thunderstorms result in the cancellation of the youth race and then turn the transition area of the age group racing into a quagmire but you still had a good time, then that is a good race weekend. So it was with the 2010 Des Moines Hy Vee triathlon.

For years, my sister who lives in Des Moines has been suggesting that I do the Hy Vee triathlon. With the Branson 70.3 in my future, Des Moines was a good training race due the hilly terrain of West Des Moines.

The race website is first-rate. Check it out at hy-veetriathlon.com. After registering, I received a weekly newsletter which kept me informed about all manner of race information. One of the big draws of the weekend is the pro race. The Des Moines pro race has the largest purse of the year for the ITU circuit with 200K for the winner of the men’s and women’s race. Needless to say, the righteous Benjamins bring out some serious talent.

On Friday morning the 11th we left the heat and humidity of Springfield for the heat and humidity of Des Moines. While it is hardly possible Des Moines has had more rain this June than Springfield. Race weekend was no exception.

Having a place to stay other than a hotel or campsite makes an out-of-town race seem like home. My sister and her family were great hosts. They were as excited as Eric and I about the racing. My sister had scouted the website and venue and had maps and advice about routes and parking. After arriving, we drove to the race venue to check things out and check in Eric’s bike for the youth race on Saturday morning. Despite the heat, humidity and swamp like conditions, Raccoon River Park was a beehive of activity. Everywhere you turned there was a Hy-Vee race volunteer with a smile and an answer to your question. I was a kid in a candy store at the exposition area which featured all manner of clothing, bikes and other tri gear. Eric and I checked out the grandstand with its quarter-mile of blue carpet into the finishing area. Thinking that this was reserved for the pro racers, he expressed that it would be really cool to run into the finish area on the carpet. I told him, “look at your course map, this is how you finish.” He was totally fired up. After checking Eric in he wanted to leave so he could hang with his cousin. I returned to the race site to do a swim and then check in for Sunday’s race.

The swim venue was a small lake. Think a body of water about one-quarter the size of the main body of Lake Springfield. Visibility was no better. It was nice to have the opportunity to swim in the course and pick out some siting landmarks. The race check in was at a local high school only minutes from the race site. Racers were required to attend an informative race briefing before picking up a race packet. The briefings were held every twenty minutes, so there was not much standing around.

Eric’s race was scheduled for 7:30 Saturday morning. Given the limited parking at the park, shuttle points were established to ferry folks to the race. Separate shuttle points for races and spectators was a nice touch that kept things moving. Thunderstorms woke us up in the wee hours of the morning. We were up at 5:00 ready to go. A thirteen year old boy up at that hour is a testament to his excitement. Given the rain we checked the website. His race was delayed for three hours. We went back to bed. When we were up and out the door a couple of hours later the rain had stopped and the skies were clearing. That was short-lived. While waiting for a shuttle bus it started raining again. We were told that the race was canceled. Booo.

The free day allowed me to do a short run and then a bike ride. My sister’s husband gave me directions to a bike trail. The trail was washed out and muddy so I returned to the road and headed out-of-town. I had planned a fifteen mile ride. I was about to flip when I saw a water tower a couple of miles up the road. I rode to it only to find that I was in Grimes, IA. I knew that Grimes was not far from Dallas Center where my father grew up. I asked for directions and kept going. The energy gained by returning to my father’s roots more than made up for the extra distance. I ended putting in around thirty miles. Late in the day I checked in my bike, loaded up on my wife’s killer eggplant lasagna and we played a mean game of Monopoly.

Sunday morning dawned dry but you knew that would not last long. Once at the race site, I learned to my dismay that the race was shortened due to incoming weather. Turned out that was a good call. The race was now a sprint distance with a 400 yard swim, a twelve-mile bike and a 5K run. I was a bit late and had no chance to warm up my swim. I paid for that in the water. The bike felt pretty good. It began to rain just as I was finishing the bike. Then the skies opened up. Think biblical deluge. Think bolts of lighting and bone rattling thunder. At least it was not hot on the run.

I will most certainly return to do this race again. We did not stay for the pro race because we had to have Eric at Scout camp in Hettick, IL by dark. I want to see the pro race. If anyone is interested in racing in Des Moines my sister has plenty of room. She would like nothing better than to have her house turned into Hy-Vee race central.

- Peter

We had another great night: 26 riders (including 6 new people), the rain held off again, tailwind return leg, several new PR’s were set, what could be better?
Welcome back Jason Fergurson & Steve Stone! Say hello to the following new riders the next time you see them: Rob Yogger, Nicole Sommer, Peter Wise, Luke Perko, Don Mallette & Andy Meyerholz! Thanks for coming out & we hope to see you again! Thanks to Tracy Chestnut & her sister for timing tonight! Don’t forget-the results are always on www.hardybreed.com

Results from July 7th, 2010:
Wind was about 12mph from the SSW, Hot & fairly humid at 90 degrees, a bit cloudy with storms in the area.

Rider                   Time   Mph avg    PR

Ladies:
Bette Chesser           27:09     23.98
Nicole Sommer           28:04     23.19
Marilyn Powell          29:27     22.1
Lois Jazo               36:48     17.69     Y

Overall:
Rob Brokaw              23:26     27.78     Y
Mark Shea               26:02     25.0      Y
Jason Fergurson         26:49     24.28
Bette Chesser           27:09     23.98
Adam Sergent            27:22     23.79     Y
Tom Chesser             27:29     23.69
Nick Fogleman           27:51     23.38     Y
Rob Yogger              27:55     23.32
Steve Schien            27:55     23.32     Y
Nicole Sommer           28:04     23.19
Jeff Williams           28:18     23.0
Jason Beeler            28:22     22.95     Y
Kenny Vennell           28:51     22.56
Marilyn Powell          29:27     22.11
Kent Kraft              29:30     22.07
John Nelson             29:50     21.82     Y
Steve Stone             29:54     21.77
Dave Drennan            29:57     21.74
Peter Wise              30:01     21.69
Scott Harry             30:04     21.65     Y
Luke Perko              30:22     21.44
Tim Mallette            32:28     20:05     Y
Adam Newhall            35:01     18.59     Y
Lois Jazo               36:48     17.69     Y
Andy Meyerholz          37:16     17:47
Don Mallette            38:27     16.93

Thanks again!
See you all on July 21st
Steve Schien

Last week we had another great turnout and the weather treated us with some great running conditions.  I had been planning on changing the actual workout that I run to something more like a tempo workout on the track and still keep our traditional workout of intense speed at shorter distances.  My plan was to bring two different workouts and have the guys decide what would work best with their particular type of training and racing.  I’ve realized that there is no need for me to ever have to run a :72 quarter in my future.  To my surprise everyone decided to change things up and run a longer(ish) workout at a much slower pace.  I’m not sure if they too, typically have sore calves until Friday; or if they just chose the slower workout.  Either way, it was a nice change of pace.

The workout was 2 miles of tempo pace, 800 meters of recovery (continuous), followed by a mile of tempo.  “Tempo” is a rather empirical term often used in running with very loose definitions.  Some would say your 5K per mile pace plus 30 seconds.  Some would say your 10K pace.  Some would say it is the pace that you can hold for an hour.  All are right depending on what your goals are and what race you’re training for.  My group went with the 10K pace plan and we cruised through the sets at around 6:00 pace.  It was a great workout and the group stayed together the whole way.  Best of all, my calves felt great the rest of the week.

Today we are running the Octopus!  Noon at the corner of 1st and Madison.

Local area cyclist and triathletes featured in the State Journal Register newspaper’s “Be Heathy Springfield” section.  Take a look to learn more about Rob Brokaw, Jake Buescher, Lois Jazo, and the New City Time Trial Series.  And as always you can find the New City Time Trial results posted on our site, along with the schedule on our training calendar.

Read the Article now!

Justin Armstead, a Springfield area cyclist, who rides for Team Mack was recently featured in the July issue of Chicago Athlete Magizine.  Check out the article below by clicking on the image or visit www.mychicagoathlete.com to download your copy of the magizine.

I can’t remember running in the rain so much on Tuesday’s workout.  It’s certainly a welcome relief from the heat of the Summer, but seriously.  During the warmup, the black line of clouds were coming from the NE just as the radar had shown.  The lightning was just beyond the line and flashing and rumbling often.  I was thinking to myself that I was glad I had driven so that I could take shelter in my van (along with everyone else apparently).  Once the workout started, so did the storm.  It crashed down and made the first few last laps very tough to fight through the downpour.  After about 15 seconds, everything was completely soaked.  It did eventually let up and the workout continued as if it never had rained.  The plan was to run a shorter workout which was chosen the night before because they had ironically predicted extreme temperatures for Noon (heat index of 110+).  We ran 800, 400, 800, 400, 800, 400.  I actually don’t remember all of my times but I do know that we progressively increased our speed throughout the duration of the workout.

Today we’re going to try something a little differently.  I (along with several others) am training for much longer distances than the traditional road racer and need this speed workout to reflect those distances.  I feel that we need to have two different workouts depending on what you’re training for.  I personally have sore calves until Friday after running quarters approaching sub-5:00 minute pace.  I need to run closer to my LT (Lactate Threshold).  My plan is to run a modified tempo run on the track.  2miles at tempo pace (6:30-6:40) with 800 recovery (continuous) followed by 1 mile at tempo.  The goal and/or plan is to run the tempo at the right pace.  Running too fast defeats the purpose of the workout.  Tempo pace is typically 40-50 seconds per mile slower than your current 5K pace.

Back by personal request, the regular group is running the mile, half, mile workout; where every half mile gets 5 seconds faster.  An oldie but a goodie.

No, it’s not what your thinking?  Dan and I have many addictions, “acid, grass, downs, and speed” (to quote Soul Asylum) are not one of them.  We are addicted to multisport.  More importantly we are addicted to Endurolytes (Hammer Nutrition).  Endurolytes are electrolyte replacement supplements that come in pill form.  The pills are shaped suspiciously so when taken in public you look like a pill popper.  However, they are great for preventing cramps.

“Hey, do you have any pills?” is what Dan asked me about 60 miles into our marathon 101 mile ride on Saturday.  We started out at 05:30 with me on my road bike and Danoh on his TT bike.  The miles flew by as we passed the towns of Berlin, New Berlin, Waverly, Franklin, Pisgah and ending up at a Hucks in Jacksonville.  The temperature was moderate but by the time we hit Waverly a second time the temperature was pretty warm and I don’t remember seeing Dan sweat so much.  He asked me for a hit and I obliged.

The ride was pretty sweet.  We more or less had a double tailwind as we started out so early the wind changed by the time we made it to Jacksonville.  Dan towed me for most of the ride and we made the 101 mile trek in just over 5 hours, averaging 20 mph.  The roads were smooth and the traffic was mild.  One of those rides you remember.

Hi, everyone!

What a hot night! Thanks to all the brave riders who came out tonight! Welcome new riders Clay Crocker & Scott Harry-thanks for coming & we all hope to see you again! Good to see Michael Dwyer, Tracy Chestnut & Bryan Albracht again-they haven’t been out since last season. Thanks again to Brennan for timing & his buddy Brian for helping!

There were 3 new PR’s tonight, Rob Brokaw, Steve Schien & Lois Jazo-great job (gotta pat myself on the back a bit)!

There were 2 photographers tonight from the State Journal-Register, preparing for a cycling article coming up in the ‘Health’ section, which is in every Monday’s edition. It may not be in this coming Monday’s paper, but surely it will by the next one.

Remember, you can see all the results on www.hardybreed.com (just click on the New City tab) and I keep a list in the entryway at BikeTek.

June 23, 2010: Wind was a wicked 18 mph out of the WSW (it had nearly quit by the time we finished!), very hot at 95 degrees & humid, skies were clear.

Rider               Time                     Pace
Ladies:
Bette Chesser       27:23                    23.77
Lisa Kidd           28:27                    22.88
Lois Jazo           37:10                    17.52
Tracy Chestnut      41:15                    15.78

Justin Armstead     23:09                    28.12
Rob Brokaw          23:49                    27.34
Andy Lister         25:09                    25.88
Mark Shea           26:40                    24.41
Lance Kidd          26:43                    24.37
Jake Buescher       26:51                    24.25
Bette Chesser       27:23                    23.77
Tom Chesser         27:43                    23.49
Adam Sergent        27:59                    23.26
Steve Schien        28:16                    23.03
Mike Vonnahmen      28:21                    22.96
Lisa Kidd           28:27                    22.88
Bryan Albracht      28:58                    22.47
Keith Buescher      29:14                    22.27
Kenny Vennell       29:30                    22.07
Matt Dorchinecz     29:35                    22.00
Nick Fogleman       29:38                    21.97
Scott Harry         31:29                    20.68
Clay Crocker        31:44                    20.51
Michael Dwyer       32:00                    20.34
Tim Mallette        36:02                    18.07
Lois Jazo           37:10                    17.52
Tracy Chestnut      41:15                    15.78

See you all at the next time trial on July 7th! Have a good, safe & fun July 4th!!

Steve Schien

Track saw a new chapter last week with the presence of Bryan Glass and a pro triathlete named Eric Bean.  Both of them raised the level of running on the track by a factor of two.  It was both impressive to be running the same workout as them and also depressing at the same time.

The group was one of the biggest we’ve ever had at around 18 guys.  It was great to see so many runners show up and put forth such a quality effort.  The workout was 1200, 800, 400, 1200, 800, 400.  It went by fairly quickly even though there were actually 3 miles of speed-work and 1.5 miles of recovery.  It made for a long track session.  The group actually was able to regroup between each interval which seemed to keep everyone motivated.  This is especially true considering how fast the fast guys were running (Bryan ran the second 800 at 2:13 and the last 400 at :60).  Smokin.  I’m glad he doesn’t ride a bike.  I hit 4:05, 2:40, :75, 4:06, 2:38, :72.

Today’s workout is going to be a little bit shorter because of the extreme heat index predicted for today (around 110 degrees).  Normally we try and get 3 miles of speed-work in during each workout.  Today we’re doing 2.25 miles.  The plan is 800, 400, 800, 400, 800, 400.  We will take a full lap of recovery between each interval.  Bring some water if you can, it’s gonna be hot out there boys!

Mimi Hughes is swimming the 981-mile Ohio River.  She is averaging 20 miles per day (10-11 hours) with a break every 90 minutes.

Wheel Fast Bicycle Co.

presents

The 12^th Annual Tour De Corn Metric Century

Chatham Community Park

Sunday July 11th, 2010 at 8:00 a.m.

Registration will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m.

Mass start at 8:00 a.m.

There are three distance options: 62, 31, or 22 miles

The cost is $15.00

Free Wheel Fast cycling socks to the first 100 riders!!!

SAG service until 1:00 p.m.

Rest stops with food and drink

BBQ 11:00-2:00 following the ride

Proceeds benefit the Chatham Jaycees

Call Matt or Jay at Wheel Fast with any questions

217-483-7807

The 2010 Bob Goldman Memorial Scholastic Challenge 5k took place on June 19, 2010 at the Lake Springfield Beach House.  It was humid as usually, but that didn’t stop hundreds of people from coming out.

A big thanks again this year to HardyBreed Photographer Tom Kulmacz for coming out and taking photos on the course.

[Scholastic Challenge Overall Results 2010] [Scholastic Challenge Photos 2010]

[Age Group Awards] [Historical Results]

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Lance Armstrong tells us what his most important piece of equipment and it definitely not about the bike.

Last week’s workout was once again met with thunderstorms.  The rain came in about an hour before we met and I’m sure it kept most everyone (and you know who you are) away.  Six die-hards showed up for what was to be a great workout.  It turned out to be nearly ideal as far as weather and conditions were concerned.  The temps were relatively cool and there wasn’t much wind.  If it wasn’t for the downpour and the lightning, it would have been a beautiful day.

The workout was six 800s at 10 seconds faster than 5k pace.  The first one was painful.  I mean, it really really hurt.  Everyone was talking about it during the recovery.  If that’s how they were all to feel, it was going to be a long day.  Luckily the second one allowed us to get into some sort of groove, and we just clicked off the laps.  I was actually feeling pretty damn good.  The pace continued to pick up and our times slowly dropped.  The 5th interval was our fastest yet and once we were done David mentioned that he had just PR’d in the 800.  We were all impressed and asked how he was feeling.  He said he actually was feeling decent.  We convinced him to run faster than the last and he agreed.  We talked about the strategy and we were ready.  The last one was the fastest yet and David PR’d again by another 3 seconds!  He ran a 2:36!  He remembered doing a workout similar to this last year, just after he started running with us.  His goal then was to run them at 3:10.

My times were 2:43, 2:39, 2:38, 2:37, 2:39, 2:36.  Nice Job everyone!  Very solid workout.

Today’s workout: 1200, 800, 400, 1200, 800, 400.  Quarter between.

Registering for a race, you have never seen takes guts or maybe stupidity. Ironman Wisconsin is the only 140.6 race that is within a 4hr proximity of central Illinois. You would think that makes it the perfect option. Unfortunately for me the terrain of central Illinois is extremely different than that 4 hours north. This was the main reason for the Ironman Wisconsin reconnaissance.

I heard many story’s about IMWI bike course. Mainly that it was a 112 miles uphill, into the wind and on chip and seal. I joked about this, and thought…. how bad can it really be?

Friday evening Eric Sommer, Travis Schroll and I packed up the Jeep and headed north to Madison, WI. Our plan was to wake up Saturday morning and ride out to Fireman’s Park, meet up with Joe House, ride the two loop course, than ride back into Madison… An easy 112 miles…

We left the hotel at 8:10, a few minutes behind schedule.  We zig zagged through downtown trying to make it to John Nolan dr.  We passed some college student houses.  They all had balconies.  One had a sign… “Cool Guys Live Here”.  Oh, to be in college…  We eventually made it to the bike path on John Nolan, and started the IMWI bike course.  we went out pretty easy thinking we had until 9 to meet up with Joe.

The course on the way out really didn’t seem to hilly.  I started wondering what all the fuss was about?  We made it to Fireman’s Park. Joe was ready to go.  We snapped a few photo and headed out on the 40 mile loop.

Our pace was slow, and we were interested in learning the route.  We looked around, talked and waited for something to happen.  That something arrive soon enough in the form of some giant hills.  My experience from last year on hilly course was spin up and take it easy on the legs.  You have to save them for the run!  The hills started coming one by one, but with each hill was a decent.  I clocked over 40mph going down a few of them.

One major climb comes to mind, which was in the later half of the loop.  A couple of clubbers caught up with us, before the climb.  Eric and I had a hard time being showed up (or holding back).  We both started spinning up the hill to catch them.  Before I knew it I was in my 42-23.  That was all I had. Spinning, almost looking for one more gear.  Damn! this was a hill!  We managed to drop the crazy clubbers and their wool clothing, but slowed down at the top to wait up for our group.

The first loop took us over 2 and half hours and we stopped at Joe’s car for some refreshments.  We had a cooler full of Gatorade, Mt. Dew, Pepsi, and Red Bull, thanks to his wife!  I refilled my bottle and downed a Dew.  Our second lap was going to be a little more intense and everyone would ride their own pace, and meet back up at the end.

The four of us started out, but split up rather quickly with the first hill and decent.   I tried to get all the speed I could on the downhills to help power up the other side.  I really wanted to make this one hurt, hell I drove 4 hours for this…  Eric and I started pushing the pace.  The group kind of fell apart on the hills, but that was ok, we planned on meeting up later.

I tried to push Eric the best I could, but he was way too strong.  I could only hope that he wouldn’t drop me.

We flew through the second lap in 2 hours or so, and surprisingly knew the course pretty well.  We made it back to Fireman’s Park and started to wait for Travis to show up.  Waiting for 6 minutes, I decided to text him, and tell him we were at the car.  Seconds later, I get a text saying that he was heading back to Madison already, which would put him 2+ miles up the road.

We jumped on our bike reluctantly and started the chase.  I was trashed after that last lap, and I don’t think Eric felt any better.  We got back down in the aero position and gave it what we had left.  This sucked!  We made it to Whalen road, and got kicked in the face with another hill, not to mention a head wind on a crappy road.  All I could think about was getting back to the hotel.

Finally out of the blue Travis appeared.  Thank God we caught him.  We stopped at a light and texted Joe, telling him we were heading back.  Going back through town.  The local college kids were already having fun.  Riding down one street a whole house started chanting for us “U..S..A..”, “U..S..A”…  It was kind of funny, like having you legs ripped from your body and somebody telling you a knock knock joke.  That kind funny.  (I felt like ass!)

We made it back to the hotel, and realize that our nutrition was not spot on for the day.  We were starving to death and plan on heading out immediately to find some food.  But after 3 showers and some lounging, 5 o’clock rolled around pretty quickly.  We headed out the Dane.

All day I thought about BEER, but at this point, it was the last thing on my mind.  We ate dinner and headed back to the hotel, for a quick 45 minute rest before meeting up with Joe and his wife at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Two words: Ranger IPA on Tap!

We  planned on meeting up with Joe at 8 in the morning for a run on the IMWI run course, but there was a delay.  We did make it out on the course at a very slow running pace.  6 miles in, Eric and I called it. So much for a long run.

117 miles on the bike and 6 miles of running.  Much, much tougher than I thought it would be.  I am really starting to wonder why I registered for this damn race in the first place.  It will definitely be a challenge to finish.

Before heading out-of-town we stopped at Machinery Row.  A kick ass bike shop. They had everything, including two Trek Speed Concepts.  This was the icing on the cake to great weekend in Madison!  A big shout out to Joe for a great time in Madison!

Janez Brajkovic of RadioShack won the 62nd Criterium du Dauphine.  The three main points concerning this result are 1) Alberto Contador placed an impressive 2nd (but couldn’t shake Brajkovic on stage 6 that finished atop L’Alpe d’Huez), 2) Brajkovic is Lance Armstrong’s teammate and, 3) This is the final significant lead-up before the start of the Tour de France.

by John Lawyer

I guess this is the”official” third annual Capital City Biathlon (fourth year running). I have always loved this event, it was one of my first races I’ve ever competed in and it’s fun all around, plus it’s a local race with tons of friends around to “shoot the poop” with. Being lucky enough to be the previous winner for two years running I knew that it’s only a matter of time before my luck ran out. I was going into this race a little blind for my liking.  I didn’t have a chance to do my annual 5k prep race to see where my fitness was and TT practice on the bike was non-existent. On top of that, my running legs have been suffering a bit so I slowed up the training a bit going into this race.

I ran into Kyle Monroe at the Lincoln Half Marathon who was 3^rd place at the biathlon last year, he was in top-notch shape running the half in 1:14, but rumors were that he was injured and would not make the biathlon. I was also unsure of the 2^nd place Thomas Gerlach who was in premium shape as well, I decided not to remind him that the race was approaching in hopes that he would forget. So the chances that the day would be a “hell on earth” day for me were an unknown.

As the wife and I were driving around the lake in route to the race I spotted a rider getting a warm up ride in from their house, sure enough it was Kyle Monroe, damn! With subtle encouragement I almost nicked him with my side mirror. After passing I knew I should have, I just like him too much to do that, darn nice guys. The pre race was the normal hustle and bustle, trying to keep the nerves under control. Finding out that Thomas was a no-show was a little bit of a relief. I was excited to slip on the new Hardy Breed tri kit for the first time, I do wish it was a Speedo though.

Trying to keep myself cool at the start was a struggle, I knew my work was cut out for me. Before long the gun went off, by the looks of it you would think we were do a track workout. Kyle shot off the front with speed and power just like a pro, and damn did he looked slick in that Pearl Izumi tri kit, I was convinced I needed one. Trying to run my own pace I kept a close eye on Kyle, his first mile 5 minutes flat, mine 5:24, not going so good, lets hope this doesn’t keep up. Kyle was around 8 minutes at the turn around and I flipped about 8:35. I was on pace to be a low 17 which is where I thought I would be. Mile two and Kyle was gone, I was alone and falling off pace just a little. At this point of the run (and fairly normal for me) was the time where my mind wonders off, and I mean wonders! I was thinking of everything but the race, work, what I was going to have for lunch, what I was going to do on Sunday, should I go to the pool. By the time I hit the bridge I think I figured out that I really didn’t want to run that hard, I was comfortable with my fading pace. And a fading pace it was. I refused to look at my watch knowing that I wouldn’t be happy, I glanced down right before T1 and sure enough it wasn’t what I wanted, 17:35 is what I saw and I still had a few steps to go, 17:40 was my official run time (slower than last year), “oh well” I told myself out loud as I entered T1.

Grabbing my normal bike crap I took off, clipped in, and started the bike leg. My super hot wife was volunteering (looking mighty sexy I might add) on one of the first turns and as I passed I just shook my head, she knew I was in a bad spot and way down. I was certain I needed to make up at least a minute (1:26 to be exact) so I just put my head down and tried not to go out too hard. Keeping it at 27-28 mph is what I did in hopes of catching someone. South on Pawnee Rd is where I spotted Steve Schein who was part of a team (teams started 3 minutes earlier on the run). I was closing fast which surprised me a bit but I just used him as a target. I didn’t pass him until we hit New City Rd.  We’re good friends and he shouted some good words at me (unsure what they were but I’m certain he wasn’t rude, I know where he lives). I crested a roller and spotted another rider, “thank God” (actually spoken out loud). Then I could see two riders, I knew there was another team rider but couldn’t tell if Kyle was the first or second rider, I had to wait for the turn around to find out. The first rider passed after the turn around and it was a team rider, a smile grew across my face, I was probably around 30 seconds back from Kyle. I knew I just closed a huge gap but there was a lot more to go. We made eye contact when he flipped; he knows I’m hunting him down.

After the turn around I assumed that there would be a tail wind of some sort, maybe, just a little, NO. Who really knows which direction the wind was blowing but it felt like a head wind the whole way? I continued to close the gap little by little on New City Rd. Once we turned back north on Pawnee Rd my mind faded once again. This has to be some sort of medical condition, I now made up my mind on what to eat for lunch and how the rest of my long weekend was going to play out, no joke, this is really what I was thinking about. I hit Lake Shore Dr and realized that I made up no ground on Kyle while on Pawnee Rd.  I told myself I had to catch him so I put in a surge for about a minute, that’s all I could muster, I tried to keep the momentum but it didn’t hold. I was doing a good job at convincing myself that 2^nd place is still good and I should be happy with that, and I was. Lake Shore is a windy road so it was hard for me to tell how far back I was even though I could see Kyle in front of me. As we approached the final left hand turn off of Lake Shore and on to the final last stretch it dawned on me that I might be close enough to attack one last time, and I would be disappointed in myself if I didn’t at least give it another shot, so I did. I figured I had around 20 yards to close in a quarter-mile, so I buckled down for a lot of pain. I clamped down so hard I knocked the nose of my seat down. I passed the hottie volunteering and heard the piercing sound of her scream “catch himmmmmmmm”.  I pushed as hard as I could, I flew up behind and all I could think about was how he might see my shadow before I get there and he’ll sprint. Two seconds are not long enough to make a game plan so when I closed the gap all I had time to do was shift, stand, and sprint. As I let out a terrible scream across the finish line I knew I did something that I didn’t think I could do. I won.

Good thing Bob was there at the finish, I couldn’t get off my bike. That was pain you don’t feel everyday and frankly I don’t want to feel every day. I went straight for the grass and laid there for about five minutes without moving. After I got a small cool down run in with Dan (podium spot) and Scott Harry (old man yogurt) I was better. I got around to talking with Kyle and had to apologize for stealing the win, I truly felt bad. Kyle is an amazing athlete that deserves to win, that’s just how I feel, and he will win this race next year. And Kyle I hope your taking care of your body with all your crazy 12 hour races you’re doing, my wife is concerned, (yeah, I don’t understand that either). All in all it was a good race, you couldn’t ask for better groups of people out there. Hardy Breed Racing had a great show as well as the Springfield Tri Club with their new colors. Someone even tapped a couple of kegs, who could want more (maybe Kyle). Thanks to all who helped put this event on, keep it up.

- John

Great job tonight, sorry I couldn’t be there! Thanks again to Brennan & Tracy for getting everything running! Welcome 4 new riders tonight, Trevor Lister, Andrew Strow, Matt Dorchinecz and Bill Chestnut! We all hope to see you again soon! And returning tonight for the first time this season, Dan Billingsley, Jason Beeler & Eric Sommer (does anybody else see a Hardy Breed connection here?) Tim Mallette and Amanda Kidd.

I will be listing the Ladies’ results separately , starting tonight. So with that in mind:
New Record tonight! Bette Chesser set a new best time for the Ladies at 26:15, beating the old record (hers) of 26:26! Congratulations, Bette! She beat her husband, Tom again, too—

This is one of the largest turnouts we’ve had, if not the largest with 33 riders! And get this-25 of you had new PR’s tonight! Five of those had over 2 minute improvements!!!!
Adam Sergent 2:24 improvement, John Hulcher 2:10 improvement, Kent Kraft 2:07 improvement, Brenda Reiling 2:05 improvement and Neil Glessner 2:04 improvement! Great work!

The running competition between Lisa & Marilyn has another twist tonight: They both had improvements over their last PR by 1:12! Creepy.

Remember, you can always check results and tons of other useful information on www.hardybreed.com. Great website, guys!

Justin & Robo went to run at Decatur’s time trial tonight, with the Zipp demo & pro rider (and food, I hear!). I hope things went well for them! BikeTek’s Zipp representative said they are going to try to do a demo night with us this season, too. If it happens, I will put out plenty of advance notice-those are supposed to be fun events!

Results from Wednesday June 9, 2010:

Wind: west at 9mph. Temp: 83 degrees. Skies: clear, not very humid.

Ladies:
Bette Chesser             26:15  New ladies’ course record.(2008: 26:26)
Brenda Reiling            27:50
Lisa Kidd                 27:51
Marilyn Powell            28:06
Emily Chesser             30:41
Amanda Kidd               37:09

Rider                     Time      Pace                     Last PR
Andy Lister               23:41     27.5                      24:08
Dan Billingsley           24:45     26.3                      24:57 (set last year)
Ray Caruso                25:21     25.7                      25:57
Jake Buescher             25:35     25.4                      26:20
Lance Kidd                25:36     25.4                      26:03
Eric Sommer               25:38     25.4                      26:35 (set last year)
Trevor Lister             25:51     25.2
John Halterman            26:06     24.9                      26:08
Mark Shea                 26:13     24.8                      26:23
Bette Chesser             26:15     24.8                      26:58
Tom Chesser               26:31     24.6                      26:54
Dave Drennan              26:33     24.5                      26:18
Mike Vonnahmen            26:49     24.3                      27:43
Keith Buescher            26:50     24.3                      27:47
John Hulcher              27:04     24.1                      29:14
Kenny Vennell             27:10     24.0                      28:08
Adam Sergent              27:24     23.8                      29:48
Scott Robinson            27:35     23.6                      27:43
Mick McGlasson            27:46     23.4                      29:10
Brenda Reiling            27:50     23.4                      29:55
Lisa Kidd                 27:51     23.4                      29:03
Nick Fogleman             27:58     23.3                      29:15
Marilyn Powell            28:06     23.2                      29:18
Andrew Strow              28:36     22.8
Matt Dorchinecz           28:44     22.7
Jason Beeler              28:45     22.6                      27:13 (set last year)
Gene Rupnik               29:00     22.5                      30:58
Kent Kraft                29:05     22.4                      31:12
Emily Chesser             30:41     21.2                      30:31
Neil Glessner             30:41     21.2                      32:45
Tim Mallette              32:30     20.0                      31:12 (set last year)
Amanda Kidd               37:09     17.5                      42:43 (set in 2008)
Bill Chestnut             37:38     17.3

Don’t forget our first Saturday session on June 19th at 9:30!

See you soon, or at the next regular Weds session on June 23rd!

Steve Schien

Today was my first ride at the New City Time Trial for the year.  Although I have been getting in some mileage on the bike I haven’t had too many solo rides.  It’s time to start with some hard efforts, solo.

I was surprised by the turnout tonight.  There must have been close to 30 riders.  It’s cool to see that many participating.  Some first timers, some old timers, some experienced, and some cats just trying to get in the sport-a real melting pot.  I really liked the new format of 15 second intervals.  However, I am still being placed toward the back with nothing but quality just a few seconds behind me.  This means that I could get passed by a lot of riders really quickly.

My anticipation held true as Betty C., my 15 second person, passed me within the first 2 miles.  I could tell right from the start that tonight was going to be a struggle.  The lactic acid in my legs accumulated quickly and ballooned to twice their size.  I was in pain the rest of ride.

Rider after rider passed me as I struggled to maintain 21 mph.  It really wasn’t my night.  I just couldn’t get into a rhythm.  Fortunately, at about 2 miles from the finished I kind rode into a rhythm and maintained 23 mph for the last 1.5-2 miles.  Hopefully that means my warmup wasn’t good enough and doesn’t mean that I suck.

I stopped the clock at 28:45, averaging 22.6 mph.  After a brief rest I slipped on the running shoes and headed south for a run.  The sun was bright on the way back and the heat was really cooking me.  I wasn’t trying to go hard but my legs felt good.  The 3.1 miles seemed to go by quickly and I stopped the clock at 23:45.  Having a solid run was some vindication for the poor showing at the TT.