I have signed up for Norseman 2013

Talk is cheap, now I have taken the first step. I have signed up for Norseman 2013. Hopefully I will be on the ferry August next year. Well signing up is not guaranteeing a spot in the race. With only 250 participants each year I need some luck also. So triathlon Gods, I have been a good boy and have not pushed anyone down during the swim, drafted on the bike or cut the course during the run. Can I please get a spot........

 



Norseman is my "Kona". I just need to qualify first.

Is Kurt my friend?

It is fall and almost all my bike rides will be inside going forward. Using a trainer is a great way to get bike fitness in a safe and effective manner. No downhills, no drafting, just good training. It is only on problem, I am spending all mine time in my garage.

 

This could be a bad thing and I it could make all my bike workouts extremely boring. But I am actually having no problem spending time on the trainer. How? First of all it is a safe way to train, much safer than being on the road. Second it is a good workout. Today's trainers are really good. Third, it is the fastest and best way to get all the biking in while balance work, family and training. Fourth, I am getting updated on all kind of old sports thanks to Internet. I have even watched the season opening in cross country skiing from Beitostoelen in 1987 (yes I am a nerd..)

So I guess Kurt is actually my friend.......

You can do it!

Now it is real. The Norseman registration is starting October 27. The talk is over, now it is action. Of course it is not easy to get a spot, but I am hopeful I will be lucky.

I have to applaud the Norseman organization for the lottery rules. They are trying to keep the event as a world event, not just by Norwegians for Norwegians.

After I have submitted the application. You can read about the process here, I still have to wait to hear the final decision. Maybe this time the triathlon God is on my side.

In the meantime I have to tell myself I can do it. Or I can get help from this guy....



 

Almost time to sign up time for Norseman 2013

It is fall and this fall will be different. I am constantly checking the website to the Norseman race. Why? Because Norseman 2013 is my goal. But of course nothing is easy when it comes to Norseman. The race is hard by itself, but it is equally hard to get a spot so you can race. This is from the website.

Norseman 2012 is fully booked. Enrollment for 2013 will open in early October.

To enter the lottery we will have a full week open for registration, so this is not first come first serve.

• There will be an elite quota where a jury will select athletes based on merits.


• A lottery of the majority of the slots.


• By invitation by the Race Director.

To enter the race we will have a full week open for registration, so this is not first come first serve.

The lottery will have quotas for for Norwegians vs Foreigners and Male vs Female.

http://www.nxtri.com/news/norseman_2013

As you can see, I need some luck to get in. So this October I will fill in an application and then start pleasing the triathlon God by training hard.

Happy feet

Once in a while I am lucky and just get some kind of equipment that is better than expected. By chance I bought some cycling shoes in 2008. It was Shimano SPDSL. Why did I buy them? They felt good on my feet in the store.

 

I have used them with thick socks, thin socks and without socks. I have used them in training and competitions. The shoes just fit. I have happy feet.



 

One day I have to replace them, but right now they are my keeping my feet happy.

Some inspiration for fall training

The summer of 2012 is over. It is getting darker and even more of the training has to be done inside. So how can I keep the motivation when my big goal Norseman 2013 is so far away? Well, I can get a reminder of why I want to jump of the ferry, bike over the mountains and concur Gaustatoppen. The 2012 Norseman video will be my secret helper when I am on the bike in the garage.

Grand Columbian Triathlon Race Report

It was time for my second half Ironman distance race this year (and ever). My choice was the classic Grand Columbian Triathlon at the Grand Coulee Dam in eastern Washington. I chose this race due to the hard bike course and that I have never been in that part of the state. I did not get disappointed.

Trifreaks is the organizer of the Grand Columbian Triathlon. The race is low key, but honest and filled up with athletes wanting to race hard but have fun at the same time. I hope more athletes will show up next year, this race deserve more racers.

The area around the Grand Coulee Dam is quite amazing.



And of course the dam



Swim:

This must be the most athlete friendly swim in triathlon. The water is clear and best of all, the organizer has a sight line between the buoys. Yes, you can keep your head down and just swim. Another perk is wave start, good job Trifreak.

My goal was to start in a controlled manner and focus on keeping a good form all the way. I have to say I succeed, I felt strong the whole way and had a positive experience. I tried to be as flat as possible in the water so my hamstrings had to work hard, more on that later.

Swim time: 33 minutes (not bad to be me)



Bike:

The bike course is hard and the road surface is not exactly smooth. Out of T1 you have 10 feet of flat road before you start climbing. The course also have a lot of false flats. Overall it was a great course.



My coach Tony DeBoom came up with the following challenge: Bike hard, really push it and then we will see what happen on the run. Trust me, something happen on the run.....

I did manage to start in a controlled manner. It was a lot of climbing in the start but I pushed hard but not too hard. I kept the effort up until it was 20 miles left, then I really start pushing. My legs did not feel good, my hamstrings were tight and they felt just a little heavy. But I am really happy with my effort, I pushed through on a not so perfect day.

Bike time: 2.59

Run:

I tried to start slow, it was not easy but I managed quite well. The run went really well until half way. 10 meters after the turnaround my right hamstring start cramping. I stretched and tried to focus on high turnover. It went OK until I had 4 kilometer left. My legs had started to pay the price for not feeling fresh before start and for pushing hard on the bike. Before the last hill I got some coke and then I start walking up the hill. Running up was out of the question. At the top of the hill I was looking forward to cruise down to the bridge, then both my legs started to cramp up. I started laughing since my running form now looked like a two year old in diapers. Well I managed to get to the finish line and then I sat down and did not move for a while. Without the problems in the end I would have been around 1.48.

Running time: 1.53





Result:

I ended up 5 in my class and 13 overall.



Conclusion:

I am satisfied with the race. I could have been better with nutrition, I could have made sure to get a massage the week before so my legs would feel better and I could have hold back on the bike. I pushed hard on the bike and felt the results on the run. It is important to get to know my own body and this was quite a learning experience. But most of all, I had FUN.

Garmin file run

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/223719082

Garmin file bike

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/223719077

The big question, how long will this stay on?

Getting ready for Grand Columbian Half Triathlon

Saturday morning I will jump in the water and participate in Grand Columbian Triathlon in Eastern Washington. I picked the race since the bike leg is quite hard and because I have never been in Grand Coulee.



Bike

This will be fun. It is hilly, it can be warm and windy.



 

Run

Most of the run is on gravel, that is positive. I also looking forward to the last hill (or maybe not).



Wish me luck!

Beaver Lake Triathlon Race Report

Beaver Lake Triathlon is a local race close to where I live. It always has a good atmosphere and the course is quite challenging to be a sprint. The swim is 400 meters in the usually warm Beaver Lake. The bike leg is 13 miles with three climbs and the run is 4.3 miles with some rolling terrain. Since the water temperature was nice I decided to race without a wetsuit. As a weak swimmer the wetsuit is good help but sometimes it is good to go outside the comfort zone.

Swim:

I had a good warm-up, then the race start god delayed and all my effort went down the drain. I started in wave 9. The swim went ok. I could feel that my legs did not have any help since I did not used a wetsuit, but overall I am satisfied.

T1:

No wetsuit = fast transition. I had the fastest transition of everybody, even though I had a less than perfect place for my bike.

Bike:

I started passing people right out of T1, used a little time to get warm but then it was no problem. A little bit of traffic slowed me down but the police and volunteers worked hard to get the cars out of the way. I felt strong in the hills, especially the long one. But since I just passed people I did not have any reference point of faster athletes. All the biking in the garage has paid off.

T2:

Had some problem with one shoe, but other than that no problem.

Run:

I had two goals: start slow and keep high cadence. I managed to hold back the first half mile, got into a good rhythm and just focused on keeping the cadence up. I kept passing people and no one passed me. The run was a positive experience; I felt that I was running not just suffering on heavy bike legs. I pushed hard the last half mile and even tried a little sprint. I was fun finishing strong.

Conclusion:

OMG I got 20^th place out of 350. I had a lot of fun and now know I am getting in better shape.

Top 10 Masters



Top 20 Overall



 



 

 

Rev3 Portland Race Report

July 8th was the date for my triathlon long distance debut. I had chosen this race mostly due to its hard bike course. It would be good practice for Norseman. My brother in law Chris joined me for the trip. I assumed it would be good to have help driving home after the race.

On Saturday it was race meeting and I dropped of my bike in transition. I also had a nice chat with the top American pro Jordan Rapp. He asked if I had driven through the bike course, I said no, and he said it was really hard. Well I was at the point at no return, but was glad I had uphill gearing on my bike. Rev3 really impressed me with good organizing the day before the race and I looked forward to race day.



Swim:

My goal was to have a positive experience on the swim and I succeed. It was not fast or pretty, but I did not panicked and had good control the whole way. The wetsuit was tight over the shoulders, but that is not an excuse for my time. According to the pros the swim was longer than 1,900 meters so I should be happy.





T1:

Quite uneventful, got some nice encouraging words from Chris and then I was ready for 90 kilometers on the bike.

Bike:

The bike course was hard with steady hills, some switchbacks, steep downhills and even some flats in the end. I managed to push steady and felt like I had good legs. Got passed but I also passed a lot of people. Most of the course was in the shade, but not the last part. When I got there I could really feel the heat. My back and neck also start to hurt.





T2:

It felt good to get off the bike. I was ready to the half marathon, maybe to ready...

Run:

First rule in long distance triathlon is: do not run out to hard from T2. Guess what I did? Yes I started way to hard and it hit me in the face together with the heat. I had to start walking the last aid stations and my legs start cramping up. It was not pretty but I pushed through. I manage to reach my goal, to get under two hours.



Overall I have to be happy with my debut. 10 out of 27 in my class, 79 out of 255 and a really classic tan line.



I did it!



I will be marked for the rest of the summer.



Video

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/45424262]

New helmet

It was about time to update my road helmet. I wanted a versatile, safe and light helmet. With many quality helmets on the market it has not been easy to pick one. But I ended up buying a Lazer helmet from the local tri store Mr.Cramp's. You will understand why when you see the pictures.

Helmet



 

A local guy supplies Mr.Cramy's with aero/rain cover for the helmet. The price is just $15.



 

With the cover the helmet gets more versatile and even more aero.



 

Holmenkoll Relay Race Report

The Holmenkollstafetten is the best sign of spring in Norway. 55 000 athletes are filling the streets of the Norwegian capital Oslo trying to run as fast as they can for their team. The relay consists of 15 stages ranging from 400 meters up to 2,700 meters with both uphill and downhill stages.

I was recruited by my brother to run for two teams. First I should run for his sports club and later in the day the plan was to run for his employer. This is typical for the relay, it spans from serious running to more participation.

For my brother’s team Loerenskog Friidrettsklubb I had the second stage. The 1,100 meters stage starts inside the historic stadium Bislett by running over the grass, then you turn and run a false flat outside the stadium before you start climbing up a steep hill. The last 100 meters are almost flat with a little kicker. My brother ran the first stage, he is a good master runner (16.45 on 5k) but the field was good and he really had to push to stay in the middle of the field. Then it was me…….

It has been a long time since I have been doing any track related competition. Last time I ran the relay I had hair and was still in high school. Also my long distance triathlon training had just been going on for 6 months so I was not in the best shape. Standing there waiting for my brother I looked at my competitors, suddenly I felt old, fat and slow. My brother put in a surge the last 50 meters and there I was with the baton in my hand and the game was on.

Running over the grass towards the marathon gate I got passed by fast skinny dudes. I decided that this race was about not being stupid and just run my own race. Running 1,100 meters is fast over even though the hill kicked my butt. I made the exchange and was satisfied with not hitting the wall or embarrassing myself. Most of all, I had a lot of fun.

Three hour later I was ready for my second run. This time it was in the company class and I was running for my brother’s employer. This is what is so fun with Holmenkollstafetten. The streets are filled up with all kinds of athletes, from pros to average Joes. Waiting for the baton I looked around and I suddenly felt skinny and fast. It is easier to run against average Joe than real runners. My stage was third to last, 1,100 flat meters. It was a fun run, especially since I passed people the whole way.

 

Conclusion: I had so much fun, I did ok and I know I can only be faster.