Vanport City Triathlon: August 4 2012!!

It's official, triathletes.  The 2012 Vanport City Triathlon will take place August 4th, 2012!!

There's lots of information to follow in the weeks and months ahead.  This will continue to be your official site for info related to the Vanport City Triathlon.

Between now and race day, I'll be posting training events, course updates, and other important information.  If you haven't already, please be sure to "Join The Peloton" to the right.  Once you've joined, you'll receive periodic e-mail updates from the website, keeping you up to date on all things VCT.

In addition to this website, there are a couple additional ways to stay connected:

• The official training schedule is available by clicking here.  Whether you're in the Portland area and plan to attend a scheduled training event or you're more the Lone Ranger-type doing the training on your own, the schedule is designed to build your preparation slowly.  You'll start with assessing your readiness in December '11 and get prepared and confident by August.  Included are monthly goals for each of the three individual events and a monthly triathlon goal.
• The official Vanport City Calendar is available on Google.  This is new this year and is designed to help you keep track of upcoming dates/times on your smartphone, computer, etc.

This is such an exciting time!  Everything is in place for another successful Vanport City Triathlon in 2012.  I look forward to seeing you in the months ahead and on race day!

Stay Tuned. . .

An announcement will be posted soon regarding the 2012 Vanport City Triathlon including the official 2012 date and the preliminary Training Schedule.

Hope to see you for as many off-season events as you can make (and of course for the triathlon itself!)

Let's get out on another ride before winter settles in.

Where: Vancouver Lake Park Ride (leaving from Dan's house)

When: Sat AM 8:30

Let me know!

Thought you'd enjoy this:

2011 Is In The Books!

More info will follow but for now, the 2011 Vanport City Triathlon is in the books.  The event was incredibly successful and it was amazing to have such a great group of folks.

For those who weren't able to join, here's a quick video of three participants riding on Sauvie Island.

Enjoy!

Equipment Check

Here's a final list of equipment you will need or may want for the Vanport City Triathlon.

You may want to divide your items into three bags.  Bag 1 will go with you to the boat launch, Bag 2 will go to the Sauvie Island Parking lot (T1).  Bag 3 will stay at T2/Finish Line.

Participants are required to carry items listed in bold/italics:

• Swim (Bag 1)
• Swimsuit (for participants who are continuing on to the bike, you may want to swim in your bike shorts)
• Goggles
• Nose plug
• Life jacket or PFD
• Swim fins
• Bike (Bag 2)
• Bike helmet
• Mobile phone
• At least 24oz of water
• Sandals for exiting the river
• Socks
• Shoes
• Sunglasses
• Bike jersey or shirt
• Spare or tire patch kit
• Bike pump
• Bike tool
• Energy bar(s)
• Run (Bag 3)
• Mobile phone
• Hat/visor
• Clean/dry socks
• Running shoes
• Energy bar(s)
• After (Bag 3)
• Comfortable clothes to cool-down and relax

The One >90deg Day We've Had in Months

When I first checked the weather for race day a week or so back the forecast was for 75deg with a 30% chance of rain.

Obviously I wrote that the weather looked "good" and quietly hoped that something would change.  Fast forward 9 days and now the weather forecast for Sat is 93deg with a 0% chance of rain.

This is just uncanny. . .

This is much warmer than the recent weather we've had in the Portland area and I think it's specifically worth mentioning to all Vanport City Triathlon participants.

To keep everyone as safe as possible, all participants are asked to keep the following in mind:

• Wear water-resistant UVA/UVB sunscreen.
• Most participants will take more than three hours to complete the course and while many sections of the course do have shade, sunscreen is a triathlete's friend.
• Hydrate. 
• The recommendation is about 16fl oz of water per hour of this type of exercise (depending on air temperature, your conditioning, and your level of exertion). Your hydration regimen should start approximately 24hrs before race time.  I recommend you arrive hydrated and then plan to consume water throughout.
• Triathletes are encouraged to carry a minimum of 24oz of water with them on their bike. Drinking fountains are available on the course in two places:
• In Linton just before you cross two brick crosswalks on bike.
• In Columbia Park near the baseball field on foot.
• Weight is one of the most accurate ways to gauge your hydration. If you're losing weight during the triathlon, it's likely water weight. A scale will be available before the start of the triathlon, at T2, and at the finish line. Triathletes are encouraged to weigh-in and to monitor water-loss closely.

Check-Check 1. . .2. . .

Yesterday was the final course check!

I started by going down to Marina Way Moorage to check the starting line and everything looked great!  The water was exactly 70deg on my digital thermometer and for those of you who are thinking about water temp, even after 7PM the water was warm and inviting!

There are also some really nice blackberries growing near the dock so you can grab a light starting-line snack on Saturday before you dive in. :)

I drove the course in its entirety and things look great.  The Sauvie Island blueberries have mostly been picked at this point and much of the hay has been bailed too.  There's a section of road about 3/4mi long with flowers on both sides of the road so even the olfactory stage has been set.

Long story short, the course is absolutely ready for the Vanport City Triathlon.  I look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Times

I've had some folks ask questions about times.  Particularly with the course change, I think it makes sense to re-post them.

Please remember that all times are approximate and it will take different participants different lengths of time to finish each leg.

2:45- Meet @ Sauvie Island parking lot here.
3:30- Triathlon begins here.
4:00- Leaders & those not participating in the swim begin the bike leg here.
6:00- Leaders & those not participating in the bike leg begin the run leg here.
6:30- Leaders finish the triathlon here.
7:00- Approximate Start Time For After Party BBQ

Hope to see you soon!

Headcount

I'm trying to get a final headcount for Sat.  I'm trying to organize quite a few people, so even if you've told me already, could you please send me an e-mail with the following information:

• Will you be participating in the triathlon?
• Will you be attending the after-party BBQ?
• In which event(s) do you plan to participate (swim/bike/run)?
• If you do not plan to do all three events, would you be willing to assist with race-day logistics?

Hope to see you soon!

dan

Today!

We're going to have a short (~2.5hr) training event today starting @ Columbia Pool around 2PM.  Let me know if you are interested.

"If It Ain't One Thang, Baby, It's Two" -Chris Thomas King

Well, I've been watching the news about some bridge construction going on near Kelley Point Park since it started back in March (official press release is available by clicking here).  The original construction dates were set from 4/11-8/11 and original reports were that it would be done in time for this year's Vanport City Triathlon.

Long story short, they got behind schedule and won't be done until October.

I briefly considered making the triathlon a quadathlon (swim, bike, swim where the bridge used to be, bike, run) but have decided this may be overly difficult due to the logistics of swimming with your bike in tow :).  So on to Plan B. . .

In Elk Lake training for the triath. . .
wait. . . are those intertubes?!?

The bike course has been officially changed and this year we'll all be doing a shorter route.  Be aware that the updated course will be available on line by clicking here and you'll need to do one of two things to stay up to date:

1. Check the finalized course next week at Google Maps
2. Join us on Race Day @ 12 to do the (Updated) Course Drive-Through

The course will be exactly the same until after you cross the St. Johns Bridge.  Last year, once participants crossed the bridge, they took a left and headed along Lombard toward Kelley Point.  This year participants will cross the bridge, take a right and head along Willamette Dr. toward the University of Portland (please see map for additional detail).

This not only brings the Vanport City Triathlon's distances closer to official Sprint Triathlon distances (more information is available on-line by clicking here), it will also reduce the total time required to finish the race by approximately an hour and should make the whole experience less physically-demanding for participants.

As always, if you have questions, please do let me know.

Data

Some cool data (temp, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.) on the Willamette River from the USGS is available here.

Looks like the river temperature will be above 70 when we get in.  Perfect!

Here's some info on water quality/safety published by the Willamette River Watershed.

How Big's Your Footprint?

I don't think I've had a new bike since I was in middle school but Slate had some reporting this morning about the carbon footprint of purchasing a new bike to commute vs. driving vs. public transportation.

As you might guess, even with a new bike you leave a much smaller footprint.

Check out the article here.

Sunset In The Gorge!

A quick video from the last night's ride on the Columbia Gorge at sunset

Didn't realize it at the time but apparently we averaged 16mph!

2011 Vanport City Triathlon (TM) Race-Day Schedule and Information

The Vanport City Triathlon is on 8/20/2011. Here's what you need to know for race-day:

12:00PM- Meet at Dan’s House 4708 N McCoy Ct (optional, encouraged)

12:15PM- Course Tour By Car (optional, encouraged)
2:00PM- Final Equipment Check at Dan's House.
2:30PM- Proceed to Sauvie Island Parking Lot
3:00PM- Shuttle to Starting Line (Marina Way Moorage)
3:30PM- Race Officially Begins w/ Swim Leg
4:00PM (approx)- Bike Leg Begins

• If you are planning to begin the race with the bike leg, the race leaders will probably arrive to T1 at approximately 3:45PM with the typical participant arriving between 4:00PM and 4:15PM.  Your best bet would probably be to arrive for the start of the race and cheer on participants from the bridge until they arrive at T1.

6:00PM (approx)- Run Leg Begins

• If you are planning to do only the run leg, the race leaders will probably arrive to T2 at approximately 6PM with the typical participant arriving between 7PM and 8PM.  If you plan to meet someone, be sure to coordinate the exact time by phone throughout the race.
• Sunset on 8/20 will be 8:10PM and twilight will be at 8:42.  For this reason, participants should begin the run leg no later than 8:00 in order to finish before dark.

Gear:

• All participants are required to carry a cell phone for the bike and run legs in case of emergency.
• I recommend you divide your equipment into 3 groups. The first gear should be just what you'll need for the swim. I recommend you swim in your bike shorts, bring a pair of goggles, and you may want to bring a swim cap, nose plug, etc.).
• The second gear should include a pair of sandals to wear from the river to T1 and what you'll want with you on your bike and I recommend you put it in some sort of duffel bag to keep it all in one place and make sure nothing gets left behind. I recommend you bring socks & shoes, a shirt or jersey, a helmet, sunglasses, and two water bottles.
• The third gear can be left at the house and should include anything additional you might want for the run. I usually run in a visor which helps keep sweat out of my eyes. The bottom line is if there's anything you want/need for the run that you won't have on your bike, we can leave it in one place at the house.

Hydration:

• The recommendation is about 16fl oz of water per hour of this type of exercise (depending on air temperature, your conditioning, and your level of exertion). Your hydration regimen should start approximately 24hrs before race time (3PM on Fri).  I recommend you arrive to the house hydrated and then plan to consume water during the bike ride and at the finish line.

Water Details

• Safety- If you have any question about your swimming ability, YOU SHOULD SKIP THE SWIM and join us at T1 for the bike ride and run.  Once you are in the water, you are free to determine your own course to the other side. Though we will have support from a kayak, this is open water and you should exercise extreme caution. If you are confident in your swimming ability but experience difficulty once you are in the water, let someone know you are struggling and swim directly for the kayak or the nearest shoreline (which ever is closer) and then make your way to T1.
• Temp- The water temperature will be cool but not frigid and because we'll be starting during the hottest part of the day, I anticipate it will feel good to most swimmers. There is a $5 boat launch fee at the public mooring so I ask that you please bring a couple $1s so we can leave a donation.

Other Links

• The complete course map is available here.  Please familiarize yourself with it before arriving.
• I also have a 3D flyover available in Google Maps.  If you’d like to do a digital fly-over of the entire course let me know and I’ll send it your way.
• The weather forecast for race day is available here and looks good. It may be hot, so if you're fair (like me), be sure to use a powerful, waterproof sunscreen before you get in the river.

(adapted from Google Doc available here)

23 Days to Go!

I have absolutely no idea how this happened, but it's less than a month until the Triathlon.  I don't know about you, but unless you count a 7mi, downhill bike-commute 2-3 days a week, I've done nothing to train for this year's event.

Well, we're set for 8/20 and one way or another, I'm going to jump in the water at 3:30 to start this thing and I really hope you'll join!

As always, the Vanport City Triathlon is a low-key event.  Last year we had three generations of participants and the course is specifically designed to be completed by those who stay busy but aren't in peak physical condition.  More than half of participants last year skipped the swim and just joined for the bike/run.  Relay teams are encouraged too.

The more the merrier and if you have a friend (or six) who'd like to join, bring 'em along!

If you haven't already I really encourage you to Join the Peloton by entering your e-mail address to get automatically updated as we get closer to race day.  There will be a couple of training events too, so if you're as far from being athletically ready for a triathlon as I am, I look forward to seeing you there.

As always, we'll finish the triathlon with a BBQ at my house.  Even if you've decided you're not going to take the Physical Challenge, I hope you'll join for some good food and re-telling of exaggerated conquests from 2011's Vanport City Triathlon.

See you soon!

Go By Bike!

Slate ran a story the other day about the recent "Carmageddon" on LA's 405. The basic idea was to measure the length of time various methods of transportation would take.

The results were:

• Bike: 1:34 
• Metro/Walk: 1:44 
• Rollerblades: 2:40 
• Plane/Lost Cabdriver: 2:54

While I've recently joined the ranks of those who bike commute, I gotta give props to whoever skated from Burbank to Long Beach.

Maybe a 4th event for the 2012 Vanport City Triathlon?

It's July. Wait, WHAT?!?

So I looked at the calendar the other day and realized it's July.  JULY.  That means we have just over a month until the triathlon on 8/20/11.

I injured my back a bit back in March.  It's totally healed now but the three weeks I set aside to take a break from training turned into a couple months.  Oops.

While the authorities are looking into what happened to spring in the Portland-metro area, it's time to start thinking about getting prepared for the triathlon.

I've been riding my bike to work at least three days a week but I am also going to add some specific training to get ready.  As many of these will be outdoor training events, I thought I'd let you know what's ahead on the calendar in case you wanted to participate.

July Events:

• 7/18 @ 6:15PM Vancouver Lake Park Ride
• This is a beautiful 25mi ride.  You can check it out here.
• 7/19 @ 6:15PM 3mi run
• If the ride goes well, I'll run outside along this course.  If it's inside, it'll be here.
• 7/25 @ 6:15PM Marine Drive Ride
• This is a beautiful 25mi ride.  You can check it out here.
• 7/26 @ 6:15PM 3mi run
• If the ride goes well, I'll run outside along this course.  If it's inside, it'll be here.

More to come in August.

"Sprint" Into March!

It's March and for the first time ever, the Vanport City Triathlon has incorporated an official, Sprint distance triathlon into the training calendar!

We'll start the Sprint triathlon (.47mi swim, 12.4mi ride, 3.1mi run) at Columbia Pool in North Portland.  I've drawn up a map for the bike and run legs in case the weather allows us to get outside.  If the weather is bad, we'll simply head over to University Park Community Center (UPCC) to do the bike and run inside on the equipment.

Start time will be 2:30PM and we'll finish at around 6:00PM.

Hope to see you there!

Pushing The Limits In February!

190 days left and February's training triathlon is in the books!  I had to compress the bike and run due to time constraints but I achieved the following times:

• Swam .44mi in 19min, Biked 12mi in 55min, Ran 1mi in 15min

The four primary training goals on February's Triathlon Training Calendar are:

• Swim .25mi in 25min
• Bike 12mi in 1hr
• Run 4mi in 45min
• Practice Triathlon @ 67% of August Distances (.33mi swim, 18mi ride, 2mi run)

At this point, I'm on track with the swim, bike, and triathlon goals and I'll be focusing on hitting 4mi in 45min on the treadmill over the next two weeks.

More details will follow related to March (and our scheduled Sprint distance triathlon on 3/12). For now, let's discuss the limits of human endurance!

A year or so back, Radiolab did an amazing program on the limits of the human body. It's not the usual hour-long format, but the half hour show is packed full of details about pushing the human body to the limit.

The program is available for free by clicking here. They open with an incredible story about the Ironman, cover ways to trick your body into going farther, and finish with details about a non-stop bike-ride across the U.S. If you're the type that enjoys a podcast or two while you do your workout, there's a free download of the program available by clicking here.

Weather Cools Down; Training Heats Up!

There were four primary training goals on January's Triathlon Training Calendar:

• Swim .25mi in 30min
• Bike 10mi in 1hr
• Run 3mi in 45min
• Practice Triathlon @ 50% of August distances  (.25mi swim, 13.4mi ride, 1.5mi run)

I had some trouble fitting training dates on the Jan calendar so I had to prioritize by starting with the ones I knew would be most difficult. For Jan I hit the following marks:

• Swim .4mi in 19min
• Run 3mi in 36min

So the training results for January were mixed. I was able to get the training underway and to fit in some running and swimming, but the bike is still covered with dust and I wasn't able to do a training triathlon.

On to February. . .

As with January, there are four primary training goals on February's Triathlon Training Calendar:

• Swim .25mi in 25min
• Bike 12mi in 1hr
• Run 4mi in 45min
• Practice Triathlon @ 67% of August Distances (.33mi swim, 18mi ride, 2mi run)

The next training event will be the February Training Traithlon on 2/12.  As with January, this will be a short event and more than really pushing ourselves, this will be about setting a starting point for the training and getting to know others who plan to participate in August.

We'll start at Columbia Pool in North Portland for the swim.  We'll bike and run outside if the weather cooperates.  If not, we'll head over to University Park Community Center (UPCC) to do the bike and run inside on the equipment.

Start time will be 11AM and we'll finish at around 2:30PM.

Hope to see you there!

Training Begins!

It's 2011 and time to begin training for the 2011 Vanport City Triathlon!

The first scheduled training day involving all three events is January 29th.  This will be a short event and more than really pushing ourselves, this will be about setting a starting point for the training and getting to know others who plan to participate in August.

We'll start at Columbia Pool in North Portland for a brief, .25mi swim.  Because of the weather this time of year we'll probably head over to University Park Community Center (UPCC) to do the bike and run inside on the equipment.

Start time will be 3PM and we'll finish at around 5:30PM.

Hope to see you there!