Final Tune Up and Taper

 Rio Salado Olympic Distance Race Report:

  I am two weeks out from IMTX and there is an Olympic race in my backyard - to race it or not to race, that is the question.  I first brought it up to my coach (BB) a month or so before and he suggested not racing it and focusing on training.  I was thinking that training was pretty much at the end by this time and I needed something fun to break the boring training 'funk' that I was in.  So, I felt that a race was just what I needed and I was eventually able to convince him...and race we did!  Rio Salado hosted by Redrockco.
  As the race approached I didn't think I would be at my best - mostly because I had been doing a lot of miles and my legs were tired, not to mention that we had not been focusing on speed lately, as volume was the order of the past couple of months!  When I got to the race I knew I was going to have my hands full as some of the faster guys in my age group had shown up (Carlos, Dan, Jeff, Paul) but there were a few that were missing as well.  You just never know who is going to show up.  But I quickly dismissed the competition and decided that I was there to just GO FAST.  Blake had told me earlier that week, to not pay any attention to the power meter or the heart rate - just GO! 
  This was a big race for the Team standings in a chase to repeat for the Team Championship.  So, naturally there were going to be a lot of ONE Multisport team mates on the course - this always makes it fun for me.  To be able to see familiar faces throughout the course and encouraging them to 'keep it moving'.  At the end of the day we were able to capture many podium spots and pad that Team lead.  Special Thanks to Cyndi Dean for being able to pull it all off without her husband, John, who was not able to get out of bed that morning due to a lingering bad back.  Our team support is always great - but it was extra great on this day because everyone knew that Cyndi needed help to be able to get the tents up and banners hung and tables and food set out.  Thank you to all the volunteers that helped Redrockco also - wetsuit strippers and aid station workers - without you there would be no race.  Or, certainly not a race of this caliber.

SWIM 25:46
  As I lined up on the far left behind Erik I saw Paul and Carlos.  After some small talk, BANG, we were off.  It was tight quarters to start with.  Lots of bumping and touching, but eventually it opened up a bit and I was able to swim on my own.  I tried to stay on some feet early on but they were not swimming straight so I aborted that effort and ended up swimming alone most of the distance.  Pretty uneventful swim and as I exited the swim my time was about where I expected it.  I had done what Blake wanted and I put effort into the swim, but I did not red line.  As I exited the swim I didn't see anyone like I usually do as I was getting my wetsuit stripped.  I thought that was odd, but you just never know where everyone is until you get out on the bike course.


BIKE  1:03:21
  The bike course through Tempe has several turn arounds that allow you to see where everyone is. However, about 2 or 3 miles in Carlos caught me.  That was somewhat discouraging because I thought I might have put a little distance between on the swim, because I have been working on it all winter.  As Carlos passed me I knew I was not working hard enough and it was time to pick it up.  He and 2 other guys went by me and I used them as my measuring stick to pace off of.  I was able to keep Carlos in my sights for the next 12 miles or so - through the first lap of the course.  He was playing a little cat and mouse with me - first I would lead for a while, then as we approached town he would surge ahead, then I would go ahead and he would surge again as we came into town.  I noticed Dan once at the turn around but I didn't notice any others in my AG.  As the second lap started Carlos was able to put some distance into me that I was not able to recover from - but in the end he had about about a 30 second lead as we headed into the run.  With the aid of Carlos and 2 others pacing me I was able to have one of my better bike splits on this course.  

RUN  40:55
  As we started the run I figured I was at least in 3rd place in my AG, maybe 2nd place - with Carlos being 30 seconds ahead.  I knew I was able to out run him at Oceanside earlier in the season, due to a hip injury, and I was wondering if I would be able to do that again today.  I saw him about 1 mile into the run at a turn around and he was still only about 30 seconds ahead.  As I got to mile 2 I noticed a familiar gait pattern in front of me - it was Jeff.  I was able to pass him, but as I did I wondered how many more guys in my AG were ahead of me.  I didn't see Jeff on the bike course earlier, mostly because I didn't know what type of suit he was wearing.  I thought I had about 2 minutes on Dan off the bike. I didn't think he could catch me with a 2 minutes cushion, but the better question was, am I going to be able to catch Carlos.  It was time to focus on Carlos ahead of me.  I didn't have an opportunity to see him again until we got to the turn around again at approximately mile 4.  As luck would have it, he was able to pull away from me by that point - he put about 2 minutes into me.  Apparently his hip injury is healing.  That is bad news for me and the rest of my AG, because the old Carlos is back!  And that is how it finished.  I got 12th overall, and 2nd in my Age Group - 2:12:22.  Not a bad effort for me.  I'll take it. 

  Now to focus on the taper as we approach IMTX.  As Erik says, 'The hay is in the barn'.  Meaning the work is done.  Its time to take it easy and do some shorter stuff with a few intervals and speed work but nothing too long.  Let the legs come back and see what you have come race day.  I will enjoy the taper because the number of workouts is decreased as well as the time of each workout - this will make my life much easier for the next couple of weeks.  Squeezing those workouts in each day is a tough balancing act for me.  I use most of my 'free time' for workouts - early mornings before anyone wakes, occassional lunch time and then evenings while the kids are at karate or doing home work.  I am remembering why I haven't done an IM in 4-5 years.     
 

Oceanside Race Report

I was all signed up for Callifornia 70.3 approximately a year ago.  Turns out that several (approx. 20) people from ONE Multisport were signed up and it was going to be a fun destination race for many of us.  Oceanside is approximately a 6.5-7 hour car ride for us in the Scottsdale, AZ area.  So I teamed up with Klas and Lisa and their daughter, Dallas, and off we went.  They had VRBO'd a 2 bdrm house that was within walking distance to T2 - perfect!  I love staying in a house prior to a race for many reasons and luckily for me Klas and Lisa were on the same page.  We were able to cook and early dinner (thank you Lisa) including a heaping plate chicken, pasta and bread.  Then after dinner we relaxed in the living area watching DVD's of past Kona races while we packed our transition bags and made some small talk.  After that it was off to bed nice and early for a good nights sleep. Unfortunately for me, I didn't sleep well for some reason.  I think I was concerned about the cool temperatures and cold ocean swim.  But nonetheless, the alarm went off early and we were in motion - getting dressed, checking our transition bags a second time - then I went out for about a 15-20 minute light job.  I love the feeling in the air on race morning.  Plenty of people were on their way to transition and there was definately a 'buzz' out there while I ran by.  The temperatures were not bad, so I was relieved to know that.  I got home had a good size breakfast and felt ready to go. 
  In my mind I knew this was not going to be a one of my faster races because I have been doing longer rides and runs and not specifically focused on speed.  But I felt good and prepared.  This was a race for me to get reacquainted with racing, nutrition, transitions and have fun with my teammates.  I would classify this as a 'B' race for me - just getting me set up for the big one - IMTX.
As it turns out my wave didn't start until 7:45 - over an hour after the PRO's start.  Fortunately for us, they let us stay in the transition area and we were able to watch the PRO's come out of the water and get T1 set up and have some small talk while waiting for our start.  As I got to the ramp I was able to dip my toes into the water - Yep, just as advertised.... Chilly.  I had heard it was somewhere between 55-58 degrees.  As we tread water at the start line, the horn blows and my 2012 Triathlon Season is under way. 
Swim  33:54
It is an ocean swim in the harbor and then you turn the corner and swim out in the unprotected water - Wow, was it rough at this point.  After the race there was a lot of talk about how rough that part of the swim was.  Not a lot of contact - but starting as late as my wave did, there were a lot of different colored caps out there that started ahead of us.  Having to swim around and in between that many people can certainly slow you down.  I am not a strong swimmer, so don't read that wrong.  Although, after having swam 4 days a week all winter I was hoping to improve at least a little as compared to last year.  As I exited the water, I was not able to tell any improvement based on the clock, but I felt a lot more relaxed.  This swim time is certainly nothing to brag about but I figured that I didn't lose a lot of time to the top 20 in my age group.  The run to transition was quite long and on numb feet,  it hurt!
My T1 was miserable - mostly due to the fact that I was still undecided whether I was going to wear arm warmers or not and weather I would wear my vest or not.  So, I put the arm warmers on, and then took them off.  Then I decided to put them on again - while I was conversing with those that were arriving around me - sort of taking a poll.  Ultimately, I decided to wear the arm warmers and not the vest.  This turned out to be a good decision in the end.  Even if it did take me 4:45 to decide ;)
Bike: 2:41:44
The bike has always been an issue for me.  But my goal today was to focus on nutrition (250 calories/hr) and being consistant.  I didn't want to put in a lot of effort early and fade at the end like I usually do.  This was time to practice for Ironman riding.  This bike course was no joke.  At mile 28 the climbing started.  Wow, serious climbs.  If you want a bike course with a challenge, this course would be my suggestion.  Several folks were walking their bikes up this first hill.  Then there is a decent later that is a NO pass zone and speed is monitored by a radar and you can be DQ'd if you exceed 25 mph.  My plan was to ride this course about 15-20 watts more then I would ride IM - I stuck to that pretty well.  I was relieved to know that I was capable of not getting caught up in racing and stick to my plan.  At mile 38 I got passed by teammate Dan Cadriel, and a mile later teammate Carlos Mendoza caught me - from the wave behind me! But I was good and controlled and didn't let that bother me - that was not why I was here.  I guess I'm maturing as a triathlete?!  I was able to nail my nutrition as planned, even though I had lost a bottle off the back at some point on the course.  I was able to pick up calories on the course to finish up and as it came time to dismount I really had to use the porta john - So, I hung my bike, changed my shoes and found the restroom.  Ahhh, perfect!  As I'm in there, I started wondering about my Garmin 405 that I run with.  I don't remember seeing it in my bag - so I didn't go back for it because I thought I had left it in my room that morning.  SHOOT!  After the race I found it in my bag!
Run: 1:30:45
Off onto the run course - I was excited for this part.  I always like to PR when I run so this was going to be no different.  I was not holding anything back on the run.  As you exit T2 you run about 50 yds and you are suppose to do a 180 and head out to the pier.  'Suppose to' are the key words!  I missed that piece of the course review... So, I continued straight with the rest of the folks around me, not  knowing I just missed 1.5 miles of the course.  Shortly thereafter, I saw mile market 3 and I wondered what was going on.  Couldn't figure out how the markers could be that far off.  Later, I reach the turn around and head back toward the crowd and I see Dan and Carlos - behind me.  Now I know something is wrong but I'm still not sure what.   Eventually I get to that part where you were to do the 180 turn around and I realize that I  must have missed that - now I have all kinds of thoughts going through my head:  1) Do I stop and get off the course and DNF or 2) Can I try and add that mileage back into the course at the end of the run?  Either way, now I'm not chasing Dan and Carlos - I'm running on my own and not really knowing the mileage that I'm at so I have no idea what pace I'm running.  As I complete the second loop I decide to go back out and complete the last 1.5 mile loop and come back and finish - I wanted to make it legitimate as best as I could and if the course officials wanted to DQ me that was up to them.  I felt great on the run, never faded (I don't think) and I was able to take about 200 cal of gel each hour.  I finished strong and much to my surprise I was able to PR my run - by over 4 minutes!
When the race was over I went and talked to the timing official and explained what had happened and he looked up my time and saw that I crossed every mat and he was satisified that I ran the complete course.  Nothing more needed to be done.  In the end, I actually ran about another 30-45 seconds further to get back up the ramp and to the turn around point.  I was good with that.  I had a good day.  And as far as those controversial arm warmers - I was very glad I wore them on the bike as they accumulated much of the runny nose that was going on out there.  I even left them on for the run.  Good call, even though it took me nearly 5 minutes to decide whether or not to wear them at all.
In the end I finished 20th in my AG - not fabulous but it was great for some of the lessons I learned - which was exactly why I was there.  I hope I am able to retain this information for the next 6 weeks and recall it when I am riding around Houston - Lesson:  Don't get caught up in racing in the first half of the bike.  Go easy and hit your nutrition!
Overall:  The sun never came out, it was overcast all day with some wet roads and occassional mist, however, it was not very windy and for that I am thankful.  There was a lot of Orange on the course - ONE Multisport was well represented out there.  It is always fun for me to see familiar faces on the course - and on the side cheering.  I had a great time and I would not hesitate doing this race again.  The only drawback is that its so early in the year and if it was not for IMTX I don't know if I would be ready this early.  Now the real question is 'Am I ready for Ironman Texas?'  I still  have 5 weeks until I will find out that answer.  But I felt good about things coming off this race.

P.F. Chang 1/2 Marathon Race Report

Well the 2012 season has officially kicked off for me.  This started with the P.F. Chang ½ marathon on January 15^th.  I typically use this race as my litmus test for the upcoming season.  It’s nice to know where I stand and how much work is ahead of me to get where I want to be this season.  With that said, I rarely (if ever) enter a race without thinking/wanting to PR.  This race was no different.  However, this year with Coach BB on board my pre race thoughts changed.  By that, I mean that I received a text the day before the race asking what my ‘race plan’ was.  And I was honest, when I said that I did not have one.  The only thing I was thinking about my race 'plan' was that I wanted to run as fast as I was able to maintain for 13.1 miles.  At that point, he took the opportunity to earn his money and let me know that there was more to running races then just running as fast as you can.  He told me to start out about 20-30 seconds slower than my ‘goal pace’ and then after the first 5K pick it up to goal pace and then at the last 5K, KICK.  Okay, so now I had a plan.

                After meeting Coach BB for the first time just minutes before the race started, the gun sounded.  BANG, and we were off.  I went out a bit faster than I had intended, which usually happens because of the adrenaline and the faster people around me.  But I tried to hold back which probably helped me in the long run.  During miles 2 and 3 I was able to pull back a bit more and I was feeling very good.  As, I got to mile 3 I made a conscious effort to pick it up just a tad.  I did look at my HR and was not surprised that it was running pretty high (low 170’s).  This is pretty typical for me when I run.  As I approached mile 7 there was a slight incline that continued til the 10^th mile marker.  I had started to feel the fatigue setting in around mile 9 and my HR was climbing to the upper 170’s now.  At this point I took the only gel I had and decided if it was going to be it was up to me… Time to push.  The last 5K was a slight downhill and I attempted to use that to my advantage.  I was able to take my pace down another 20-25 sec/mile and finished strong (relatively speaking, of course).  I was very ‘spent’ when I crossed the line! 

As I received my finishing medal I looked up and there was coach BB standing in the finish shoot waiting to check on me and my time.  Taking a look at the clock and knowing what I had hoped for, he gave me the nod of approval.  I was able to PR by 3:30 minutes and I felt good about that.   Mostly because I wasn’t sure I had done enough running leading into this race to be able to PR.   Blake was more convinced then I was that the work had been done and it was just up to me to execute.  He was right – I guess that is why he gets the big bucks! 

I did just barely cracked the top 10 in my AG, but I'll take it.  Now I know where I stand and its time to start building for the triathlon season that lies ahead. 

SOMA Race Report

It has been 4 days since the race, so I have had time to digest what went on and I hope to now be able to capture what I was thinking and doing during the race. 
My alarm went off at 4 am.  Time to get some calories in me so I can maximize my performance without being held back by lack of nutrition.  I was able to consume about 500 calories before I left the house.  I also had another 200 calories for the ride down which included my EFS bottle with one scoop of Pre Race in it.  So in total, I was able to take in about 700 calories prior to the start. 
The conversation before the race with my wife was for her to take her time coming down and try to get there somewhere around mid bike.  No reason for her to set the alarm, wake up the kids, grab a quick bite to eat on the way and then watch us exit the swim and then hang around for 2.5 hours to wait for us to return on the bike.  Seems senseless to me, so I thought this new plan was much better for them.  She could watch us for a loop and a half of the bike and then in transition and then on the two loop run course.  Making her day much more tolerable as she has to keep up with the kids during the day also - they tend not to pay attention to the entire race, but prefer to play with the dogs that are around Tempe Beach Park and run off and play - like kids do.  Her timing was perfect (again) as I saw her the second time we came down Mill Ave toward the tail end of loop 2 and periodically on loop 3. 

As for the race - I didn't have much of a race plan other than, swim steady and smooth, keep the bike watts steady regardless of who passes you and give it what you have left on the run.  I knew there were a couple of folks in my AG that were going to be tough to beat and there were only limited spots on the podium - but I did hope to grab one of those spots, so I was going to have to work hard but stay within myself if I were to have a shot at any hardware.

Swim (33:19 - 7th AG)
Water temperature was 74 degrees and wetsuit legal for the AG'ers - not the PRO's. I started the swim on the left side just inside the bouy.  I didn't recognize anyone around me but I was sure there were some men that could swim faster than me.  So, I was in the second row to give them room to get out front and I could hop on their feet for as long as I could.  This worked for about 300 yards then I felt that I was working too hard and I let them go.  I felt that I was swimming alone for most of the swim, which means no contact with others, which is my preference.  As I was approaching the left hand turn I found myself drifting toward the middle of the course (about to cut the first turn bouy) then I noticed the large yellow bouy I should have been heading for.  There are 2 bouys about 200 yds apart and I was looking at the wrong one.  I got back on course without too much trouble and battled the crowd at the turn.  We we rouned the second turn bouy we started to catch the wave in front of us.  This is when things get tricky because you have to give them room to 'frog kick' as they are breast stroking or treading water or whatever is going on.  But they can kick you if you don't give them enough room, and it hurts!  You also have to look where you are going much more frequently so you don't swim up the back of the slower swimmers in the previous wave.  I started to feel better on the backside of the swim and was more relaxed.  It always takes me a while to settle in, but for some reason on this race it took me longer to relax - not sure why but I was relieved when it got easier.  As we exited the water, I had no idea where I was in the group but noticed that my time was (32 min) - not bad for me, but I was hoping to be closer to 30 minutes.  Anyway, as I came off the stairs I noticed that several of my teammates from ONE Multisport were wetsuit stripping.  I quickly found Jo and Steve Fuller who stripped me of my wetsuit (thanks guys) and off I went to T1.

T1 - I haven't learned how to set up my shoes on my bike to do a flying mount and slip into my shoes, so I have to put my LG shoes on in transition and run out with my bike, so after donning my LG Superleggera Helmet and Oakley Jawbones glasses (thank you Airpark) I'm on my way.  No complaints here.

Bike (2:30:32 - 9th AG)
My plan as I headed out on the bike was to maintain my watts at about 180 to be sure to save my legs for the run.  So, I was able to do that pretty well... The first loop of the bike I was averaging 191 watts, 192 watts the second lap and then the third lap I realized I was too high and came down to about 180 watts - averaging somewhere around 185 watts for the ride.  On the ride there are several opportunities to see where others in your AG are as there are several out and backs.  About halfway through the first loop I noticed Dan Cadriel and John Dean coming up on me.  I figured it would not be long before they caught me.  And it happened around mile 10 - Dan caught me on Rio Salado.  I never did notice John Poisson or Jeff Bassett on the bike course.  Possibly because I don't know them that well nor did I know what they were wearing.  I did see other familiar faces around the course, but that were not in my AG -  that always makes the local races more fun for me.  There was a large crowd at the corner of Mill and Rio Salado right by Montis Restaurant.  I hear my name several times but at that corner I am concentrating to be safe and can't look at who is yelling my name.  There are a lot of corners and 180 degree turns on this course  which makes the bike splits not as fast as some other races. 



I was able to nail my nutrition pretty well on the ride.  I took in about 250 calories of EFS gel and 300 calories of EFS drink - then I was able to grab some water at an aid station to keep me hydrated on this warm day.  My HR was staying in the middle of zone 3, which is ideal for me at this point in the race.  I never felt the need to push harder when Dan rode away from me. Although I knew I had to stay close to him or at least know where he was because he is always on the podium.  If I wanted to be on the podium I had to stay with him.   As I got off the bike I saw Dan leaving T2 - so I knew I was about 40 seconds to a minute behind him.

T2 - Had my shoes unbuckled approx. a half mile from transition and was able to do the flying dismount and keep moving quickly through transition.  I had my helmet off and my running shoes on pretty quickly, I also grabbed an EFS gel for the run along with my EFS bottle of 150 calories to take with me on the first loop of the 2 loop run course.  No complaints here either.

Run (1:35:02 - 2nd AG)
As I came out of transition I knew I had some work to do, but I didn't know who was in front of me in my AG besides Dan.  So, I hate to say it, Dan was my target at this point simply because I didn't know anyone else out there.  I knew I had to stay within myself on the first loop to leave something for the second loop.  I felt pretty good as I went out on the run.  My first mile was 6:40/mile which I knew was a little too fast, so I had to slow it down as the first 10K went on.  I was able to do that as the miles clicked on.  Buddy told me as I came through loop 1 (10K) that my time was 45 min flat.  If I was able to hold it I would run a 1:31'ish but it was getting warm and I knew I was going to have to work harder on the second lap because Dan had put about 30 seconds into me and was now about 90 seconds ahead of me as I started the second lap.  I locked on to the heels of a Durapulse runner on the north side of the lake and we were able to pick it up for awhile, until he started to tail off - then I was on my own again.  I was only taking EFS drink that I was carrying through the first 6 miles then I added EFS gel at about a mile 8, every other mile.  Then coke on the odd miles between gel shots.  On my way to the out and back I found Shandra, Cindy Blair and Cassandra all right around mile 9 or 10 and gave them encouragement to keep it up - it wasn't long til this was over!  The north side of the lake is very quiet as there is no crowd over there to encourage you and recognize faces, etc.. This makes the run rather boring - however, on the second lap, somewhere around mile 8 was Kenny Steil cheering us on.  Nice to see a friendly face at that point in the race.  Shortly thereafter I spotted Jeff Bassett, also in my AG, ahead of me about 3 minutes.  Not far behind him was Dan - at this point I was not sure if I was hallucinating or if I was closing in on him.  Low and behold about about mile 12 I caught Dan on the Rural Bridge.  We ran together for a short time then I made the move to go ahead and see if he was going to run with me.  I was secretly hoping 'not' at this point, because this was all I had left.  I just ran my race and never looked back.  I assumed he was on my feet the whole way in and I fully expected him to come around me at the last 100-200 yds and I wasn't going to be able to do anything about it.  As I approached the crowd I saw Dana watching for me - her face lit up when I got closer and then there was Erik Svans, Carlos Mendoza and Sue Meno with her camera getting lots of pictures as a spectators. Today was my lucky day, as Dan was not on my heels and I was able to finish this race on the podium.  3rd place AG  - I was happy with that!  Dan came in about 55 seconds after me.  It was a great race day and a nice way to finish the local tri season. 



I have one race left in Las Vegas, November 5th - LC World Championships.  It will be interesting to see what I have left for that race.  I'm going to take it easy this 2 weeks between races and give it all I can.  The distance is new to me - 2.4 mile swim, 80 mile bike and 18.5 mile run.  I have a new USA Trisuit that I get to wear!  That was my reasoning for doing this race.  At my age there are not a lot of opportuntities to wear the Red, White and Blue - so I thought if given the opportunity I would take it. So, with this race on American soil this year, I really wanted to give it a try.  I was able to qualify in October 2011 at the HalfMax Championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C.  So, my brother will be coming out to sherpa for me and then we will be staying at a friends house that Saturday night.

Nathans Olympic Race Report

At last, there was a local race that I was able to compete in.  I was injured during the Spring and could not race, so it gave me an opportunity to volunteer for several races, but now it was my time to race and I could not wait.  Consequently, I didn't sleep well the night before - although, I don't usually sleep well the night before any race.  I finally got up at 4 am and started going through my bag and making a mental checklist of all the things I had versus what I needed.  As usual, there is always something I forget - this time, it was my bike computer.  Grabbed that and put it in my bag, had some breakfast - nutrition was not a big concern for this race, so I won't dwell on that - then I scrolled through some social media and was out the door by 4:50 am.

As I was walking down to transition all I kept saying to myself was how great this part of the race was.  I love walking to transition and feeling the vibes and the nervous energy, hearing the RD on the loud speaker directing traffic to body markings and where to get your timing chips.  Listening to conversations around transition is great as well - most involve someone giving advice (good or bad) to another athlete and people running into others they probably haven't seen since the last race.  It was time for me to pump up the tires and go for a quick job to get the blood flowing and break a little sweat. When I returned I heard a person behind talking about having a flat as she arrived this morning.  Someone was there to help and I heard them mention they had 650 wheels.  As it happens, I too, have 650's and I happened to have a spare tube in my bag so I offered it up so she could get on with her morning and I could get some good 'mojo' for the day - mission accomplished!

Swim: 26:56 (in a group of 4 that was 3rd out of the water in our AG)
This was a nonwetsuit swim - water temperature was 81 degrees. So, I had a TYR speedsuit that I had only worn one other time and thought today would be a good time to use it again.  I'm not sure how much it helps but if the PRO's use them at KONA then I thought I would use it here. The swim starts out heading east, right into the sun, but I was able to see the bouy's enough to hold the line to the left hand turn and then head back towards the finish.  After the first 150 meters I had clear water throughout the entire swim.  I didn't see anyone on either side of me.  There was a pack of 5 or more that got away early and I never was able to get near them.  As I got out of the water, I had help from Frank Sole stripping my speedsuit off - minor issues at my ankles - but I then noticed that 3 other guys (John Dean, Dan Cadriel and Brian Kochert) all were just coming out of the water behind me and all in my AG.  I think they were drafting me the whole way and I didn't even get a 'thank you' when we got out... The nerve?! 
In and out of T1 without difficulty.  Shoes on, glasses, helmet and race belt and we're off. 

Bike:  1:04:56 (7th in AG)
So this is the part of my game that always needs work.  While I have been concentrating on it more lately on my solo rides, it still has a ways to go.  This course has four 180 degree turnarounds and maybe 7 or so 90 degree turns so it is difficult to get speed up and hold it as there is always a turn coming up to be aware of.  The upside of a course like this is that you have a chance to see people you know all over the course and you get to see your competition and know how far ahead or behind you are.  On the first lap there were a lot of the Sprint athletes on the course so it was a bit crowded as you come to the turnarounds, you have to be careful because you never know what someone else is going to do.  My goal here was to ride under 1:05 and I was able to do that - by 4 seconds! 
I knew Dan left transition about 10 seconds ahead of me so I wanted to keep my eye on him and use him as  a pacer if I could.  But no luck, he left transition in a hurry and I never saw him after the first couple of miles.  I would see him later at a couple of the turn arounds.  Next up, Erik Svans comes up behind me at about the 4th or 5th mile - he started in the wave 3 minutes behind me (didn't take him long to make that up)!! I knew I wasn't going to be able to use him as a pacer so I was on my own out there.  I was keeping a close eye on my computer and trying to maintain steady wattage and be sure my effort was constant.  I didn't want to fade late in the ride and lose my legs for the run.  On the upside I was probably only passed by 4 or 5 riders, all who were the uber bikers from the wave after mine.  The bike was pretty uneventful actually, no close calls so that is nice!
Into T2 - Helmet off, running shoes on and I'm off. I did manage to drop the one GU pack I attempted to drop into my back pocket but missed - had to go back and grab it.  It was here that I almost ran right into John Dean as he was coming into T2 with his bike.

Run: 41:27
This is two loops around Tempe Town Lake.  There were lots of volunteers on the course to make sure you don't miss a turn.  I was always sure to thank them as I ran by.  The sun was coming out and it was getting hot - they didn't have to be there!!  Thank a volunteer ... Always!   As I run out of T2 Russ Brandt runs up beside me starring at me because I didn't notice him at first.  Fortunately, he isn't in my AG but he is a good runner and I was going to try and hang on to as long as I could.  He got about 10-15 yards in front of me for the first mile - which we crossed at 6:45/mile.  I knew he could run faster than me, so I was waiting for him to kick it in.  As the Folts twins passed us just after the Mill Ave bridge I told him to go get them - turns out he was losing it.  Probably two IM's this summer was taking its toll on him.  He said he didn't have it and shortly there after he faded and I had to find someone else to chase.  I ran a conservative first 5K and although I didn't pay close attention to my watch I am sure I negative split the run.  However, as far as placing in my AG, I never saw Dan Cadriel on the run so I was sure he was over 1:30 ahead of me when I headed out on the run - so there wasn't any chance I was going to catch him, unless he fell down and cut his chin again?! :)  He did this at Deuceman last year, so there is always that chance I guess. ;) (just kidding Dan). If not, I wasn't passed by anyone in my AG on the run so I thought I might have a chance to podium when we finished. 
The results were posted before we left and I ended up achieving a couple of the goals I had set for myself - one was to bike under 1:05 and the other was to get on the podium.  Second place in my AG, behind Dan.  All in all, it was a good day.  There was lots of support - first of all from my #1 fans (my wife and kids) whom I was able to spot a few times on the course, and then ONE Multisport was there in force!  ONE also had lots of people on the podium this weekend.  Good times!

Mountain Man Race Report - Olympic Distance

Mountain Man is a triathlon held in Flagstaff, Arizona - they have a Half Ironman and an Olympic Distance.  I had decided to compete in the Olympic distance because the last time I was at this race (2006) there were not many HIM athletes and I didn't want to do a race and not see anyone else on the course - that is not fun for me.  The other factor was that I was only going to be able to do 2 Olympic distance races this season.  As race day approached I learned that several folks from ONE were racing the HIM, which made me wish I was doing that also. Being that this race is at altitude, I did not want to waste the beginning of the following week recovering, so I kept with the Olympic race.  This was my first race back since my bike crash where I have no lingering aches/pains and I was thrilled to finally toe the line!  I had looked at the participant list and noticed a couple of guys in my AG that were very fast, but I thought if I had a good day I might be able to sneak on to the podium.  

Race weekend started out a bit ominous for me - I put my race wheels on my bike and went out for an easy spin Saturday morning before heading to Flagstaff.  As I got about 3 miles out I ran over a piece of glass and sliced my tire and tube - no problem, I changed my tube and went to put air in it and realized that my stem was not long enough to get my CO2 cartridge air into the tube.  Darn the luck, so I started to walk home and was picked up by Carl in a pick up truck, who gave me a ride to my house.  Now my race tire is sliced and I don't want to ride it during my race for fear of a flat, so I decide that I have a disc in my closet that I have never ridden - so today is the day to give it a try.  I know...'never use something new or different at a race'.  But at this point I had no choice and I had wanted to ride the disc but never felt that the opportunity was right.  Today is the day...  So, I put a cassette on it and got it on my bike.  Added my speedfil bottle to my frame and cleaned my bike up a bit and I was ready to go.

All I needed to do was pick up my oldest son, Austin, and head North.  He was going to be my 'team support' this weekend as the rest of my family had other obligations this time.  Not a problem, as they come to all my races and give me a lot of support - I really can't complain.  When we got to packet pick up we spotted several members of ONE standing in line.  We got to chat with them a bit and the line moved quickly.  Next stop was to the hotel to check in.  This was quick and painless also.  Now we were off to our pre-race dinner at Mr. and Mrs. Swet's casa in the woods! Let me just say... WOW!! What a place!  Special thanks to the Swetonics for hosting about 25 of the ONE racers and volunteers.  It was great to converse and relax with friends at such a beautiful home. 

The alarm went off at 4:10 am - Austin and I jumped up and had some breakfast consisting of (2 packs of instant oatmeal, banana, scoop of ultragen = 600 cals)  I was still feeling full from dinner the night before, so the appetite was not there as I had hoped.  We arrived to transition with about 90 minutes before we were to start.  I was relaxed but as we were rolling my bike towards transition I could hear some rubbing.  So, I jumped on it and rode it and I could hear it rubbing more.  It turns out the disc is rubbing on the frame, so I had to loosen the skewer and slide the wheel back just a hair as I was not equipped with a screw driver to move the screws to keep the wheel in place.  I was hoping to lock down the skewers enough so that the wheel would not move.  Anyway, got to rack the bike and noticed several ONE members around me, including ONE members Sue Meno and Carlos Mendoza, Craig Thorpe, John Dean and Bryan Dunn. 

Lets get to the actual race...
Swim - 24:57 (3rd AG)
I got in the water and did some short bursts to try and acclimate to the altitude (7000') and experience the hypoxic feeling that was coming.  I lined up on the left side by the dock and waited for the gun.  BANG, we were off.  It was a bit crowded as we headed out but I tried to go out quickly to get away from the pack as much as possible.  Swimming is not forte, but I have been working hard to improve.  As expected, I noticed I became pretty hypoxic over the first 300 yds or so, but once we rounded the first bouy I started to get into a rythm.  I found some feet just in front of me and I stayed with them as we made the long trek towards the final turn.  Once around that last bouy I decided I could go around them and make my way to the boat ramp.  As I began to make the pass I notice it was my friend John Dean that I was drafting off of.  We swam side by side for a couple hundred yards before he felt a cramp coming on in his hamstring and he had to let up to shake it out.  I got out of the water feeling pretty good. I ran up towards my bike and saw Bryan Dunn stripping his wetsuit off, so I knew I must have had a pretty good swim.  Anytime I swim under 25 min in Olympic distance I'm happy!

Bike - 1:07:22 (6th AG)
As I rolled out of transition I noticed that my HR was pretty high.  I figured that would begin to come down now as I roll on down the road.  I tried to get some fluids onboard and calm my breathing down as I always do when I get on the bike. The bike course was on Lake Mary Road, which consists a bit of an incline including several rollers all the way out and then a turn around and head back to transition. At mile 6.5 I was passed very quickly by Carlos Mendoza - he was flying.  I knew I couldn't bike with him but I was surprised how fast he went by as he shouted words of encouragement to me.  I appreciated his kind words, but knew that today was not to be my day on the bike.  I don't know if it was the psychological battles that I had the day before or if the disc was rubbing my frame or if I just wasn't feeling it today.  Ultimately as we headed out to the turn around I was passed by about 5 or 6 riders and 3 or 4 of them were in my AG!  I was not happy to waste such a great swim on this crummy ride.  I also noticed that my HR was still very high and I was hating this ride and couldn't wait to get off the bike.  As I turned around I got to see the folks behind me and no one was in jeopardy of catching me right away.  However, as I was about 5 miles from transition I was passed by another rider.  I was frustrated to be sure!  But, I finally made it to my rack and hung the bike up!  Because of my high HR through most of the ride I was only able to get about 1/2 a bottle of fluid in me - consisting of about 200 calories. I didn't think this would be a problem because I only had a 10K to run.

Run - 42:01 (4th AG)
As I began to exit transition I noticed some familiar faces ahead.  My goal was to start making up for that lousy ride I just had and I had a lot of work to do!  This run was straight out Lake Mary Road about 2 miles to a serious up hill on a switchback road lasting about 1.1 miles and about 322' of climbing.  I had forgotten how long this hill lasted! Its a tough one to be sure.  As I got to the uphill I had caught 2 of the folks ahead of me - just as I headed up I saw the leaders coming down - Lewis Elliot, who was on his way to setting a new course record, and then Bryan Dunn was in second coming down the hill, a few minutes later the leader of my AG, Carlos Mendoza was on his way to collect first place in M 45-49. I started suffering heading up hill, but after that ride, I knew I had to keep my head down and keep it steady because everyone else was going to be hurting and I wanted to catch anyone who was not able to dig deep enough.  I kept my mantra going all the way up the hill ... 'Bike for show and run for dough'.  It is not as true in an Olympic as it is for HIM and IM, but it works for me and keeps me motivated. As I made it to the top and the turn around I got to see many familiar faces as I headed down.  I do love to see the ONE uni's on the course.  That makes the races much more fun for me.  As I reached the bottom of the hill and made the turn toward the finish I saw a couple more runners that I thought I could get.  I didn't know if they were in my AG or not, but nonetheless, it was my goal to get them.  I was able to hold a pretty steady pace heading home running a 6:37 and 6:40 mile pace to finish up.  As I approached the finish line I saw the ONE volunteers at the aid station which was being lead by my 'head cheerleader' and oldest son Austin.  He had the camera and was videoing me as I approached, I tried to get a high five but it wasn't going to happen with the camera in his hand.  I finished with a respectable 2:17:37.  I was happy with this, as I PR'd this course by 12 minutes. 
I was not sure where this put me in the Overall or AG standings, but I thought I might have a chance to grab a 3rd place in AG standings perhaps... Boy was I wrong.  When the standings were posted, the top 3 in my AG were all 2:09 or better!  They were 3 of the top 5 OA, if you pull the PRO out.  I guess that means we still got some work to do for sure! I finished 5th in my AG and 15th OA. 

Next up is Nathans Olympic in late September and then SOMA HIM in late October. 

Signing Up for IMTX 2012

I signed up for Ironman Texas 2012 this past weekend.  Knowing that I had a college friend living in Houston and I had a free airline ticket that was expiring the next week, I decided to go to Houston to volunteer and watch the inaugural Ironman Texas.  I was curious to see how hot and humid it was going to be.  I had a great time at the race watching all the athletes experience the race.  I heard great comments from the athletes at the venue and then read much more on the internet - all positive about the course.  So, Sunday morning I woke up and decided to go sign up for Ironman Texas 2012.  Knowing that we had friends in Houston I thought it would be fun for my wife and kids to hang out with people they knew rather than standing around a course for 10-12 hours waiting for me to finish.  So, it would be a better experience for them if they had someone there to entertain them during the long day.
    The irony of it is that I am still recovering from a bike crash I experienced on April 30, 2011.  From the crash I suffered lots of road rash on my knees, elbow, shoulder, hands, ankle, etc... and fractured ribs.  It has been 3 weeks now and my skin has healed quicker than I expected!  However, I have been having a very hard time running and swimming.  I have been able to ride my stationary bike for 30-45 minutes at a time but with little effort.  I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping because of the ribs.  Since the crash I have become an expert volunteer - as I have not been able to participate in any local races due to a injured hamstring early on and then the bike crash.  So, I knew heading into IMTX that my volunteer skills would be as good as anyones! And I was right - I got to work the crowd control at the bike dismount for 4 hours.  Had a great time doing it!  If you have never volunteered at an Ironman event, or any triathlon for that matter, I highly recommend doing it.  While being at my post I noticed two local guys participating - one of them, Grant Harrell, was wearing ONE gear.  I didn't even know he was racing, but there he was having a great day to this point.  I was later able to see him on the run and yell encouragement his way.  Then I was able to see him cross the finish line in sub 10 hour time, making him a Kona Qualifier!  Needless to say, I was inspired!  So the day I signed up I decided this was the day that I swanted to start working towards my third IM, so I went for a 60 minute run to test my ribs and to experience the heat and humidity Houston had to offer.