June update (part 2 of 2) Boulder 70.3

Boulder 70.3

Boulder 70.3 had been on my mind pretty much all year.  The race usually gets the best of me but a couple days later I feel much stronger after completing my first half of the year.

Day before: 

The CSU Triathlon team volunteered the day before by helping out with "green team".  We basically manned the zero-waste stations set up around the expo.  I was a major slacker and tried to stay off my feet as much as possible but did get up every now and then to empty bags and get free samples.  I also chatted with the Roka representatives about my new wetsuit.  Long story short- everything you've heard about their wetsuits - they're awesome!  Great buoyancy in legs and super flexible in upper body, not to mention they look sharp.  After a little rain, I checked my bike in to transition and headed to a hotel  not too far from the race site.

Pre-race dinner of rice, chicken, salad veggies

Race morning: 

After setting up food/hydration on my bike I did a good warm-up As the sun came up, I met up with a few CSU team mates who were volunteering race-day as well.  After a quick strategy talk with Coach Mace, I headed down to the swim start.

Swim: 

Just before entering the water for the start, I found Yoni.  We chatted really quick then lined up at the front together.  I knew Yoni was a good swimmer and wanted stick with him as long as possible.  The start was clean and we were able to settle into a good rhythm quickly.  I picked out Yoni and paced off him with another guy for the entire swim.

Bike:

 The Boulder course starts out with a slight hill then is rolling and fast.  I chose to ride with my cycling shoes (boa fasteners vs velcro strap) because they are more stiff and comfortable.

The weather was great and the ride was a lot of fun. Unlike at Collegiate Nationals, the course had lots of straightaways where I could put my head down and really focus on pedaling.





In the past, nutrition and water have really caught up to me so I tried to stay on top of them.  I went through just over 1 bottle of Skratch and some chews.  My stomach wasn't feeling all that but I figured it would sort itself out and there wasn't much I could do in the middle of a race.  On the one out and back section towards the end of the bike, I saw my relative position to people.

Coming back to transition I did the pre-run checklist by speeding up cadence and mentally preparing for the run.

Run: 

My goal was to really build into the run effort. In training, I'd been doing log runs off rides and feeling good with that strategy.  The first few miles were rough, my legs felt the effort of the bike.  Around mile 3-4 I felt slightly better and was able to get moving and focus on form.  Towards the end of the first lap (of two) I ran up to the leading women pros.

 In the 2012 and 2013 half-distance races in Boulder, I've blown around miles 7 or 8.  This year I made it all the way to around mile 12 before it felt like I was crawling instead of running.  Some of the things that kept me going - team mates on the course, the CU tri team cheering at corners and cold aid-station water down my shorts (try it some time when it's hot out!).  


Thank goodness for a downhill finish.

Post-race/reflection: 

Overall, I'm happy with my performance at Boulder. It was a tough day not being able to race or pace with another competitor starting part way through the bike all the way to the finish.  Falling apart on the run is never fun and I'm sure a lot of the people out there on race day felt exactly how I did.  Yet we pushed through and completed.

EMJ team mate Yoni

My goals for a race rarely have a time component - I would rather finish knowing that I raced smart and gave a good effort throughout while still enjoying the event.  There are several things I learned from this year's Boulder 70.3 experience and I hope to implement them moving forward.

Next up:  

I took a slot at the 70.3 World Championships by signing my life away to WTC (steep race entry) so I'll be joining an entourage of EMJ guys there this September.  My next couple races are going to be olympic distance races with a focus on Lifetime Minneapolis July 12th.   I'll be traveling to Florida for a Waste Management conference for a couple days next week but other than that I'll continue training around Fort Collins and working in the lab.

Thanks for reading and have great day!

June update (part 1 of 2) Escape from Alcatraz

The past couple weeks have been full of moving apartments, training, racing and as usual eating copious amounts of hummus.

Escape from Alcatraz

Summary:
June 1st I was lucky enough to be one of 2000+ people to race possibly the coolest triathlon out there.  Escape from Alcatraz, what an awesome race!  

Before the race:
Around 15 Team Every Man Jack members were racing Alcatraz. I was finally able to meet most of them the day before while waiting in an hour-long line to pick up packets.  All the guys were super cool and offered great tips for the race.

There were some pretty big triathlon namesat the race including Mirinda Carfrae and Andy Potts.  I tried not to look too much like a deer in headlights when I saw them.  Side note: during an easy run two days before, I ran behind Rinny for about 15 min - as expected, incredible form...be jealous.  I also went to Trader Joe's several times for food - dried mango is where it's at!

Race Day

Swim: - Boat leaves pier @6:30 AM

- Pros jump @ 7:30 AM

- Team EMJ leads Age Group charge @ 7:30 AM + 3 seconds

The swim is maybe the most epic part of the race.  All the athletes cram themselves onto the ferry which then heads out to Alcatraz.  After circling Alcatraz, we jump off the boat and head for shore.  Tension was high on the boat with a lot of first timers anticipating the cold water shock.

Everyone off the boat in 6-7 minutes

During the swim, I took a couple people's pre-race advise and paused a second to check out the view of the Golden Gate Bridge through the fog.  After the first 20-30 seconds, you're more or less on your own and sighting based on a predetermined game plan.  I was slightly worried about the currents but everything seemed to work out. Once you hit the beach, the crowds line the run up to transition.

Heading out onto the bike course

Bike:
The bike course is also epic.  The 18 miles fly by because of the course's variability.  There are a fair amount of technical sections with turns and some short, steep hills.  I opted to ride my road bike because I'm used to climbing on it.  I only felt at a disadvantage on a couple of the straightaways and just tried to make myself as small as possible on these sections.

Golden Gate Bridge in background

Run:
My favorite run course yet.  After a flat section right out of transition with hard-packed rock, the run course heads to the hills.  We ran under the Golden Gate Bridge on some stairs, trails and road.  I started out the run with several EMJ guys around me.

Happy heading out to the run

Once we got to the steps/hills/trails, I started moving up and catching people.  By far the highlight of my run was after catching up to EMJ teammate Matt Organista.  We ran a good portion of the race together, making up significant time on some of the pros and leading the EMJ-dominated amateur charge.

While out riding the course the day before the race, I peeked at the "sand ladder".

An empty "sand ladder"

A big smile came across my face when I saw that thing and I looked forward to it the entire run.  People say to no matter what walk the sand ladder...I just remember stumbling the first few steps then keeping a steady rhythm.

Still running uphill after the "sand ladder"

The remainder of the run heads back to the trails and stairs, finishing on the flat section.

Heading in to the finish

Finish:
The last section of the run was lined with people, a lot yelling at me to catch some one up ahead.  I kept pushing to the end and was able to finish 1st amateur, 5th overall.  The top 4 amateurs were all EMJ and the team took multiple podium spots!

Finish area with Matt

This race was a very good result for me - the course suits my style well.  Big thanks to my mom for traveling with me and feeding me...thanks to the EMJ guys for giving me the opportunity to race.  If at all possible, I would love to return to this race again.  Everyone who thinks that Escape From Alcatraz might one day be cool to race, you must do it!

After the race:
I stayed in the bay area to train for a couple days.  My body was pretty beat but I knew the training would help for the next race.  The riding in California was different from anything I'd done before.

Awesome, windy roads

 Training highlights:
- Swimming outside
- Riding Page Mill Road (twisty road through forest)
- Swimming/running with the Purplepatch crew and meeting Meredith Kessler
- Riding in Marin County and doing a sweet climb out of Stinson Beach

Big thanks to Nick Handel for letting me crash at his place for a few days and to the other EMJ guys who showed me around San Francisco.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this June update which will recap Boulder 70.3