Punching the ticket

This past weekend I competed in what was supposed to be my first Iron-distance event in Panama City Beach, Florida.  The destination, common for spring break, is also appealing for athletes looking to tackle their first Ironman in ideal conditions.

I began a specific training plan, outlined by MP Multisport, around mid-September.   My first 5 hr ride specific for IM was a big awakening. I'd been on plenty of long rides but none with the pacing to run a marathon after.  The first 1-2 hrs seemed painfully slow. Since nutrition had given me trouble in my last couple 70.3's, I experimented with several different plans during long training days to figure out what worked for me.  I was also fortunate enough to be able to get course information from other EMJ teammates that had raced IM Florida in the past.

The different training load, especially with a couple long rides each week made me very hungry.  Some things I ate a lot of: bananas (more than the usual 4-5 a day), tortillas or rice cakes with almond butter and jelly, greek yogurt, brownies from the dining hall and Ensure nutritional shakes.  As the race grew nearer, it was tough to back off on rides and runs but I knew it was be better to be over than under rested. 

The logistics while in Florida worked out well.  Since I decided to do IM Florida without much time in advance, my parents already had plans - they have been living their dream, biking around Europe. I was fortunate enough to convince Dave to meet me down in Florida and help me out for the weekend. Having Dave there was special since he originally taught me the basic ins and outs of triathlon.  Big thank you to Teresa for hooking Dave and I up with a place to stay. The condo we stayed at was fantastic!  It was right on the beach and had an incredible views for sunrise and sunset.

Initially, one of my main reasons for signing up for the race was to try and qualify for the Ironman World Championships for 2015.  After talking with my parents a week or so before the race, my mentality changed.  I realized how lucky I was to get the chance to do the race.  So many people have supported me and helped me get to the point where I'm at and I wanted to show that I appreciated their efforts.

The days leading up to the race in Florida were spent working on some school stuff and staying off my feet.  Dave has been around the block when it comes to Ironman racing and worked extra hard to minimize the amount of walking.  For many races we typically ride back and forth to the expo or the course, in Florida we drove everywhere.  I'm also pretty sure I didn't go up any stairs for the 3 days before the race.  Dave reiterated to me that the only thing that mattered was race-day and for an Ironman, extra rest is the best thing to do.  We watched several movies, got fresh seafood and I kept my feet up.

Checking in bike and bags the day before

Race Day:
Race morning started at 3:30 am.  Breakfast consisted of some quinoa and hummus, a small sweet potato, a banana with a little almond butter, 1 Ensure and a little orange juice.  After eating we headed over to the race site.  It was cold and windy.  I was hoping that once the sun came out things would warm up.  I loaded my bike with my bottles and stashed my nutrition in the bags I would need throughout the day.

After a quick warmup run, I waited inside to stay warm, listening to music and watching others freak out.  People were fidgeting like crazy, taking on and off different parts of their kit.  I felt fairly relaxed.  Excited but relaxed.

Swim:
Gear: Roka Maverick Pro

What went down:
I was about waist deep in the water when they announced the swim was going to be canceled.  The waves were big and while I was a little disappointed, the volunteers mostly had paddle boards and were struggling.  I'm sure some people (weaker swimmers) were celebrating.

We headed back inside to figure out details for the race start and stay warm.  They announced it would be a time trial bike start.  First, pros would go off with about 30 seconds between and then the age groupers would go off in numerical order.  I would be about dead last with bib number 3094.  Before the race, my pick to win was Lionel Sanders.  That dude is an animal on the bike and run.  No swim definitely worked to his advantage. It was sweet to see the pros up close at the start instead of just zooming by at some point on the bike.  I liked looking at their bike and nutrition set ups.  For the most part, they looked calm.

We had calculated it would be close to two hours before I would be starting due to my high bib number.  I got a little hungry and luckily I'd packed a couple dates in my backpack - instead of a gel.

Feeling cold

I put on the new Louis Garneau speed suit top, arm warmers, gloves and headed out to grab my bike.  Despite the sun coming out, it had not warmed up and I was shivering heading to the mount line.  About two spots ahead of me, I saw someone in my age group heading off.  I was pleased to see this because it would allow me to somewhat know my position.

Bike:


Gear: Trek Speed Concept, HED Wheels

Such a sweet ride! Thanks Patrick Ray for getting me set up.

Bike Nutrition:

I'm happy to say that I ate real food the entire bike!  I made rice cakes from Skratch Labs (let me know if you want the recipe) and rolled them into balls which went into a plastic bag stuck in the back of my top.  Every 20 min I had a rice ball.  I aimed for about 270 calories an hour on the bike.  

While I understand many pros race with only liquids/gels because of intensity...here's my thinking.  Throughout our daily lives we don't eat gels and calorie-loaded sports drink.  Many athletes focus on eating quality whole foods. The rice balls were made of foods that I eat on a daily/weekly basis.  However, what works for one person... The rice cakes were delicious and I did not get tired of eating them.  I started getting more hungry about 3.5 hrs into the ride and had couple extra bites and 2 dates. I also sipped on 3 bottles of Skratch throughout the ride.   

My biggest recommendation is to practice nutrition and experiment.  I worked with Tess at MP Multisport to make sure the rice cakes would give me a enough energy and sodium.

What went down:

The first 20-30 miles of the bike were the worst part of the day.  People always talk about the ups and downs of Ironman and how there will be highs and lows throughout the day. The cold temperature and wind made this section tough for me.  I also was yelling "on your left" for the first 3 hours.  I'm far from the best swimmer but if there had been a swim I would likely have been in front of the majority of the field and a lot less passing would have been done.  The time trial start made it crucial to pace myself and race my own race.  I was passed immediately by a couple guys and the guy in my age group in front of me took off as well.

Time trial start

Around mid-point on the bike

My plan was to be conservative on the bike, pacing off heart rate, and build into a strong effort.
Going into the race, I thought to be competitive heading into the marathon, I would need to ride a little under 5 hrs.  I went through mile 56 in around 2:40 and kind of laughed at myself. I knew a good section of it had been into a head wind but negative splitting by 20 minutes... Instead of mentally checking out, I focused on what I could control, nutrition and pacing.  I picked up my special needs, reloading on rice cakes and Skratch and put my head down.
 

HR file from the Garmin

I didn't get into a good rhythm until around mile 70.  By this point, lot of people were hurting.  Instead of passing groups of people 3-4 wide, it was a steady line of people.  I tried smiling most of the ride.  I was happy my nutrition plan was working, plus, anytime you get to play outside makes it a good day!  Around mile 90 I started to reel in a couple people that had passed me earlier.  I saw Dave on the ride and he gave me some cowbell.  The 15 miles to transition went fast with a slight tail wind.  

Run:
Gear:

NB 1400 v2, Garmin Forefunner 10.
 I ended up getting women's shoes because the store was out of my size in men's...

Nutrition:  No gels the entire day! I had one Gu Chomp about every mile.  I would grab a four pack at an aid station then suck/chew on it until it was gone.  I also sipped on a bottle of Skratch until mile 18.  I aimed for about 180 calories/hour on the run.  I had no coke until mile 25 where I tried some to see if I could really crush the last mile.

What went down:
I ran out of transition and saw Dave.  He immediately told me to slow down and settle into a rhythm.  I had spoken with friends on the CSU Triathlon Team to text Dave position updates to relay to me for the run.  After seeing my bike was going to be over 5 hours I thought I didn't have much of a chance to win our age group and so I figured I would just try to enjoy the marathon instead of pressing hard right from the beginning. Dave had temporarily lost his phone and gave me encouragement heading out.

In my long training runs and track workouts, I've done best (and felt best) when I build into my effort and let the pace naturally drop on it's own. I'm not really sure how it works but if I pace right, things just speed up.  I was hoping to average around 7 min pace for the run but wasn't sure if I could do that after a 112 mile bike.

The top held ice and sponges well

I looked down at my watch and immediately saw 6:30 pace coming out of transition. I told myself to slow down, focus on getting in fluids and calories. I felt good, no stomach problems from food on the bike and I was excited to see how the run would play out.  The first 6 miles to the turn-around I forced myself to run 7 minute pace or slower, walking through aid stations.  I only looked at my watch a couple times that first section and was happy with 7:20's. I tried to pick things up heading back on the first lap.  I saw the guy in my age group who I'd started behind on the bike about 2.5 miles ahead of me.  His turnover looked to be slowing. Everyone around me looked like they were really hurting and I was wondering if they were on their first or second lap.  I kept focusing on staying steady and getting in some liquid and calories, knowing how quickly things can go from feeling good to walking.  Any time I saw my pace drop below 7 min I thought - slow down, save it for the second lap, especially the last 10k, then we get to go.

I rounded the turn for the second lap and Dave had some details for me.  He asked how I was feeling. I said great and he told me that the guys in front were fading and that if I could run about 6:50 pace I could win.  Immediately I thought, hell yes, here we go.  I thought of everyone who was watching online, supporting me. They believed in me and I believed in myself.  I wasn't mentally struggling and was itching to really turn the screws and show what I could do. I had paced and fueled the bike right (ok, maybe a little slow) but the run is where I get to do my thing.  I started picking up the pace.  People were screaming at me "Steve, you're flying" I smiled and kept pushing.  Whenever I looked at my watch I saw 6:35 to 6:45 pace and things felt good!

I'm pretty proud of this run.  I started my watch a little late so I didn't get the full marathon.  You can see where I stopped to walk aid stations the first section to get ice/fluids/nutrition.  My heart rate is higher than a lot of people feel alright with running at but I felt pretty comfortable - this could have been due to the temperature.

Everyone I had talked to said my body would fall apart the second half of the marathon.  Sure things were hurting but I felt that I mentally was still in control.  My quads and knees hurt but they never gave up on me.  I just kept thinking, man those rice cakes worked well for me!  I finished my bottle of Skratch I had been running with around mile 18 and decided once I made that final turn with about 10k to go, I would toss the bottle and see what I had left.  For weeks I'd been craving the feeling of leaving everything out on the run and my body was working with me.  I saw the guy in my age group much closer to me and he was hurting.  I drafted off him for about 10 seconds around mile 20 before surging and pushing on.  Miles 22-24 were tough mostly because there wasn't as much support and I was really looking forward to the last 2 miles were there was a great group cheering us on.  I encouraged people I passed to keep pushing and they shouted back their own encouragement.  The last 1.5 miles I felt like I was going to cry.  I turned around my hat and put up my sunglasses so those watching the finish could see my face.  When I saw Dave just before the finish, he told me I'd won.  I was more happy about being able to cross the finish knowing I had given a good/smart effort.  I was smiling for a while afterwards.

I called my coach, girlfriend and several other people on the team who I knew had been watching.  I knew I'd probably had them on the edge of their seat the past 3 hrs during the run.

After getting some food and leaning on my volunteer and Dave, we headed back to the condo to get cleaned up.  It was difficult walking but we managed to get back to the race site and cheer on some of the later finishers.

After a big breakfast the next day, we headed to the awards.  It was very inspiring to see all the physically challenged athletes up on stage, definitely puts things into perspective.

I congratulated many of the other finishers and eventually claimed my Kona spot for 2015! I'm excited to head there next October with Team EMJ and race in this iconic event.

With Dave after accepting the Kona slot!

This season has been a blast. I've raced 15 times this year and enjoyed each time. Looking back, I'm proud of my results and consistency.  I also am happy to say that I didn't feel burned out these last couple weeks or during the season.  I think this goes back to my mindset. I like racing and triathlon for many reasons.  With hard work, dedication and time come results.  Above more than anything though, the people I've met and places I've been fortunate to go have given me many great memories.  I've learned a lot this season and feel I've developed mentally and physically.

The amount of support I've received over the past couple days and throughout this whole season has been incredible. Each person's network of support really helps to keep them going during tough times.  Big thank yous to MP Multisport for working with me to prepare for this race and Dave for being my sherpa in Florida.  Thanks to my parents and family and teammates for being awesome.  Thanks to everyone who has done a long training ride with me this past year. I loved those days.  Thanks to Every Man Jack for keeping me stocked with fantastic products.

One last awesome shot from swimming around a couple days before the race

While I want to keep on pushing and training, I know we only get stronger when we rest.  With that in mind, I'll be taking a couple weeks easy before getting back at it with the CSU Triathlon Team getting ready for the collegiate season!

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Mont Tremblant - 70.3 World Championship

It's hard to believe that September is here already!  

This season has been a blast so far. I've trained a lot, raced a fair amount and in the process learned more about myself.  I carried the momentum from Age Group Nationals into a solid three week training block where I focused on longer running sessions. 

This year's 70.3 World Championships in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, had been on my mind since the beginning of this triathlon season. In last year's race, I was able to place second in the 18-24 year old age group.  This year, coach Mace and I were targeting the race, trying to set things up for a good performance.

The first week of school brought  the CSU Tri Team together again and we had our first couple practices. Having a large group at all the practices is terrific and I'm looking forward to training and racing with them in the upcoming collegiate season. We jumped right into racing with Boulder Sunset. We had around 20 participants. The race was fun and left me feeling good (mentally) for Mont Tremblant the next weekend.

After a quick couple days recovering from Boulder Sunset, I packed up Wednesday and traveled all day Thursday to Canada.  Big thanks to fellow CSU Tri Team member, Mercedes, for keeping me awake at 5 am on the way to the airport!

Food channel in French? The only word I understand is still Merci - thanks.

After arriving in Montreal, I met up with my Every Man Jack teammates to carpool to the team house we would be staying in. We had about 16 people staying in the house.  

EMJ Central

The house was incredible! It was located about a mile from the race site, near a golf course. There were several bedrooms, an incredible man cave, a great kitchen and sweet bathrooms (which quickly became stocked with EMJ products).   I wouldn't have been surprised if it was in a Frontgate magazine at some point!

First floor living area

Basement living room

TV screen size XL

Friday we rode the more difficult section of the bike course and checked out the other areas of the venue. Everything was set up in a ski town surrounded by small mountains. 

Riding a part of the course

Race setting

One of the coolest things about racing at a world championship is brushing shoulders with the best in the sport. Wandering around the expo, I ran into Callum Millward, the creator of "Cupcakes with Cal".  Callum has a great sense of humor and I highly encourage everyone to check out his twitter and YouTube pages!

With Callum at the expo

Saturday was spent getting bikes and bodies ready for the race.

Race morning came and I woke up by doing a quick 10 minute run before a breakfast of quinoa and hummus. After arriving at the race site, I quickly taped some food on my bike. The EMJ guys met up down at the swim start but we each warmed up with separate routines due to habits and different wave times. I got into my Roka fairly early in order to get in a good swim warm-up. As the pros went off, a fighter jet roared overhead setting the tone.  Thankfully, the 18-24 year old wave I was in only had about 90 guys in it compared to nearly 250 in some other waves! 

For the one-loop swim, we only had to be on the outside of the turn buoys, the first of which was 800 yards out. Immediately I headed to the inside of the sighting buoys to find clear water and settle into a rhythm. I knew some guys in my wave would swim faster then me and were likely to swim the shortest course.  I would rather have clear water and I don't usually trust others to sight for me. Waves were spread 4 minutes apart and we didn't start hitting the earlier waves for some time which was good. I could tell I was making steady process through my wave by swimming at a consistent pace instead of sprinting for the first couple hundred yards. 

After running through transition, I mounted my bike and started off on the first out and back section. Going in to the race, coach Mace and I agreed on a strategy that had me pushing hard on the hills of the bike. My riding has improved a lot this season and we believed these improvements combined with my size would lead to an advantage on the hills. I was hoping to be able to bike at a little under olympic-distance effort and follow things up with the solid run I knew I was capable of. 

Broke out the race wheels!

 Looking back, I went out much too hard on the early sections of the bike. I caught several people from earlier waves who I hadn't planned on catching until the first turn around (about mile 20). However, instead of using them to pace, I thought my body felt good and that I would be able to keep up the intensity - after all it was a race! I aimed for taking sips of Skratch every 6 minutes. Sometimes I was distracted and missed sips while trying to keep tension up a hill or working extra hard to pass a particularly large draft pack. 

 On the way back towards town, things felt slower. I was still catching people but did not feel as fresh as I should have if I had wanted to negative split the ride. The second set of rollers was tough but I felt prepared having ridden them twice before the actual race. My legs definitely felt heavy on some of the climbs but seriously, it was a race and going hard for 50 miles on the bike tends to make your legs hurt. 

Entering transition, I was pretty sure I was in first place in our age group and believed I could keep that spot by running around 1:20 for the half-marathon. Sure my legs hurt but I told myself it was nothing new from riding Rist Canyon back home. 

I quickly transitioned into my Saucony shoes and headed out to the run course. I started off very conservatively, I wanted to run smart. I focused on keeping a quick cadence throughout the varying terrain of the course. Things felt relatively smooth and effortless for the first lap. The hills were tough but I was able to keep my feet moving and believed that while the second lap would be tougher, my turnover would carry me through. 

 About 1 or 2 miles in to the second lap is where my run started falling apart. Mentally I was focused but my legs had nothing in them to get up the hills like I was used to. I tried taking in calories, focusing on my cadence, latching on to people on the hills (flats seemed to be fine), but nothing... I have run into this feeling several times now and it is very frustrating. I underestimated the difficulty of the run course and believed that I could ride very hard for 2+ hours and still pull off a run I would be satisfied with. For every race my goal is to finish without anything left, feeling that I raced smart and to my potential. Here, I didn't have anything left and it was much too early. 

 I staggered up the hills and tried coke at the aid stations which helped some. The last climb was up a steep incline in the middle of town. I had been looking forward to it since seeing the course. Hills are usually my thing but usually I can move my legs. I made it up the hill and went flying downhill to the finish line, once again relieved for a downhill finish hoping it would disguise how bad I was hurting. I'm proud to have finished and ended up placing fourth in our age group.

There were many positives from the weekend. One highlight was the post race food which included watermelon! A quick cool down and several plates of watermelon later I biked back to EMJ central. We had a fantastic make-your-own taco bar. The rest of the evening was spent eating, hanging out, discussing the race and attending the awards ceremony.  EMJ had three members podium including Ritch, who won the men's 40-44 age group! EMJ made a big statement by having so many people race and we got asked a bunch of questions about the team and EMJ products.

I'm looking forward to being back in Colorado and training with my fellow Rammies. There are a couple races planned before the season ends. 

Huge thanks to my parents. Without them this trip would not have been possible and despite currently biking around Germany, they were able to follow along. The first couple days back from the race I was still fairly disappointed.  I really appreciate everyone's support during that time. Thanks to coach Mace for all the preparation and the other EMJ guys for making the weekend a blast.  

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Age Group Nationals 2014

The past few weeks have been busy and inspiring. Several people I know competed in IRONMAN races in Canada and Boulder. Along with the NoCo Tri club and CSU Tri team, I volunteered at a bike aid station for IM Boulder. It was great to be on the other side of the food/water hand-off and encouraging the athletes. I also ended up with close to 50 extra bananas which I had to eat in 2 days before going bad. Just kidding, I chopped them up and put them in the freezer...smoothies have been amazing!

Bananas on bananas on bananas

This weekend I went to Milwaukee for age group nationals with a couple other triathletes from northern Colorado. After Lifetime Minneapolis, I was debating whether to race again in Milwaukee this year. My focus has been preparing for 70.3 Worlds (longer distance) and I didn't want to take too much time away from that. Ultimately, the atmosphere and competition at age group nationals is top notch so I decided to commit and race. Early in the week, training was the same as any other week highlighted by a Wednesday night open water swim/run followed by a potluck at Horsetooth Reservoir. (Thanks Green Events for organizing throughout the summer.)

Pre-Race

Getting to Milwaukee was a little hectic. My 8 pm flight got delayed till about 10:30, resulting in me getting to the hotel around 2 am. Many type A people would probably have a panic attack but I figured it was out of my control and not something worth stressing about. This mindset really carried throughout the weekend. To kill time in the airport, I enjoyed my home made dinner, hung out with another CSU Tri team member whose flight was also delayed (so many bored selfie snaps), and watched part of a movie.

Airport dinner! Salad w/ rice, carrots, baby tomatoes, cashews, raisins, kidney beans

For the weekend, I traveled and stayed with two other Fort Collins athletes also competing. The day before the race, we slept in a little but made it down to the race site before 10. We finished quick workouts, packet pickup and bike check by 2 and headed to Whole Foods for our big meal of the day. The rest of the evening and afternoon was spent napping, putting race numbers on gear and getting snacks from Trader Joe's.

Skratch bag came in handy while stocking up at Trader Joe's

Race Day

Race-day morning started early as Brent was in the first wave. I ate a rice cake with some blackberry spread and a banana before leaving the room, but carried the rest of my breakfast to the race site. After setting up transition, Cyrus and I relaxed for a while before the first wave went off. I listened to a little music and ate my new favorite breakfast (3 races now) recommended by my girlfriend, Geneva...quinoa and hummus!

Eventually the waves started and Cyrus and I moved around to spectate and cheer on Brent and the other racers. As our start time neared, I got in a good warm-up, checked my post-race bag and put on the Roka Maverick. I was excited to go and felt surprisingly relaxed. I saw a lot of people doing the typical sizing-up/intimidation/pre-competition stares. I know racing and adrenaline brings out the competitive side in us but I think it's still important to keep in mind that we do this sport by choice - for fun, no one is forcing it upon us.

**enjoy triathlon

Swim

Swim start: crowded, tapered and jacked up 24 and unders raring to go. It was a battle for the first couple minutes.

I started a couple lines back but eventually found some people to swim with. Things felt good and in control. Along with a couple others we made our way through the faster starters and up the ramp into the transition area.

Bike

I ran hard through transition and got settled in to the bike after tightening up my shoes. In the past I have freaked out at how far behind I was and gone very hard on early sections of rides. Instead, I stayed calm and was confident that the time spent riding the past couple months would work out for me. On the first out-and-back I saw the super swimmers. At the time, the gap seemed big - I estimated around 1.5 minutes or so. I wasn't sure I would ever catch them but figured I would just go as hard as I felt was right and see what happened.

It was getting hot out so I made sure to take a sip of Skratch every 6 to 8 minutes or so. I didn't want skipping sips to catch up to me on the run. The course was relatively easy and fast (but you can always pedal harder). The only hill was an overpass. The many different wave start times made determining overall placement (vs just age group) challenging.

I was much closer to the leader at second out-and-back and caught him a couple miles before t2. We headed into transition together and out onto the run course.

Ian leading into transition

Run

I suspected Ian had been working on his run and he has made a lot of progress. I tried to ease in to the 10k, with Ian right on my shoulder. I didn't want to go really hard to try and drop him in the first 2 miles only to blow up and be caught during the last couple miles. With that being said, I knew if I wanted a shot at a good overall time I couldn't back off too much. Ian hung tough through the first out and back then started fading.

Final stretch

To keep pushing myself, I thought about all the people who I'd trained with and were supporting me this year and what a good result would mean for that community. It made a huge difference to think of other people instead of focusing on the pain I was putting my own body through. I went hard to the final turn around, saw I had a decent gap. The remainder of the run was a slightly downhill straight shot. I was hurting but felt encouraged by those around me also racing and the spectators cheering. Because I don't race with any data (I wear a watch out of habit but don't start the time at the beginning of a race) I had no idea of my relative overall position. As with all races, I wanted to finish strong feeling that I had left everything out on the course.

Shortly after finishing, a USAT representative informed me I unofficially had the fastest time for the day. Winning the race and being called a national champion was the result of consistent hard work.  In usual delusional post-race mental state, I gave her a couple comments. Looking back I'm both surprised and disappointed that USADA was not involved at this level of competition.

Post-Race

I felt surprisingly little stress going in to the race even though I knew many people had their eyes on me. What I've learned this season is that I don't care so much about a time result or place. Yes, I look at splits and analyze results just like everyone after a race, but during...I think the experience really needs to be enjoyed. Staying in the moment by focusing on the task at hand works well for me. This result is not only a great milestone for me but it's also great for the Fort Collins community.

What is great about endurance sports is that at some point (with increased distance or with challenging courses) hard work and perseverance will beat raw speed. Even more so over three disciplines. One aspect about triathlon that I like is that if someone is faster than me, I know they have worked their butt off in training and have been smart about recovery to get to where they are.

Racing without socks = cut up feet

After the race we cheered on the super sprint racers before our appetites took control. We ate a quick snack at the hotel, then met up with my friend from Minnesota, Dave, at a pizza place to catch up. Next, we headed to the awards ceremony with the EMJ guys. Seeing the longevity of the people competing in triathlons and enjoying their experience was very inspiring.

EMJ crew at the awards

Big thanks to MP Multisport coach Jon Mason for outlining my training and highly recommending I compete at AG nationals...Every Man Jack for the fantastic products, cleaning up nice after a race never felt so good...Roka for a ridiculously fast and cool looking wetsuit (I got several comments at the swim practice the day before...yes I love it, yes it feels fantastic and yes it does look sweet)...Skratch labs for the hydration mix, worked perfectly yet again (orange flavor this time)...Trader Joe's in Milwaukee for providing me with a place to get the essential snacks to make it through the weekend (watermelon, dried mango and hummus)...of course CSU Triathlon and NoCo Tri members, thanks for the training and friendly faces...and my parents and family, your support and enthusiasm means a lot to me.

So many notifications

This summer has been straight-up terrific and while I don't want it to end, I'll be starting my Master's degree this fall and teaching a lab at CSU. Racing wise, I plan to race with the CSU Tri team at Boulder Sunset then I'll be heading to Canada with the EMJ crew for 70.3 Worlds.

Once again, to anyone who has messaged me or congratulated me, I really appreciate the thoughts and kind words. To the athletes, keep training, I hope to see you out there...

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Lifetime Tri Minneapolis 2014

This past weekend I was home in Minnesota to see family and race Lifetime Tri Minneapolis.  Growing up, I ran and biked a large portion of the course so I was excited to race in my stomping grounds.

Pre-race

I arrived Thursday for the Saturday race and immediately did what our family is good at - work out and eat.  If you're ever in the Twin Cities, check out Big Marina Grill and Deli.  They had an awesome buffet of healthy, Mediterranean food.  So many delicious dishes - I probably could have eaten their humus by the spoonful! As a bonus they had watermelon for dessert.

x3 for how much we ate!

 Only in Minnesota can you spend 3 hours of a summer day in July inside a hockey rink - and not be alone or think it's weird.  That's what I did Friday - watching my brother coach goalies and skate himself.  After, I headed over to a soaking race site and picked up my packet and sampled some food from the expo.  

The rest of the day was spent, riding, eating, running, eating, making breakfast (quinoa), driving the bike course, getting my transition bag ready and eating half a watermelon.

Race Day - Swim

The water was reported to be 74 degrees the week leading into the race.  While this was below the 78 degree wetsuit-legal cutoff, I opted to race in a swimskin because 74 still seemed rather warm.  After warming up, I found my wave in the corral and waited to go.  

Right from the start - one guy in our wave took off like a motor boat, seriously!  I later recognized him on the course as a swimmer who goes to the University of Minnesota.  The rest of us formed a couple groups...I wasn't positive but I thought my positioning put me in the first group of guys from our wave.

Bike

For the bike, I was looking to watch out for Minnesota native super-biker Matthew Payne.  Matt passed me a little out of transition and after getting my shoes in I followed him past the others who had gotten out ahead of us onto the course.  We leapfrogged for a mile or two before he took control for a couple miles.  Once we made it to river road we were flying.  The course was mostly flat but the roads weren't in great condition.  After partway through the bike, I wanted to see if I felt alright going faster, increased my effort on a couple hills and ended up getting a gap on Matt.  

The bike course went back by the race site before heading to another lake.  I got some positioning information and some cheering which was great.

Seriously, such an awesome bike shot! 

I saw Cameron Dye tearing it up as usual at the front of the pro men's field just as I headed around Lake Calhoun.  

Going back into transition I looked back and couldn't see Matt so I decided to put on socks before heading out for the two loop run course.

Run

The run was flat and fast.  The first two miles I worked to build into a good effort for the 10k.  It had been since April since I race on an all-pavement course.  At each aid station I must have grabbed five or six cups of sports drink or water which really seemed to impress the volunteers.  The weather was pretty humid but it felt good to be sweating like crazy!

Run lap one - covered in sticky sports drink/sweat

The crowd support seemed to never end around the lake which was cool.  By the end of the first lap, things were going well.  Once I reached mile four my form still felt good so I did my best to finish strong.

After the race, I met up with EMJ Team mate Sean Cooley, caught up with some friends and cheered on the other racers

Thank You

This race was another good result for me. I was most excited to get to race in my home town in front of friends and family.  I really enjoyed the experience.  

Huge thanks to my family for showing up and cheering/giving splits and feeding me all weekend.  Thanks to...skratch labs for providing me with a great sports drink that kept me hydrated in the Minnesota humidity...team Every Man Jack sponsor Rudy Project for making me look and feel fast on the bike...MP Multisport for the coaching and preparation...and Jane Kramer for the pictures.

The next day I was fortunate enough to train with the man who first showed me the in and outs of triathlon a couple years ago.  Dave is a couple weeks out from IM Canada and so we did a solid bike/run workout.  I was glad to be up and moving the day after the race.  Any time you can get in a workout with someone who has years of experience in a sport more than you - do it.  The knowledge passed on is invaluable.  

Congrats Dave!  "I may be old...but I can wear you down" - true story.

The rest of the weekend was spent catching up on other race results: CSU triathletes and friends racing at Boulder peak and another weekend of EMJ domination!

I've decided to make the trek to Milwaukee so AG Nationals will be my next race. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my summer and training! 

Thanks for reading and have a great day.