IM Boulder 2015

A few days after Ironman Boulder, my body hurts but I'm happy.

Training going into the race had been going well and I felt like I was in good shape. As usual it's hard to back things off 10 days before a nine hour race but you have to trust your training and your coaching.  The last week before the race, in the back of my head, I was always telling myself, "Save it for race day!" Because that's really when it counts.

I arrived in Boulder a few days early to get organized. Running around town was a little stressful at times but eventually things were done and the day before the race I was able to relax with other MP Multisport athletes and enjoy some food and company! I've found that I enjoy myself much more if I'm involved in activities and around other people instead of holing up in a room and over-focusing.  The environment in Boulder was fantastic and a lot of people contributed to making the event fun for the athletes.

Race Day

My morning started off at 3 am. I made a big smoothie (coconut milk, greek yogurt, GU strawberry watermelon recovery mix, 2.5 bananas, a few frozen berries and ice cubes) for breakfast. I estimated the smoothie to have around 700 calories which would give me plenty of energy for the day. And because it is never okay to leave half a banana, I ate a big scoop of sunbutter with the leftover banana.  Before leaving the house, I wrote some key words on my hand: "Relax", "Focus" and "Smile".

After dropping off special needs bags, Erik and I jumped on a bus and arrived at the reservoir around 4:45.  Walking into transition, someone with a microphone informed the athletes it would be a "wetsuit optional swim" because the water temperature was 78 degrees. This meant no wetsuits for those who wanted to qualify for age group awards or Kona spots. I was alright with this news, and mentally made a note to try and use my legs as little as possible. I quickly set up my nutrition, bottles and computer on my bike before heading to put my tri top in my bike clothe's bag (shoulders can't be exposed in non-wetsuit swim). 

After using the bathroom and a 10 minute run, I laid down to relax and watch the sun rise. I was excited and ready to go. I pulled on my Roka swimskin.  My girlfriend, Geneva, and her mom met up with me as I headed down to flop around in the water before the swim start. The warmup area was about as big as a large apartment, with about 100 people in it.  It wasn't much of a warmup but it was better than starting completely cold.  Eventually I made it over to the boat ramp where the start would begin.

As I navigated my way up to the "less than 1 hr" sign, I couldn't stop smiling. Finally, the day we had all been waiting for was about to begin. All the training and hard work was finally going to show and after not getting to swim at IM Florida last fall, I was finally going to get to try a "full triathlon". I found coach Mace and he said enjoy this moment, so I started crying.

Swim

The canon went off, and despite all the pent-up energy, we walked calmly down to the water's edge before starting our journey.  I started swimming hard for a few minutes before settling into a rhythm. For the most part, everyone around me was swimming a straight line with minimal contact. There was a lead paddle border for us about 50 meters away that we could sight off. I broke the swim up into thirds separated by two turns. For the first section, I wanted to take it easy and draft as much as possible. This part went by quickly and I made sure to smile because we were still getting to watch the sun rise and it was beautiful. 

The next section I began picking up the pace a little bit and by about half way was leading a line in our group. My swimming felt good. Not pretty and effortless but good. The last third I tried to turn up the pace and increase my stroke rate. My tinted Roka goggles worked great with the sun and I was able to easily see all the buoys on the way back. Or what I thought was buoys. I accidentally sighted to one of the volunteers for about 30 seconds. In my defense they were wearing orange reflective vests that looked similar to the buoys. After mentally apologizing to the swimmers drafting off me, I corrected and made my way to the swim exit.

Dem goggles

Running up out of the water I got major chills.  The crowd was huge.  The boat ramp was lined on both side with people. Screaming.  It was so cool. I tried looking for Geneva in the crowd but couldn't find her on the way to grabbing my bag. Into the change tent, my volunteer emptied the contents of my bag. Trying to lower my heart rate while I put on my top, I asked him to undo my matched socks. I buckled up my Rudy helmet, grabbed my shoes and ran out to the sunscreen station. I bent over, asking them to "get my tramp stamp area" before I continued on to find my racked bike.  I trotted my way up to the line, slid my feet into my shoes and hopped on my bike. 

For the first hour of the ride, my plan was to stick to the lower end of my watt range with a slightly higher cadence. In Matt Dixon's book, The Well-Built Triathlete, he recommends that for the first quarter of the bike you do this as you change from swim to bike mindset and to get your muscles sending the biking neuromuscular messages quickly.  Strava here. 

I started eating and drinking about 20 minutes into the ride. My stomach felt good and I wasn't too hungry yet but I knew my stomach could accept some calories. About 30 minutes in, I had to pee. Good, I thought, this means I'm hydrated and I've practiced peeing on the bike.  I knew the bike course and waited for a downhill. For whatever reason, I could not seem to relax enough going 40 mph downhill. Guess I have to practice more.

My nutrition throughout the ride was cut up dates stuffed with sunbutter, walnuts and some chomps.  I had placed them in my top-tube box somewhat organized but everything quickly molded together. Eventually I stopped trying to pick things out and grabbed a small handful of the mixture.  I smiled to myself because I had told Geneva my nutrition would be a "grab bag" of goodies I could choose from. It was exciting not knowing what I was going to get. It all tasted delicious and more importantly, gave me energy.

Other than trying to will my bladder to empty on a few downhills, only to become frustrated, the first loop of the ride was uneventful.  I was passed early on by a few bikers, never to be seen again but then stayed in my same overall place.  The CSU and CU Tri aid station was just after Hygiene and it was awesome getting to see all my friends hollering at me as I went by. After the first loop, I focused on drinking more liquids. I knew the day was going to get warmer and I'd pay for it dearly on the run if I started dehydrated.

After the second loop, the course headed east for the last 25 or so miles.  I hadn't ridden this section of the course before and reports I'd received ranged from two hills that "weren't so bad" to "mind-crushing walls".  I just reminded myself that everybody does the same course so just watch the watts and get up and stretch because the run is coming! I caught someone ahead of me fading on the second loop and was screamed at by Angela (Team EMJ member Ricardo's wife) as I headed back to the high school.
I had noticed that my heart rate was increasing as I continued holding the same effort. This indicated to me that the temperature was rising and that it was getting harder for my body to cool down. Instead of forcing myself to bike at the same watts, I "relaxed" and "focused" and tried to ride with my heart rate close to 155.  Coach Mace and I had talked about this before the race, putting a cap on the bike heart rate so that I could still have a good run.  Back into town, at some intersections, it took police officers a few seconds to realize a biker was coming at 25+ mp and I was scared the cars weren't going to stop but eventually I found myself dismounting at the high school.

 

After handing my bike off to a volunteer I entered the change tent and was immediately joined by Billy Edwards and Steve Johnson.  Mace and I had also talked about strategies going into the race and I knew that being around these two heading into the run was a good thing.  While one volunteer had my watch start looking for satellites, another filled up my handheld water bottle.  I put on new socks and my Saucony shoes and headed out just behind Steve Johnson. Mace said we were about 12 minutes down from first place. That's over a mile but a lot can happen over 26 miles! I had no ambitions to win and just wanted to focus on putting together a good marathon.

My plan going into the run was to run above 7 min/mile pace for the first 10 or so miles before picking it up if things felt alright.  Running about 10 seconds behind Steve, we were going just under 7 min/mile pace but it was downhill. I knew Steve was a very experienced Ironman athlete and wouldn't push the first few miles which it is surprisingly easy to do these events. Out of transition, there was an enormous cheering section, screaming. I smiled at everyone but tried to focus on the next three hours of running. 

 The bottoms of my feet started to bother me around mile three. It felt like there were hot spots forming and I really did not want to get any blisters.  I altered my running form a little to run with a midfoot / heel strike which felt a little uncomfortable and slower at first but eventually I was able to ignore it.  I saw Geneva and David with a big water gun about four miles into the run. I smiled and said yes to being blasted with water. 

 

My body did not feel hot but I got ice in my hat at every aid station and slowed down to get a few cups of cold water. Even though my body and mind was raging to go, I reminded myself, your still only five miles into a 26 mile run.  It will hurt, no need to go searching for it just yet. Instead I "relaxed" and "focused" on my form and nutrition through about mile eight, eating a chew about every mile.  

As soon as we turned back to head west and finish up the first of the two loop run, things got a little harder. I still felt  good and strong but noticed I was working a little harder and we were holding around 7:05 min/mile pace - a little bit slower. People had said that we would notice the uphills heading west. It wasn't steep but it was not flat.  Steve and I passed Billy and Rafael (first overall out of the water) on the first loop but kept our pace steady. Running behind Steve, it was impressive to watch his calm and steady pace. He wasted no energy on facial expressions or gestures towards others.

After we made it to the high point on the course and started heading back downhill to begin the second loop, I started picking up the pace. I wouldn't say I put in a surge but I decided to just not hold back on the slight downhill.  I had finished off my water bottle and picked up a two extra packages of chomps.  After passing Steve, I was running in third place which meant...lead biker :) 

 

My third place lead biker was awesome. He constantly was rallying the crowds to cheer for me and providing encouragement himself. He also estimated some time gaps and told me when Steve had faded from view behind me.  My form felt good and while my feet hurt, I knew I was going to make it, the only question was how hard could I go and would I blow up.  The crowds were three people deep in some sections. Their cheers gave me energy and when I smiled back they cheered louder.  

Beginning the second lap, I stuck to my nutrition plan and drank water and had ice at every aid station, slowing down as needed to make sure I got a few solid cups down.  As I passed Curt for second, he praised me and said well done. Hearing that, from someone I respect gave me energy and confidence. I got a new lead biker and set off to run back uphill. I thought that if the blow up were to happen, it would be on the uphill from miles 20-24.  My legs hurt but they never gave in. 

I told myself to keep running for all those people watching and cheering for you. I focused on controlling my upper body and having good form. I drank some coke at mile 21 but didn't notice any drastic effects so switched back to cold water. Heading back uphill, I was close to eight minutes behind Clay. I knew anything could happen in the final miles but it would be hard to close that gap either way so I focused my own process. Once I reached the high point again, with only two miles to go, I tried to really enjoy the last few minutes. Mace had said I could be right around nine hours so I tried to push a little to hope I could make that.  I made the turn up towards the finish shoot, thanked my lead biker and smiled all the way to the finish.

As I'm sure every Ironman athlete would say, the feeling of crossing that finish line was incredible.  I leaned on my volunteer for a while before finding Geneva and others.  I took off my shoes, relieved to not find any enormous blisters on the bottom of my feet and hobbled around to get a massage.  My hips were very tight and more or less everything hurt but I was happy. I had trained hard, tapered well and executed a good race in front of people I love. 

I chose a few things from the food tent, salty chips tasted really good, and sat down to watch  other finishers. Soon after, Ricardo finished, qualifying for Kona for the first time. 

A race like this does not happen without a great support system and there are so many people that played a role in this.  

Masters swim coach (and triathlete) Eric Nielson has been running some fantastic triathlon-specific swim sessions this summer that I feel has really maintained my swim fitness. Green Events has also organized weekly open water swims at Horsetooth were a big help in getting more open water practice.

I was able to borrow two different race wheels for Ironman Boulder and Patrick Ray worked on my extremely finicky bike for a long time to make sure everything was safe, fast and working properly.

Big thank you to my parents who are always huge supporters and there for me through the lows and highs.  

Thank you to everyone out there on race day cheering us on, namely the CSU and CU Tri teams. I really liked seeing your faces and the excitement. I really appreciate all the comments and messages these past few days.

Thanks to Geneva, whose support and encouragement leading up to the race was just what I needed. Having others tell you they believe in you, makes you believe in yourself. And I also really liked the post-race, personally-selected food options Geneva provided for me :)

Thanks to Team EMJ for motivating me every weekend and the team's sponsors for keeping us looking and smelling fresh on and off the course. 

Up next for me is recovery! After a few easy weeks, I will focus on building back up to get ready for Kona. I learned a lot by starting back to regular training after IM Florida and plan to be smarter this time around.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Summer in Colorado

Since racing Boulder 70.3, I've been thoroughly enjoying  the summer in Colorado.

Steamboat Tri the Boat

The last weekend in June, I raced a half-Iron distance race in Steamboat Springs. Last year was my first trip to Steamboat. The town and race are beautiful and challenging.  After hearing from friends how how challenging the half was, I really wanted to race it this year.

The day before the race was spent getting in a few short workouts with Geneva. After picking up packets with Erik (another MP athlete also doing the race) I was able to relax and try and get ready to race. David, a CSU teammate, showed up around dinner time after riding to Steamboat from Fort Collins - a truly epic ride. He was training for IM Canada and the ride (~175 miles, >13,000 ft gain) capped off a big week for him.  Since the main focus of my training for this year has been IM Boulder and Kona, the training plan had only had a few easier days before the race. I wasn't sure how things would go but I was willing to push hard and learn.  

Since Boulder 70.3, I'd changed a few things with my nutrition / hydration strategy and was looking forward to putting them into place.

After setting up transition and a quick warmup, I lined up in the swim right next to Erik. The field was relatively small and there wasn't much contact at the start. I quickly found Erik's feet and we began to pull away with another guy way off to our side. I stayed on Erik's feet for 2/3rds the swim then tried to let him know he could swim off me if he wanted - we were swimming a similar pace. The other guy who was with us took some crazy lines around the buoys but still ended coming out of the water with us.

Onto the bike, I was happy I had come out with Erik on the swim. He is a great swimmer and biker and I wanted to be able to at least have him in sight starting the ride. We quickly went past the other swimmer and settled in.  The bike course was a 14 mile out and back x 2. As we neared mile 10, the pace felt a little too easy. I knew there were some strong riders and runners behind us and I didn't want to let them get too close. I went around Erik and started setting the pace. I wanted him to stay with me so we could continue working together. However, when I reached the turn around, there was a sizable gap back to Erik. I kept pushing, trying to keep an even pace and ride steady.

 
I began to focus on my hydration and nutrition heading back. The ride felt hard but not blow-up hard.  I got a big boost of energy riding back around transition and seeing Geneva and David.  I also knew several other MP athletes and teammates racing and tried to yell them words of encouragement during the bike.  The second lap went by relatively quickly. On the way back to transition, I estimated I had a gap of around 4 minutes to Erik and 6+ to some other strong riders.

As I got off my bike and put on my Saucony Fastwitch 6's. Things felt good. I tried to  relax for what I knew would be a challenging run. The run course was two loops with a lot of hills and no shade. All at a elevation of over 8,000 ft.  I brought a water bottle to run with and was very grateful I did. The aid stations were spread out and it got hot out there.  The first 2 miles were straight uphill to a campground entrance. My stomach tightened up like crazy but I kept running. I've experienced the feeling several times before and I think it's mostly from not stretching out enough on the bike and trying to cram down too much food at once. I also had gone out much too fast at Boulder 70.3 and so my goal was to pace this run better.

The first loop was tough and I did my best to hold back because I knew the second time around was going to be worse. I completely stopped at an aid station before starting the second loop to refill my water bottle. My stomach was still very tight and felt a little bloated but I tried to get some calories and fluids in while running. Running was uncomfortable.  As expected, the second loop was hot and hard.  With about 4 miles left, I saw I had a big gap to the next runner and knew I could win. I had to power hike up a steep hill for 5 second bursts (which was demoralizing) but eventually I made it to the top and refocused for the 2 mile downhill / flat section to the finish. When the suffering got really bad out on the course, I just remembered that I partially do the sport for those exact experiences. You learn so much about yourself when your body wants to stop.  

After the race, I hobbled around for a bit and jumped in the lake to try and cool down. I tried to drink some fluids but my stomach still felt pretty bloated. Before we left, someone from the local paper wanted a quick interview which you can read here.

Geneva, Erik and I quickly packed up our gear from the hotel and got something to eat from downtown. While Erik headed back to Fort Collins, Geneva and I went up to the hot springs to relax for a bit. After a few hours, my stomach and body started feeling much better.

Ironman Training and Hiking

Since Steamboat Tri the Boat, I've been focused on training for Ironman Boulder. I've gotten in some big rides with friends. July 4th, I went from Fort Collins to Estes to Trail Ridge Road to Grand Lake and back. The ride took just under 10 hrs and was around 160 miles with over 14,000 ft of elevation gain. An Ironman will never be that long of a ride but the main goal was to be exercising for about how long the race will be.  MP Multisport has quite a few athletes training for IM Boulder and we've also done some great long runs incorporating speed. 

I've also worked on trying to figure out what nutrition works for me.  The race in Boulder will be much different from my IM Florida experience. For one, I have more confidence in my bike and run and will be riding at a higher effort level. This make digesting certain foods more difficult. And, more than likely, it will be much warmer which also influences what can be eaten on the bike. One of the things I'm most looking forward to for the race is getting to see everyone out on the course. Having all the support and encouragement helps a ton.  No matter the scenario, I'll do my best to work through the ups and downs and enjoy the day!

Training for an Ironman takes a lot of time and makes you very tired. After a solid block of training, Geneva and I went camping in Aspen, Colorado to relax for a few days. The trip was amazing and something I really needed. We did a good amount of hiking in the Maroon Bells area. The Maroon Bells are arguably some of the most photographed mountains in America. After a few miles from the trail head, the crowds disappeared and we were hiking through some amazing landscapes. I definitely hope to be back to explore more some day.

 

We worked in a photo shoot for Boco Gear (a Team EMJ sponsor) at one of the more stunning snack break stops.

Doing fun things outside of training helps remind me there is more to life than training and racing.  With that being said, if you're not busy August 2nd, come out and cheer on the thousands of athletes competing in IM Boulder.  You can find course maps here.  We would all love to see you out there!

Thanks to my parents for always supporting me. Thanks to everyone who has trained with me and pushed me this summer. It's been a great time and you make the workouts that much easier. Big thank you to Team EMJ and all the team sponsors for helping us do what we love.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Boulder 70.3 and MP training camp

The past week has been a blast.

Boulder 70.3

After a busy week at work, I got all my race gear ready for Boulder 70.3.

Geneva thought the old lace served as a good bow / headband

After an early wake-up and quick breakfast, I was soon at the Boulder Reservoir.  I set up transition and headed out for a jog with some music to relax. As I was putting on my wetsuit, I wished CSU alum Bailey Hinz good luck as she headed down to the beach for the pro women start.  After getting into my Roka, I headed down to the swim start with Geneva to warm up.  I started swimming about 30 minutes before our wave was scheduled to go off to make sure my swimming muscles were feeling good.

A few minutes before our wave was to go, I found Mace for some last words of advice and headed to the front. Even though there were two age groups, everyone in our wave was casual getting into the water and giving each other space. I sprinted hard for the first two or three minutes. By the second buoy, there was a group of three of us in a line. By the first turn, one of the guys in front of me had dropped off the pace and we were starting to hit congestion from the earlier waves.  The remainder of the swim, I tried to find a solid rhythm in between dodging around swimmers and sighting.   

I ran hard out of the water to my bike. After nearly running over a few spectators at the mount line (completely my fault :) ) I found my pedals with some words of advice from an onlooker to "look forward no matter what".  One of the wires on my left shoe came unhooked while trying to slide my foot in (the second time it's happened during a race) and after cresting the first short hill, I completely stopped, put my bike down and fixed my shoe.

Going into the race, my plan was to go harder than 70.3 pace for the first 20-ish minutes to get into race mode. Only thing was, my computer wasn't picking up any signal from the power meter. I had switched mounting positions so I think this confused it a little. After basing a lot of my bike strategy to rely on watts, I did my best to not freak out and just rode hard by feel. My legs felt good and I tried to keep a steady effort up and down the first part of the course with some rollers.

After a while, my power meter started picking up a signal every few seconds but would lose it quickly. Having the computer directly in my face was quite distracting because there was no data for me to care about other than my heart rate, which was extremely high. Since mounting the bike, it had not gone below 170. I tried to ignore the high heart rate and focus on pushing at the effort I had wanted to.

Not from the race, but needed another bike shot...trying out the Wing 57 (such a sweet helmet)

In most of my previous half-distance races, I've unwillingly slowed down the last few miles of the bike and run. I attributed this to lack of proper nutrition and hydration during the bike leg.  For Boulder 70.3, I stuffed 5 rice balls (same that I used in IM Florida) into a case mounted on my top tube. I began trying to eat around 30 minutes into the ride after I thought my stomach had settled.  Trying to chew and eat at a heart rate of 170 was ridiculous. It took me a good 20 seconds to eat half a rice ball where I had to chew like a caveman to get enough air into my lungs as well. Talk about multi-tasking.  I ate 4 and a half of my rice balls during the ride and went through about two bottles of fluids.  I felt that I had fueled myself well enough as towards the end of the bike, I still felt strong and whenever my computer decided to sync

sink some watts, I was within the range I wanted to be in. (Strava file here)

Heading to the dismount line

Cruising into transition was awesome because of all the cheers.  I dismounted and threw on my Saucony Fastwitchs and headed out onto the run. 

THE shoe - matches our kit too!

heading out onto the run

I felt confident about my run endurance going into the race, I just knew I needed to pace myself well and manage the heat which was steadily increasing. After a few minutes I looked down at my watch to make sure I wasn't running too fast. I wanted to start around 6:30 min/mile pace and settle in before picking it.  Instead,  I saw 5:30 pace. I tried to slow down but it felt easy. I knew I was going to majorly blow up if I tried to hold that pace for too long but I was only able to slow down to 5:55 after a mile or so.  I threw out my pacing plan (bad idea) and tried to settle in to the effort.

At every aid station, I grabbed as many cups of water, ice and gatorade as I could. Next time, I should try and make it a game to see how many I can get my hands on. (Kinda like in ASU's 2014 Road to nationals video)  

A pretty cool picture of me tossing a cup on the second lap

After a few miles, I had a dreaded feeling that my stomach wasn't absorbing any more food.  Post race, I looked up a few things and realized this has happened to me a few times on the bike in a triathlon. Instead of letting my heart rate relax right away, I've started eating food too early for my body, trying to follow a nutrition plan that some one else has said works for them. Eating too much food, and food that is too difficult for me to digest at a high effort, ends up shutting down my stomach. (This article does a better job explaining than I can.) I didn't feel too bloated, it just felt like things weren't being adsorbed. The past week I've been experimenting with different strategies and seem to have found a combination of liquids and solids that I'm able to digest in the heat and at a high level of effort. Most importantly, I've tried learned to trust my body, relax into a 4+ hour race, and listen to what it wants.

I hung tough on the run and felt really strong through about mile 10. Around then I really had to focus on form and managing the slight uphill efforts to keep a decent pace. 

 

All the cheering really helped, and so did latching onto a pro women's shoulder the last 2 miles (no shame, I was hurting). The last 1/2 mile was painful. I leaned hard on my volunteers and Geneva, and poured water all over to try and cool down. I was relieved to have made it. While I could have raced smarter, I knew I gave it everything and reached my limit the last half mile which is all I want during a race. Once again, I learned a lot and got my butt kicked by my first half-iron of the year, but still want more.

With the CSU Tri team

After the race, I jumped in the reservoir, got some fro yo with the CSU crew and hung out with EMJ teammates Yoni and Rudy Kahser. 

When I saw Rudy before awards, he didn't say anything about him winning OA - congrats by the way! I only found out on the way home that he had gone 3:59 on a day when many pros didn't even break 4 hours. That guy is a stud and his attitude and humbleness is a testament to team EMJ : a group of elite athletes but not elitists. Such class.

Very grateful for Geneva's support!

MP Multisport Altitude Training Camp

After an easy day Sunday, I packed up my stuff and headed to Granby, Colorado with a group of MP Multisport athletes for an altitude training camp.  We stayed at the YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch (> 8,000') and swam, biked and ran for 5 days. It was a fantastic experience. Recapping would take a lot so here are some pictures and you can find my rides from the week on Strava!

Dinner with a view

We had a chef prepare all our meals. Fanciest and best food I've ever eaten for a week. This meal was roasted half chicken over apricot brown rice and sauteed veggies, drizzled with an apricot pan gravy. Amazing!

Testing our balance and learning was also incorporated into the camp

Not a bad place to get lost on the second day

Everyone at the trail ridge road visitor center

The four of us had a pretty epic day

Love the trail ridge ride!

The time spent training in the mountains was fantastic. It was great meeting some other athletes and learning.  Next year is a ways away but I would love to be there again and I'd highly recommend the camp to everyone.  The food alone is enough to go next year!

Up next is another half-iron race in Steamboat Springs, CO. 

Thanks for reading and have a great day!