Puerto Rico 70.3

Three things are necessary for survival: clothing, shelter and food. Five days before leaving for Puerto Rico for my first triathlon of 2016, my probability for survival was 33%. And that was based on my willingness to live off of Clif Bars. 

I did my best to not panic. I finished off a draft for a research paper and continued to train…somehow everything was pieced together and I was off to Puerto Rico for my first race as a “pro”.

Bike packing

The main goal of the race was to gain experience and to feel as if I belonged in the “pro” field. I chose Puerto Rico because I had the urge to relearn Spanish after 8 years. Everyone always says to follow your dreams…

After a long day of travel, I finished assembling my bike by 12:30 am Puerto Rico time. Another athlete of Mace’s (Javier), local to San Juan, had found me a place to stay and helped me get around for the weekend.

Good messages in the apartment

Run path in Puerto Rico

The bike course was scattered with dead iguanas. Tons of them. They enjoy soaking up the sun on a high-traffic road… I only saw part of the run course, but understood the main point. It would be hot and hilly. Before the race, I spent a lot of time reading. The apartment didn’t have internet which I, actually, enjoyed. When I needed to get my social media fix, I simply walked across the street to the Ritz to use their free internet :) At the pro meeting, there were some serious triathlon celebrities. Athletes I’ve been following for a long time and will always look up to.

Beach views 

Race Day
I had an early wake up to make a shake for breakfast. I’d found an older “silver bullet” blender that, despite emitting a smell when turned on, seemed to work. So with a vanilla Ensure and some frozen banana, I made breakfast to the smell of burned rubber.

After telling the taxi driver “Ironman” and “triathlon” a few times I conveyed that I wanted to go to the race venue. While setting up my life’s belongings, I noticed a referee using a smartphone app to run over our bikes checking for motors! After a short run, I grabbed my Roka swim skin and headed to the start, applying sunscreen as I walked.

Having experienced neck chafing from my swimskin before, TO let me borrow some Vaseline. No. Big. Deal. He even said “No worries”. Then I headed into the water to warm up and conceal peeing myself.

TO!

I did my swim warm up and felt good to go. The national anthem was played and we were lined up in the water. A drone flew overhead. Age groupers and their families had their phones out, pushed up against barricades to take pictures. Someone with a microphone said a phrase in Spanish with “profesionales” in it and the crowd went nuts. 

Swim

Lining up, I chose a spot behind Cam Dye and other fast swimmers. My graceful stroke needs its space! The cannon boomed and we were off. I put my head down and took a few hard strokes. I was a little scared the other pros might have coordinated some kind of “initiation” where I’d get smacked a few times but there was only contact for the first 45 seconds or so. Fairly quickly, everyone’s place was sorted out. 

Swim Venue

Eventually I was towards the back of a big group and recognized Thomas Gerlach swimming next to me. Things were strung out and after the first turn (700-800 meters) three of us got spit out the back. I couldn’t tell who was leading, but I was still with Gerlach. A few times I checked our pace by popping out but always moved back to draft. Eventually we crossed under a bridge and hit the stairs to the swim exit. 

Going up the stairs, I noticed the first guy in our 3-man group was Chris Leiferman. Chris and I first met on the triathlon team at CSU. He was (and is) an incredible athlete. Seeing Chris just ahead of me after the swim was awesome. 

Collegiate nationals 2013

Chris wasted no time and took off on the long run to transition. I got to my bike, stripped off my swim gear,  and threw on the “bat helmet” before grabbing my bike and running to the mount line. 

Bat helmet

Bike

Chris and Gerlach were on a mission. Starting out, I felt that I could have put the pedal to the medal for 5-10 minutes and caught up to Chris and Gerlach…then try to work with them to catch the front group. Knowing how tough the Puerto Rico run course would be, Mace and I decided to be more conservative. I also saw my heart rate was at 175. I decided to stick to our power zone and ride strong on my own, hoping people would come back to me.

Bike route! (file)

The first half hour, I focused on a higher cadence. Shifting from swim mentality to bike mentality. The first section of the course was on a highway with overpasses as the biggest inclines. On long stretches I could still see Gerlach, but I stuck with my plan. I hydrated and took in some shot bloks with BASE salt on them. My power was good and felt comfortable. 

Eventually, I got to the section of the course along the coast for the 2 loop out-and-back. Other than looking out for iguanas, I put my head down and transitioned into a lower cadence. Patrick Evoe came by me and after a while, I realized we were more or less riding the same speed. I gave him a 50 ft gap and then paced with him. It was great to have someone to ride with. We picked off another guy who tried to stay with Pat for a while…but too many watts.

Heading up to the first turn around, I expected to see Andrew Starykowicz with a huge gap, however, we got closer to the turn around, and I still hadn’t seen the lead moto. This made me happy and I realized we must be biking somewhat fast. Eventually the leaders came the other way. It looked like we were riding just outside the top 10, about 3-4 minutes behind. Heading back, there was a bit of a head/cross wind. As I came around Pat to take my turn, I wasn’t really sure what the etiquette was for teaming up in a race. I went with saying “I’ll work with you”. No swearing was returned, so I took that as a good sign. 

Checking in with my body, I felt like I could be riding harder but decided to be patient. I picked up a few extra water bottles, finally getting my handoff and trash can three-pointer skills back. Side note: they should give us small time bonuses if we drain a shot while moving 25+ mph. 

Draining a 3

Heading back out for the second loop, Pat and I swapped positions. As he went by he said “we can catch that front group!” I was working with Patrick Evoe! Positions hadn’t changed much with the other pros as we flew back towards the far turnaround. Starky was doing his thing and the group right in front of us hadn’t gained much! Heading back to town for the last time, I came by Pat. The headwind split Pat and I up a bit. Coming off the bike, I was looking forward to the run. My legs still had some power in them at the end of the bike. I had hydrated, taken in some calories and my stomach felt good. 

In transition I felt like I had to pee, but for some reason didn’t want to get it over with in transition. I couldn’t find the small pockets on my top or shorts, so I ended up stuffing my BASE salt vials down my shorts while I sorted out my race belt, watch and Stryd device. 

Run

The goal for the run was to not have the first 2 miles be the fastest 2 miles. I focused on my form and transitioning from biking to running the first couple miles. Nobody was in sight. Up the first steep hill towards old San Juan, I took it slow and my legs felt good. I lengthened my stride a bit and headed out towards the wall. At each aid station, the volunteers were going crazy cheering us on. I grabbed lots of ice and water. I still had to pee pretty badly, but first wanted to figure out where I stood in terms of placement. I knew I could suffer for a while. 

Eventually we saw TO was heading back. After him, everyone was spread out. Someone told me I was in 11th. In my head, I made it a goal to try and get into the top 10. I felt good and it was hard to hold back from trying to make up time right away. With such a tough run, I knew the second loop would be hard when the heat and hills would catch up to us. At the turn around, Gerlach was in front of me by less than a minute. I thought I was slowly making up ground. Everything still felt pretty good heading back up a hill to the start. The views of the ocean were spectacular and there was a section of the road with cobbles. Unofficial aid stations were set up, offering cheering instead of water. The path to the turnaround was lined with people to send us on our second loop. 

I hadn’t taken in much nutrition that first loop. My stomach felt good but I really had to pee now. Still, I knew I would never let myself live with my decision to stop and pee if I fell just a bit short of catching one more person. I worked my way up to Gerlach. Heading up a hill I got a bit of a gap on him. Still, I wouldn’t let myself pee because I wasn’t sure how far back he was. I was starting to hurt. Suddenly, two more people came into sight just as I was heading back down into the park. Eventually, I went by both of them. One was Frederik van Lierde. In my head, I was screaming “dude, you just passed Frederik van f*&$ing Lierde!”. Half a mile from the turn around, I saw the familiar running form of Andrew Starkyowitz. A couple minutes later, he started walking and I went by him. 

Soon after, Gerlach put in a big effort and worked his way back up to me. It was disheartening. I was fading and didn’t have energy to fight with a big hill and 3 miles still to go. He got a gap on me going up the hill while I granny-jogged, refusing to walk or look behind to see if anyone else was coming. Finally, at the top of the hill, I glanced back and didn’t see anyone and I really had to pee. I ducked into a porta potty just to get the flow started.

I forced myself to lengthen my stride and run as hard as I could on the flats and downhills. I tried to take in some fluids and ice to cool down, but I still started getting chills. I kept telling myself only two miles left, you can suffer. I could hear the crowd. Then I could see them. At a turn with a half-mile left, I glanced back and didn’t see anyone. Relieved, I focused on pushing hard to the finish, for pride. Just before the finish, I saw Javier heading out to start the run. I had enough whereabouts to yell and high five him. I tried to muster a smile as I crossed the finish. 

Immediately I felt dizzy and had to hold onto a few volunteers for support. I knew I would be fine, I just needed shade and water. After a quick massage, I zombie walked around to pick up my morning clothes bag. 

No post-race ice bath. Volunteer let Sam hold the ice bag for a bit instead...

Picture with TO, Javier and friends!

The rest of the day, I hung out with Javier and his parents and ate some solid food. Eventually, I went back to the Ritz to steal more internet and write a few postcards. 

This trip would not have been possible without several people. Javier was incredibly accommodating; finding me a place to crash, driving me to and from the venue and previewing the bike course with me. Patrick Ray worked some wonders on my bike to get it ready in two days while Chris Howard at Sport About saved the day by putting some logos on my tri top. Massive thank you to Coach Mace for the training plan and guidance throughout this spring. It’s been challenging fitting things in with school, but I’m happy with the consistency and progression we’ve had the past few months. Thank you to my family and close friends for the encouragement and support, I appreciate all of you. 

Congrats to my brother on his awesome race at Havasu this weekend. It’s scary how fast he’s gotten in just over a year. 

Up next for me is 70.3 California (Oceanside) in about two weeks. The start list is ridiculous.

I’m looking forward to a not-so-flat bike course. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions about this race or if you want to learn more about my (lack of) Spanish speaking skills. Strava, FB, snapchat: stevemantell37, twitter: @steve_mantell

Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Valentine's Day: Running and Chocolate

Valentine’s Day. When I think of Valentine’s Day I think of the traditions involving pink and chocolate. I like chocolate. Green Events’s “Catch me if you Can” run this past weekend had chocolate and offered a new Valentine’s Day tradition for many Northern Coloradoans. 

The final event of the Front Range Freeze series was held at the Anheuser-Busch Biergarten. Before the race started, the large indoor space provided a warm place to pin on race numbers and catch up with friends. 

Green Events offered two distances; there were four mile and 10k run/walk options for us to earn our hot chocolate, pancakes and beer. The four mile run followed the same relatively flat course as the Sweaty Sweater race (back in December) while the 10k option started and finished on the same route but added a “detour” in the middle. I had decided to do the 10k option.

The Stryd running power meter!

After picking up my race number, chatting with a few friends and eyeing the hot chocolate, which I decided to save until after, I got in a quick warm-up. The 12+ inches of snow from last week’s blizzard had melted. The sun was coming out, layers were coming off and runners were excited and smiling.

Women's race start

To add a twist to the race and match the Valentine’s Day theme, Green Events decided all girls would get a three minute head start before the hounds (guys) were released. With everyone milling around the start, the girls took to the line and dashed off. It was almost as if they were eager to get away from us… Three minutes later and after a few instructions, the guys were off. 

Lead bikers from Northern Colorado Grassroots

The first mile took us out of the venue’s parking lot and headed west on a flat stretch towards a beautiful view of the foothills. A few guys must have been very antsy to catch their Valentine quickly because the first mile was ridiculously fast. My lungs hurt from the shock of running nearly all-out to keep the love-struck guys in sight. Soon after the first mile, the 10k route began its “detour”. 

A variety of athletes at Green Events's races...

Without the four-milers, things got lonely for us. Thankfully we had some great bike escorts from Northern Colorado Grass Roots to lead the way. We continued west, towards the mountains and through a neighborhood. The course was well-marked with orange cones and marshals directing us. A slight uphill wasn’t too bad as it was still early on in the race. 

One of the lead bikers took this picture just before Josh decided to dust us

We ran along the boundaries of the neighborhood and turned south. Volunteers stationed at cross streets gave us some cowbell and shouted encouragement. After going through the halfway point, I noticed my lungs had stopped hurting. My feet decided they would fill in for a bit. Mile four seemed to take forever. But soon enough we were headed back east towards the venue. A slight downhill was much appreciated at this point and we could start to see the four mile course rejoining ours. 

As courses merged, inspiration came from other runners and the Biergarten beckoned to us from the distance. The last few miles went by quickly as it was easy to focus on the people running in front of us. The atmosphere was encouraging. Eventually the turn to the parking lot was in sight. Patrick Ray himself standing at the turn, directing us to the finish. After the relief of finishing sank in, a few of us ran back out to the course, cheering on runners while trying to “cool down” our legs. 

Running data from Stryd for the 10k run (link)

We thanked the awesome team of bike escorts and headed inside for the real reason we race, post-race food. The Biergarten had indoor and outdoor seating. Along with a few CSU Triathlon and NoCo Tri members, I enjoyed some beautiful mountain views near the warmth of a fire ring. We ate, drank and told new four-mile and 10k battle stories.

In line for post-race food

The outdoor seating area

Fire ring in the outdoor area

Once again, Green Events stressed the importance of their zero-waste initiative, even going as far as to cover up all normal trash cans. Signs directed us to dispose of used plates and cups in the appropriate recycling and compost bins. 

Zero waste? Yes please.

Eventually, Green Events started announcing awards and raffling away prizes. Once again, fantastic local businesses offered some great rewards, just in case the burning lungs, tired legs and a sweet long-sleeved T-shirt weren’t enough. Gift cards and other services were provided by Raintree Athletic Club, Runners Roost and Altitude Running. 

A great place to run

Though the Front Range Freeze series has finished, Green Events's next event will be the Spring Equinox on March 20th. There are 5 mile and half-marathon options with your best interests in mind; Colorado views, zero waste and beer.

Until then, thanks for reading and have a great day!

Plunging into 2016

Three weeks into a new year and it feels like there’s been a whirlwind of activities...all done around working on research :)

After finishing up school for the semester, I returned to Minnesota for Christmas. My brother and I both stayed in town for 10 days. The first few days were spent crying because we missed our bikes. Eventually we picked ourselves up and hit the pool and did lots of strength workouts. My parents spoiled us by cooking delicious meals…we had salmon two nights!

Mantell Holiday card

Next, I returned to Colorado only to repack everything for training camp in Tuscon, Arizona. The University of Arizona TriCats, yet again, organized a great training camp. I’ve been at this training camp the past 5 years. This year we were in Tuscon the one week where the weather was cold and rainy. 

A teammate after a long day. In need of a Clif Bar.

The CSU Tri Team decided to try and outsmart the weather the day before camp officially started. Burning lungs and massive cookies on our minds, we dressed in warm clothes and headed 2 miles from our houses toward the base of Mt. Lemmon. That’s as far as we got. At the start of the climb, several policemen were turning everyone away, bikers and drivers alike. We debated blowing by the blockade but decided we didn’t want to absolutely crush ourselves before the camp even started. Instead, we headed another direction to ride. 

Even though we didn’t get the warm weather and weren’t able to ride Mt. Lemmon, camp was still a blast. We did a fantastic strength session at the U of A rec center and had some great team bonding experiences playing Cards Against Humanity. 

The most amount of clothes we've ever had to wear in Arizona!

Gates Pass with the bro. A few times. Strava.

The last day, the TriCats organized an aquathalon. The event was an 800 meter swim and 5k run. Many of the CSU tri members considered this event a great opportunity to work on their “race nutrition”. A few people from other schools saw how well we were doing and joined in. 

During the swim-to-run nutrition it's critical to get in some nutrition. 

Back in Colorado, Mace and I organized a bike-focused training week due to Lemmon withdrawal. As the semester started back up at CSU, it was great getting to train with the rest of the team who decided to miss out on training camp and forgo practicing “race nutrition” in January.

As of this past weekend, I would say we have officially plunged into 2016. Everyone has different ways with how they like to start their new year. Over 300 of us in Fort Collins ran, squealing with delight/terror, into a freshly cut section of a frozen over Horsetooth Reservoir. The past three years I’ve taken part in this classic event put on by Green Events. 

The hole. Just waiting for us.

The plunge had a 5k run as well. CSU Triathlon has had a large presence at this race the past few years either participating, volunteering or spectating. The night before the race, a group of us picked up our race numbers and shirts at Raintree Athletic Club, a local gym supporting the event. The weather was fantastic. Sunny and getting warmer by the minute…but not to make jumping into a frozen lake seem any more rational. After pinning on my race number, I headed out for a short warmup. 

Soon everyone was back at the starting area waiting for the go ahead. A drone circled overhead capturing the start. Unlike the sometimes intimidating atmosphere at the start of local running races, everyone was fairly relaxed and casual. Lots of families and dogs made the environment friendly. We all agreed to make it a goal to not wipe out on the few icy parts throughout the course.

Drone shot of the start

10 steps in, someone in the front slipped and was nearly trampled. Luckily they quickly regained balance and we spread out. The first mile took us up a hill and down through where the winter adventurists were camped out. Inevitably we got some funny looks running by their fire rings; a parade of men, women, children, dogs and polar bears. The second mile took us through an aid station stocked with hot chocolate and cheering volunteers. Throughout the course other runners shouted encouragement, urging on one another while making sure kids and dogs behaved themselves. Over the last section we were sent back up and down the hill before sloshing through a bit of snow to the finish.

Even though I didn't look at my watch, I knew the hills would spike my running power. After the race this was confirmed using Stryd's power center

And with every running race comes post-race food, the reason half of us do any race. In addition to bananas and oranges, local eateries provided donuts, coffee and bagels. I went straight for the hot chocolate. One unique thing about Green Events that I can get on board with is their commitment to a zero waste event. Trash, recycle and compost bins were set out for us with a friendly and knowledgeable volunteer directing us where our used cups belonged…compost!

Sustainable fun!

Awards consisted of gift certificates to local stores including Akinz, a lifestyle store which had some sweet Colorado-themed hats and water bottles.

Next came the plunge. Within minutes, the boat ramp to the water was filled with questionably sane people. Others looked on, cozy and surely laughing. As plungers, we lined up in groups with our most supportive friends. A group of EMT specialists who had been practicing their ice rescues, waited for us in the water. A bikini-clad polar bear walked by us giving high fives and taking pictures.

The line to plunge!

The line moved much too quickly and soon it was our turn. With a few other CSU Tri teammates, I attempted to brace myself while running into the mind-numbing water. As soon as my feet were submerged I wanted out. But the drone was watching. So I plunged…and it was just as cold as expected. But I gave my potential rescuer a high-five before scrambling back to warmth. 

Not quite that brave!

Zack appears to have brain freeze. More photos

For a good part of an hour, groups screamed, plunged, shrieked and retreated. I went back for more hot chocolate while others shared new battle stories over warm soup, bread and donuts. After gathering our gear and changing into dry clothes we returned to town discussing outcomes and strategies for next month’s Valentine’s Day event were all girls will get a several minute head start, making the guys work to catch up! 

Till then, I’m thankful for the opportunity to be able to enjoy these events with so many other great people and local companies. 

Last-day hike at training camp

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

IMAZ, Thanksgiving and 2016 Plans

 Over two months have gone by since I competed at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii...lot of fun things have happened since then.

Recovery after an Ironman sucks. I usually tell people it takes three days before I (kinda) walk normally again, two weeks before training feels OK, three weeks before training is good...but sometimes up to eight weeks before my head and emotions feel normal. Whatever, we're passed that now but just wanted to give you a head's up if you're thinking of racing one.

Since Kona

A few weeks post Kona, I jumped into the CSU Tri Team's halloween 5k. I love participating because there are great costumes and many local businesses support the team by providing fantastic prizes.

Going from a marathon to a 5k = ouch. Running hard hurts.

A couple weekends later, I made a spontaneous midweek decision to travel to Tempe, AZ to spectate and volunteer at Ironman Arizona.  After Kona, I had been in contact with BASE Performance who played a big role in me making it through the brutal Kona run!  I rarely make any last minute decisions involving > $100. My thinking...show BASE that I believe in them and commit to them for a bit and who knows what could happen, one day I might like to race IMAZ so this would be a good time to check out the race, and my brother lives in Tempe and we could train together for a few days. Flights were cheap so I said yes.

Ticket booked, I traveled to Arizona. 

"When Steve calls you up at 5 am saying that he's getting on a plane to AZ, you don't ask questions" Basically how it worked. 

IMAZ
The day before the race, I got to meet up with the BASE crew who would be volunteering. Ironman legend Chris Lieto started the company after having a lot of success racing with the products during the last few years of his career.

Chris Lieto said his blood sugar was low...good thing I was carrying a snack :)

Race day was incredible. After watching the professionals and age groupers start their day, my brother and I headed back to his apartment to get in a few workouts.  Around mid-day, I headed back to the run course to get things ready for Starky (and 30 minutes later it seemed) everyone else.

We set up two tents on the run course providing salt and rocket fuel (a drink mix) for everyone racing.  When some one offers you "rocket fuel" at the midway point of an Ironman marathon...don't ask, just drink.  We'd run alongside the athletes and ask them if they needed salt or "rocket fuel".

Our set-up as the racers went by

Lots of things happen during heat-of-the-moment racing.  One middle-of-the-pack athlete stopped and asked me for my shoes. He had on a brand new pair of Newton running shoes for the marathon and, no surprise, they weren't broken in enough and his feet were killing him. I had the same size feet so I gave him my perfectly broken in (month old) Saucony Kinvaras while I took his Newtons.

Demonstrating how to use BASE salt, in my swapped Newtons!

When it was all said and done, we were out on the run course from a little after noon to 11:30 pm. As the sun went down and athletes went from charging (pros) to running (fast AGers) to jogging to walking to napping (seriously), our roles as volunteers changed.  The later it got, the more of a mental boost the athletes needed. Many were doing the race just to finish and needed some encouragement. At this point we turned up the speakers and became a dancing aid station...playing the same songs over and over again.

Giving "high fives" till 11:30, much past bed time but worth it!!

The next few days were drawn out a bit as Frontier cancelled my flight back to Denver in anticipation of a large winter storm which dropped a whopping 1" of snow.  The ASU triathlon team had a swim and run that I was able to attend which was convenient.  Eventually, I was able to find a flight back in the afternoon and made it back to Colorado.

Thanksgiving Work

A few weeks later, I headed back to Minnesota for Thanksgiving.  After 10 months, going home was nice.  I met up with friends from the glory days (high school) and saw my soccer coach and teacher.

With Ernie and Alison at Thanksgiving, always appreciate seeing them.

Though it was supposed to be fall break, it did not feel like a "break".  In anticipation of a deadline for a research paper I'm working on and finishing grad school this spring, I was working a lot.  Since Kona, school has taken up a lot more time for me than it has the past few years.  Though I'm only taking three credits, my day is built around spending time cursing Excel and writing engineering.   Most nights after dinner I usually head back to campus to keep working for another few hours before calling it a night. Whenever this happens I get that one Eminem line in my head...

"...that's when it's back to the lab again, yo..."

 It's been frustrating working on a project this large where I don't have a "finish line" in sight because at this stage it's hard to know how much more work is needed.  But all I can control is how hard I work in order to get the job done well.

Training
Training has been going well as I really try to maximize my efficiency.  In terms of swimming, the CSU tri practices have been great.  Mace also has me doing at least three strength workouts a week right now. I've enjoyed this as it gets me back to the days of being a gym rat.

Me back in high school. Training for hockey. We got points for working out...I had a lot of points :)  Some of the comments on this old profile picture were pretty good.

 For biking, I've been riding inside a lot at the NoCo Endurance Center which has a great set-up for indoor riding.  I've also been running a lot with a new device that's essentially a power meter for running, made by Stryd. I worked with Stryd for a bit leading up to Kona.  Stryd clips onto your heart rate strap and gives you a measurement of watts while you run. However, unlike biking, less watts = more efficient.  See below for a file example! A lot will be happening with Stryd over the next few weeks/months so stay tuned... If you would like to try out a device, let me know!

2016
The week after Kona, coach Mace and I sat down to discuss plans for 2016.  Some people close to me have known for a few weeks already but our plan for next year is to race in the pro/elite wave.

If I had a dollar for every time over the past three years people asked me "so when are you going pro" or "are you going to take your pro card" I could buy a car.  OK, probably not a car, but a new pair of shoes

While I could write a much longer explanation as to why I have decided to take time and develop rather than take my pro license, there are a few main reasons.  First and foremost, I do this sport for fun.  In this sense, fun takes on many different meanings.  Even though it hurts like crazy, the last eight minutes of a 2x20 min FTP test (that's right, 2x20 minutes for MP athletes) are something I've learned to try and enjoy. For non-triathletes, that's two 20 minute "best effort" intervals or "all out".  Over the last three years I've spoken to many different coaches, athletes, training partners, friends and family alike that have all recommended taking my time.  Many lessons can be learned from racing as an age grouper. I truly appreciate my coach, family and closest friends standing by me and encouraging me to develop and think longer term.

While many would already consider my dedication to training pretty high, by taking my pro card, I will do my best to treat training, recovery and fitness like my job. For one, sleep (now 7-8 hrs/night) needs to become a higher priority.  Alicia Kaye recently wrote a blog providing some insight on how seriously pros need to take all aspects (food, sleep, relationships, recovery) of their life, not just training, in order to be successful.

Not a pro race, but Sweaty Sweater 4 mile race by Green Events this past weekend. Post race hot chocolate, boom.  Stryd file here

Stepping up to race with the pros, I know I'm going to get crushed.  As long as we see some development and trends towards competitiveness, that's good.  But if you know me, you know that getting crushed is good for me. It's been a long time since I've raced with some (controlled) desperation and I'm looking forward to getting back to that. I know I will likely never be THE fastest but I love pushing myself and just thinking about "racing" again makes me excited. I wouldn't say I haven't "raced" this year but it was much more of a controlled effort and everything was in preparation for Kona.

Implications
So what does that mean?  A few things...for the next few years, I'm more than likely going to be broke, working part time and training a lot.

But hey, I'll have a Lululemon discount for being a "pro" athlete!

Holla!

 I'll be traveling a lot, racing a lot and just trying to appreciate and make the most of this opportunity I have.  I'm going to try and commit to this lifestyle for a few years as I know my engineering degree(s, hopefully plural) will always be there. While many people say "I want to win a world championship" my goal in triathlon will always be to enjoy the sport by working hard and learning but also helping others find something they too enjoy.  Over the next few weeks I'll be figuring out details with some of the companies and people I'll be working with in the future and will try and keep you updated.

For me: "back to the lab again, yo"
For you: Thanks for reading and have a great day!