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.

June update (part 2 of 2) Boulder 70.3

Boulder 70.3

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

Day before: 

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

Pre-race dinner of rice, chicken, salad veggies

Race morning: 

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

Swim: 

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

Bike:

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

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





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

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

Run: 

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

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


Thank goodness for a downhill finish.

Post-race/reflection: 

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

EMJ team mate Yoni

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

Next up:  

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

Thanks for reading and have great day!

June update (part 1 of 2) Escape from Alcatraz

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

Escape from Alcatraz

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

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

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

Race Day

Swim: - Boat leaves pier @6:30 AM

- Pros jump @ 7:30 AM

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

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

Everyone off the boat in 6-7 minutes

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

Heading out onto the bike course

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

Golden Gate Bridge in background

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

Happy heading out to the run

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

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

An empty "sand ladder"

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

Still running uphill after the "sand ladder"

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

Heading in to the finish

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

Finish area with Matt

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

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

Awesome, windy roads

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

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

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