I didn't post after my race in Florida, mostly because I didn't have a lot to say after my lackluster performance. I evaluated the day again and again, but didn't come to any satisfactory conclusions. I was a little tired going in, but felt great race morning. I pushed hard on the bike to catch the chase group, but was unable to bridge and probably overextended myself. The run became a jog to finish, and the trip was an expensive training day and lesson. I did get to spend the weekend with fellow pros Amy and Brandon Marsh, driving through the Disney city of Orlando, so it was good to catch up and watch them have good races. Looking back now, I probably should have saved my energy for something else, but it was good to learn that even I can have a bad race. One bad race.
Fast forward to this past weekend in Durango. An easier week of training left me feeling pretty fresh and ready for a big weekend of intensity. The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic is one of the oldest and most respected road races around, and I was riding for my local team, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. The ride is a brutal test of climbing prowess, so I knew from the beginning it would be a game of limiting my losses. I worked early on to help chase a breakaway, got dropped on the first climb, regained contact before the first major pass of almost 11,000 ft., and then got dropped again. In the end, I was happy to best my goal time and finish with a strong group. We were lucky to have dry roads and good racing conditions, and it's always fun to be part of such a legendary event. My parents also rode in the tour, and finished in very respectable times.
The second event of the weekend was the Narrow Gauge ten miler, which is another challenging event with significant hills and plenty of altitude. I took out an early lead and ended up just short of my sub 1 hour goal, coming in first in 1:00:19. Since the last 1.5 miles are straight downhill to the finish on concrete, I was suffering the next morning when I woke up to finish off the Narrow Horse triathlon with the 1500 meter pool swim.
My plan was to just wrap up the overall with a cruisy swim before the afternoon time trial, but I ended up going decently fast. It felt smooth, and my 19:04 was good enough to set a new course record for the stage race triathlon. I ate a little food, put the race wheels on the TT bike, and headed out to do battle with the pro men in the 13.7 mile time trial on east animas. I could still feel the effects of the running race, but I gritted my teeth through the whole ride, trying to hold my watts and save a little for the punchy climb at the end of the ride. I caught my 1:30 man on the last climb and knew I had a good ride. I was a fair bit back from overall winner Ben Kneller, but my time slotted me into third overall, ahead of several pros. I really feel like my position is better after a little tweaking, and it showed during the all-out effort. There is no secret that time trialing is a fine balance between power and position.
The past two weeks have been a good reminder to listen to my body, and to know when to draw the line and get some rest. Sometimes it's more mental than physical, and I think the trip to Florida was an indicator that I needed a small break to clear my head. It's only late May, but I've already racked up over 11 events when I include my running races and cycling events. That said, recognizing that I needed some rest helped me to come into the weekend of races at home with a fresh outlook, allowing me to push my limits even further before the next big race in Boise. Life is good, and getting better.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
May Days
A heads up to all readers/followers, you can now follow my blog on: http://www.i-am-specialized.com This site is a collection of updates for several of the Specialized riders in a myriad of sports, including triathlon, road cycling, XC and downhill MTB, and motorsports. I'll be posting my updates there, along with some video and photos once I've put them together.
I'm through with another solid week of training in preparation for Ironman Florida 70.3. The weather has turned to absolute perfection here in Durango recently, so I've been nailing the bike and getting out on the trails every day. It's the perfect time of year when temperatures aren't too hot, everything is green, the river is running high, and the scents of freshly mown grass and cookouts dominate the evening air.
Ironman Florida 70.3 wasn't originally on my schedule, as I had planned to return to Memphis in May and battle it out for the top spots at a shorter distance event (and eat some quality barbecue), but I changed the arrangements a couple weeks ago. My coach and I have been discussing the need to expose myself to demanding conditions that mimic Hawaii as much as possible, so the season campaign consists of several races that historically have hot and humid weather. So far I have done New Orleans, then I'll go down to Florida this weekend, race in Lubbock in late June, and possibly hit Cancun in September if I don't end up going out to Hawaii a little early. I'll be experimenting with nutrition, race strategy, and taking special notice of how my body reacts to the extra stressors. Based on my career results, I race better in heat than cold, but I'll need to make sure I get the nutrition right after my debut Ironman stomach issues.
I'm through with another solid week of training in preparation for Ironman Florida 70.3. The weather has turned to absolute perfection here in Durango recently, so I've been nailing the bike and getting out on the trails every day. It's the perfect time of year when temperatures aren't too hot, everything is green, the river is running high, and the scents of freshly mown grass and cookouts dominate the evening air.
Ironman Florida 70.3 wasn't originally on my schedule, as I had planned to return to Memphis in May and battle it out for the top spots at a shorter distance event (and eat some quality barbecue), but I changed the arrangements a couple weeks ago. My coach and I have been discussing the need to expose myself to demanding conditions that mimic Hawaii as much as possible, so the season campaign consists of several races that historically have hot and humid weather. So far I have done New Orleans, then I'll go down to Florida this weekend, race in Lubbock in late June, and possibly hit Cancun in September if I don't end up going out to Hawaii a little early. I'll be experimenting with nutrition, race strategy, and taking special notice of how my body reacts to the extra stressors. Based on my career results, I race better in heat than cold, but I'll need to make sure I get the nutrition right after my debut Ironman stomach issues.
I'm finally back to firing on all cylinders, fully recovered from the virus that knocked me out for a couple weeks, so I'm chomping at the bit to get out and race to my potential. Look for me to get in the mix at Ironman Florida. This week won't see a major reduction in either volume or intensity until Friday, but I'm feeling fit and ready to go. Keep your eye on www.ironman.com for the live race coverage and look for my race report following the event. Until then, get out and ride your bike!
Monday, May 4, 2009
9th Place Wildflower
Just arrived back in Durango last night after another epic driving mission through the Mojave desert to Wildflower and back. It was a short vacation, but I try to make the trip each year to do battle with the top pros on a challenging course. It's tough to beat the atmosphere that surrounds the race, with thousands of people camping, racing, spectating, selling triathlon equipment, and just generally creating a woodstock-esque environment. I heard that projections for the total number of people in the park for the weekend would reach 35,000, so it ranks as one of the largest events out there, and the venue is easily one of the most scenic.
I got in Thursday evening, did a short jog to stretch out the legs, and then went to bed early. Friday started out with perfect weather, and we rode a little over an hour, bricked a short run, and then went down to the expo to check out vendors, meet with sponsors, and do a short swim. By the time we wrapped up the swim, rain was falling steadily, and it didn't let up until some time early Saturday morning. At the pro meeting, race director Terry Davis noted that we would have to dismount our bikes around mile 42 to run across a metal bridge if the rain kept falling, so we all hoped for a change in the weather patterns.
Race morning showed perfect weather for a fast day, and I felt surprising good even though my build for the race was interrupted by a nasty virus. The field was absolutely STACKED, with something close to 60 pro men toeing the line for the 8 a.m. start. I started second row so I could "surf" everyone's wake for the first part of the swim, and by the time I hit the first turn buoy at 200 meters, I hadn't worked too hard and stayed near a lead group. Of course Andy Potts was going full gas off the front, but I could tell I was in a good spot and just kept fighting for good feet through the first half of the swim. I've been working hard on my closing 500m strength in these swims, so I knuckled down when things got strung out a little and stayed on the nearest feet. Arriving in T1, I saw the likes of Chris Lieto and some other good swimmers that I rarely see that early in a race, so I kept my transition smooth and rolled out in contact with some of the big hitters. At the top of the first big climb I was with Matt Lieto, Chris Lieto, Jordan Rapp, James Cotter, and several others. I knew it was going to be a bit of a gun show on the bike, so I just rode steady and watched to make sure my stagger was legal. By mile 25, things began to string out a bit more, and I decided that I didn't have the legs to follow Rapp and Lieto as they pulled ahead. Looking back now, I probably should have gone anyway, because they made contact with the leaders around mile 35, which included Terrenzo, Eneko, and Potts. I still felt like I was riding solid though, with Matt Lieto, Romaine Guillaume, and another athlete all rolling along for the last miles.
Into T2 we were down considerably on Bjorn Andersson, but I took off at a steady pace to reel in some of the men out front. By the first real climbs I had caught one, and been passed by Romain, who hung in front by about 100m. Around mile 6 or 7 we both caught and passed a fading Fraser Cartmell, and then I began to chase Romain down, finally catching him at the turnaround at mile 10. I hit the gas on the uphill, forming a small gap, and stayed on it through the top of the hill, gaining about a minute in those 2 miles. I let the legs go on the descent of Lynch hill, and crossed the line well clear in 9th, with a total time of 4:12:14.
Reflecting on my performance now, it's a little bittersweet. I came out to race against one of the most competitive fields I have seen in my short pro career, finishing 9th behind names like Potts, Llanos, Colucci, Bell, Bozzone, Gambles, Lieto, and bested a huge number of others. I swam faster than I have, maybe ever, and ran solidly on a very tough course. The one part that irks me is that I am easily fitter than any other year, and didn't have the bike legs to match my split last year (2:18:52) in good conditions. I lost close to 4:30 on the bike this year, and I can't say where it went, although I know my form could have been a little better without being sick for two weeks beforehand. I really wanted to go sub 4:10, and my final time was well above last year's effort of 4:10:52. In the end, I was in the money against a very competitive field, I learned a ton, and had a good time at one of my favorite races. Next up, Ironman Florida 70.3 in Orlando in two weeks. Look for me to remedy the bike and get in the mix once more against some top pros.
I got in Thursday evening, did a short jog to stretch out the legs, and then went to bed early. Friday started out with perfect weather, and we rode a little over an hour, bricked a short run, and then went down to the expo to check out vendors, meet with sponsors, and do a short swim. By the time we wrapped up the swim, rain was falling steadily, and it didn't let up until some time early Saturday morning. At the pro meeting, race director Terry Davis noted that we would have to dismount our bikes around mile 42 to run across a metal bridge if the rain kept falling, so we all hoped for a change in the weather patterns.
Race morning showed perfect weather for a fast day, and I felt surprising good even though my build for the race was interrupted by a nasty virus. The field was absolutely STACKED, with something close to 60 pro men toeing the line for the 8 a.m. start. I started second row so I could "surf" everyone's wake for the first part of the swim, and by the time I hit the first turn buoy at 200 meters, I hadn't worked too hard and stayed near a lead group. Of course Andy Potts was going full gas off the front, but I could tell I was in a good spot and just kept fighting for good feet through the first half of the swim. I've been working hard on my closing 500m strength in these swims, so I knuckled down when things got strung out a little and stayed on the nearest feet. Arriving in T1, I saw the likes of Chris Lieto and some other good swimmers that I rarely see that early in a race, so I kept my transition smooth and rolled out in contact with some of the big hitters. At the top of the first big climb I was with Matt Lieto, Chris Lieto, Jordan Rapp, James Cotter, and several others. I knew it was going to be a bit of a gun show on the bike, so I just rode steady and watched to make sure my stagger was legal. By mile 25, things began to string out a bit more, and I decided that I didn't have the legs to follow Rapp and Lieto as they pulled ahead. Looking back now, I probably should have gone anyway, because they made contact with the leaders around mile 35, which included Terrenzo, Eneko, and Potts. I still felt like I was riding solid though, with Matt Lieto, Romaine Guillaume, and another athlete all rolling along for the last miles.
Into T2 we were down considerably on Bjorn Andersson, but I took off at a steady pace to reel in some of the men out front. By the first real climbs I had caught one, and been passed by Romain, who hung in front by about 100m. Around mile 6 or 7 we both caught and passed a fading Fraser Cartmell, and then I began to chase Romain down, finally catching him at the turnaround at mile 10. I hit the gas on the uphill, forming a small gap, and stayed on it through the top of the hill, gaining about a minute in those 2 miles. I let the legs go on the descent of Lynch hill, and crossed the line well clear in 9th, with a total time of 4:12:14.
Reflecting on my performance now, it's a little bittersweet. I came out to race against one of the most competitive fields I have seen in my short pro career, finishing 9th behind names like Potts, Llanos, Colucci, Bell, Bozzone, Gambles, Lieto, and bested a huge number of others. I swam faster than I have, maybe ever, and ran solidly on a very tough course. The one part that irks me is that I am easily fitter than any other year, and didn't have the bike legs to match my split last year (2:18:52) in good conditions. I lost close to 4:30 on the bike this year, and I can't say where it went, although I know my form could have been a little better without being sick for two weeks beforehand. I really wanted to go sub 4:10, and my final time was well above last year's effort of 4:10:52. In the end, I was in the money against a very competitive field, I learned a ton, and had a good time at one of my favorite races. Next up, Ironman Florida 70.3 in Orlando in two weeks. Look for me to remedy the bike and get in the mix once more against some top pros.
Monday, April 20, 2009
1st Place Tri the Rim Triathlon
This weekend marked my second win in a row, but it wasn't the easy home victory I had hoped for when I decided to race the annual Tri the Rim sprint triathlon here in Durango back in February. Following my weekend in Montana, and subsequent road rally to be back in Durango for work on Monday, I felt a bit off. I pushed through a swim and run on Monday, but by the evening, I knew I was losing a battle to some kind of bug. The week of training was less than perfect with my energy mostly sapped from the cold, but I jumped in a 5k on Saturday to get some speed in and PR'ed with a 16:04. I would have liked to break 16, but given my coughing fits, I'll take it. That left only the triathlon on Sunday, so I awoke to the second beautiful day in row and headed up to the college to see how the body would hold up.
The swim was a bit chaotic, with 3 people circling in a lane, but I survived and led out with a small gap. As soon as I mounted the bike, I was pushing the lead out even further, coming into T2 after a bumpy, curvy ride with about 2:30 on the chasers. The run was a combination of trails and pavement around Fort Lewis, and I did my best to deal with the excess mucus and heavy legs. In the end, I won by a bit over 3 minutes, but the coughing spell that it brought on made me question whether the effort was in my best interest. I don't have an official time yet, but I think I came in just under 54 minutes, so I'm happy given the circumstances (we'll see if it qualifies for a new course record). The luxury of having my own bed pre-race isn't something I will experience again for quite a while, and I couldn't have asked for better spring weather. Race season is here in force!
The swim was a bit chaotic, with 3 people circling in a lane, but I survived and led out with a small gap. As soon as I mounted the bike, I was pushing the lead out even further, coming into T2 after a bumpy, curvy ride with about 2:30 on the chasers. The run was a combination of trails and pavement around Fort Lewis, and I did my best to deal with the excess mucus and heavy legs. In the end, I won by a bit over 3 minutes, but the coughing spell that it brought on made me question whether the effort was in my best interest. I don't have an official time yet, but I think I came in just under 54 minutes, so I'm happy given the circumstances (we'll see if it qualifies for a new course record). The luxury of having my own bed pre-race isn't something I will experience again for quite a while, and I couldn't have asked for better spring weather. Race season is here in force!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
1st Place Grizzly Triathlon
Every year I head north to race in the Montana World Championships, which is known to outsiders as the Grizzly Triathlon. I did my first triathlon in 2004 as a sophomore in college, racing against Matt Seeley and coming 2nd by about 19 seconds. Determined to be the all-time most winning triathlete at the event, I keep going back to defend my title, see friends, and recall my life when I lived in Missoula. This year was no different, and despite having heavy legs after my first big effort of the year in New Orleans, I hit the road with my sister helping drive. We were only able to spend a couple days in Big Sky country, but it was good to return. I spent the weekend at my coach's house, met with friends, ate good food, and raced to my 4th straight win in a time that beat last year's effort by a mere 2 seconds. Improvement is improvement, I say, and given the way my legs felt on the run, I was happy with the punchy effort. Almost immediately after collecting my 5th rock, I packed up the car and rallied back to Colorado. Thanks again to everyone for putting on a great race, sporting hilarious costumes, and to my sister for taking time off school and helping log a rediculous number of miles on my trusty car for the sake of racing for less than an hour.
Missoulian article: http://missoulian.com/articles/2009/04/12/sports/sports01.txt
Missoulian article: http://missoulian.com/articles/2009/04/12/sports/sports01.txt
5th Place Ironman New Orleans 70.3
Alright, y'all, here's the report from my trip down to the bayou. Sorry about the delay, but I've been on the road for a couple weeks now.
It started off with a quick drive back home to meet my parents and fly out of Grand Junction. Since they were doing their fist half, we planned on getting down there with plenty of time to adjust and get things set. We didn't plan on winds that essentially shut down the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, so we got in around midnight despite our best intentions. Friday was typical pre-race packet pick-up, course preview, and some sightseeing around the New Orleans/Baton Rouge area. We stayed with a good family friend who works as an ER doc in Baton Rouge, and he joined the crew as a participant in the triathlon. As always, having a local give the tour (especially with regard to Katrina related fallout) was far better than piecing a short vacation together by myself. After dropping bikes off on Saturday, we finished putting gear together and got to bed for an early morning.
Race day morning saw light rains, but temperatures in the low 70's. The water was cool enough to allow wetsuits, but close enough to the cutoff that I anticipated a toasty swim. The wind started to pick up right around our start, but the water remained calm. The course allowed for some strategy, with the option of following the shoreline or buoy line. I stayed closer to the center and chased feet, holding onto the lead pack through about 400m, but I lost contact shortly after. There wasn't much excuse, as the rest of the swim was pretty easy sitting on Chris McDonald, but swimming in triathlon at the highest level is about extending the amount of time you can hold on in the beginning until the pace comes down some, and I just lost contact after the initial effort. Up ahead, a group of three had established a little gap on the first chase group, and we ended up about two minutes down. The swim felt a touch long (as evidenced by times), but I took to chasing immediately and felt good finding my rhythm almost straight away out of T1. I passed Justin Park, gapped McDonald, and went around a few others before making contact with the main chase group at about mile 22. I could see that TJ Tollakson, Chris Lieto, Chris McCormack, and Brent Macmahon were all riding hard in front of the main pack, so after riding with the group, I decided that we needed to pick up the pace and minimize losses to the leaders before the run. I went around my group with about 16 or 17 miles left, and although the wind was mostly straight at us at that point, I looked back and saw that nobody had followed. As it turns out, Brandon Marsh was the only other person to make a move, so I was about a minute up on him and two minutes up on the other 7 guys into T2.
Normally I put socks on for a half-marathon, but I had a feeling that this race could end up being close between several athletes, so I opted for the fastest transition I could manage and hit the run course to extend the lead I had over the pursuers. I felt pretty good into the first 3 miles given the effort on the bike and the first half-iron of the year, catching TJ Tollakson without much trouble about 1.5 miles in. I only held 4th for a short time before Tim O'Donnell cruised past on his way to the fastest run of the day, but I got it back around mile 5.5 when I passed Chris Lieto. As usual, Chris was supportive, and he cheered me on to go catch McCormack, who was apparently fading. I kept on the gas through mile 9, seeing nobody on the long straights, and finally my legs began to refuse to continue at the same level. Combined with the aid stations being at 1.5 mile intervals instead of every mile and the rising temps, I started to melt a little. I fought hard down the last long straightaway, but didn't have the gas to match Luc Van Lierde when he came around me with about a mile left. I turned the corner into the heart of the French Quarter and a large crowd, taking a moment to enjoy my effort and the atmosphere.
Of course I would have liked to hold on to the 4th position, but I'm happy with the result for this early in the year, and it supports my decision to take a month and train in Tucson this winter. My time was good, breaking 4 hours with a 3:57:42, especially considering a long swim and possibly long run. Post-race was great, with a big seafood meal in the traditional Louisiana fashion, including alligator, various types of boudin, crawfish, shrimp, potatoes, and corn. We planned to get out on the water in our host's boat, but winds and cooler temperatures made it unappetizing. Maybe next year...
Saturday, April 4, 2009
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