Race the River 2012

Before a triathlon race, it is always nice to do the swim course or a portion of it before race day.  In this case the day before was packet pickup so I was able to swim ~150 yards and the finish.  The swim finish is up a ramp onto a dock for this race so it was a good reminder of what I had to do when exiting the water.

I did this race two years ago and it was the first time I got on the podium for a triathlon.  I placed 3^rd and a guy named Brian Read placed 2^nd.  Brian was also doing the race again so I was able to chat with him while setting up our transition.    During the swim I had my eye on him because I knew he would probably be in the top five since I noticed he also raced this last year and did well.  As we started the swim I decided to draft behind Brian to conserve energy.   About 300 yards into the swim he started to slow down so I started to go around him then he picked up his speed again, I got behind him again.   Then at the half way point he slowed again so I went around him and took off.  I knew I needed to get out of the water near him or before him.  I ran up transition and heard cheers from my family, cool!!  I took my wetsuit off on the black mesh material pathway near the bikes since transition was on dirt.   I noticed at least one other bike was gone from someone who is in my age group!  Yikes!

2010 Swim: 14:48
2012 Swim: 13:09

2010 T1: 1:50

2012 T1: 1:12

Aero!

Got on the bike and I was off!  I red-lined the whole time.  I passed many other bikers since some get on the course before us and some after due to the wave starts.  The only person that passed me was Tim who is in a younger age group than me.  He said something as he passed but I couldn’t hear what he said.  I tried to stay as aero as possible and pedaled hard!  The course is three loops and it was GREAT to see and hear Rosi and the girls cheering for me each time I passed transition area.  I felt good on the bike and was happy to transition to the run.  There was one bike already racked (from my age group) so I knew there was someone in front of me. 

2010 Bike: 00:29:19
2012 Bike: 00:29:29

2010 T2: :50

2012 T2: :44

The hunter and the hunted

I saw two guys in front of me and within a mile I caught them both but unfortunately neither of them were in my age group.  I was pretty tired and started to warm up as the sun started do get warmer.   I felt good the first mile but then I started to feel fatigued.  I have always considered my run the strongest leg of a triathlon, but I wasn’t feeling it today.  I felt I should be running at 7:00 pace but at times I was running slower.  At about 1.5 miles in a guy from my age grouped passed me, darn!!  I couldn’t respond… I was in survival mode.  I was breathing hard, uncomfortable but I KEPT GOING!!   There are many turns (too many!) near the finish and I couldn’t wait.  I looked back and didn’t see anyone, but as I neared the last 150 yards I pushed as much as I can.  I didn’t notice but Brian (who beat me two years ago) was right on my tail.  I only beat him by 4 seconds!

2010 Run:  22:12
2012 Run:  22:27

2010 Finish Time: 1:09:00
2012 Finish Time: 1:07:01
 

3rd in my Age Group

I am so happy to be healthy enough to race triathlons and it was great to see so many friends and acquaintances out there on the course Tri-ing.  It is also great to have them competitors who give you motivation to push harder and go faster.  A big thanks to Rosi for taking pics and the kids for the huge cheers!

Best cheer team and photographer!!  Thank you!!

Snake River Triathlon

Tri-Fusion at the Snake River Triathlon in Lewiston

Race Date: 4/14 and 4/15

500 yard swim

I did the swim portion of this race in Spokane (OZ North).   I haven’t been swimming the last few months so I tried to cram in some swimming in the last two weeks.   I knew Emma Thompson (age 8) was going to be participating in the swim as part of a relay team so I was hoping to beat her time.  I heard she swims 500 yards in  8 minutes.   Even though this is a small race and the swim is the day before the bike/run I was a little nervous.  I got in the pool and just went for it!  I tried not to start off too fast and felt successful in that.  I ended up with a time of 7:55.  Emma swam it minutes before me in 7:35!  One thing that makes me feel a little better about this loss is that Emma swims the fastest 25 yard freestyle in her age group in the US! Great job Emma!

The next day the duathlon takes place in Lewiston.  I decided to run to my bike in some running shoes this year, two years ago when I did this race I ran in my bike shoes.  I considered running with my socks only but the asphalt was pretty rough.   I knew many of my competitors are faster swimmers so my strategy was to try and catch them on the bike.  Once I got on my bike and started pedaling my chain fell off!!  Nooooo!!!  I jumped off my bike and tried to slip the chain back on as people were passing me.  I noticed the chain was stuck between the sprocket and the frame at the bottom.   My heart rate spiked!!   I tried pulling on the chain to get it unstuck, it didn’t seem to budge.  Seconds seemed like minutes!  I put the chain on the sprocket on top and pedaled the bike with my hand, it seemed to catch!  My hand was had grease on and cuts on it from the struggle with the chain.  I jumped on my bike and took off! I started passing people.  I saw many familiar faces as I was riding.  At about mile 10 I saw Erika up ahead.  She was hauling so it took me quite a while to catch her.  There was one more rider that I could see with a Hammer jersey.  I wouldn’t be able to catch this person on the bike.  I finally got off my bike with no fancy transition (I gotta work on this!). 

I started the run and caught the Hammer jersey in a few hundred yards.    I knew I had to push on as two miles is a short distance and time is running out.  After the turn around I passed John and I could see Craig, Dave and Meghan in front of me.   Meghan had created a nice gap in front.  Dave and Craig were pretty close to each other so I ran behind them for a bit.   Once I passed Craig I paused behind Dave.   Just as I was going to pass him he seemed to pick up his pace, I ran behind him long enough to muster up enough energy for the pass.  I took off and knew I didn’t have enough distance to catch Meghan.  I crossed the finish line exhausted.

Even though I had bike chain issues at the beginning of the bike I tried not to let it affect the rest of my race.   I am glad I did.   I ended up taking first in my age group (first time ever!) and placing 6^th overall not counting teams.  It was fun cheering for the other competitors and to hang out with all the Tri-Fusion folks!
A big thanks to Rosi and the kids for cheering me on for the swim and supporting me in this crazy triathlon addiction! :-)

Swim + run to bike: 7:58
Bike+ T2: 33:51 / Pace 21.27mph
Run: 12:53 / Pace 6:26
Total Time: 54:41

Thanks to Dave Erickson and Melissa Skelton for this video:

2011 Bike/Run/Swim Totals

My goals for 2011 included CDA Ironman, healing up my plantar fasciitis, to swim more efficiently and faster and have a good nutrition plan for IM.  My 2011 season went FAR beyond what I imagined it would.

Ironman CDA (11:06) went GREAT!!  A day I will remember FOREVER!!!

I PR'ed my 5K (19:32)

I PR'ed my Half Marathon (1:29:17)

and finally I PR'ed my Marathon (3:12:53) and qualified for Boston at the same time. I am so grateful to have the health and opportunities that I had this year!

Bike   
199h 17m 05s  - 3372.63 Mi
Pace: 17.34 Mi/hr

Run
148h 23m 02s  - 1094.55 Mi
Pace:  08m 07s Mi

Swim
88h 23m 59s  - 233391 Yd (132.608 Mi)
Pace: 02m 07s /100 Yd

Strength:    14h 22m
Cross-Country Skiing:    1h 00m
Snowshoeing:    4h 00m

17 things that triathlon has taught me about life

I nabbed this from Triathlete Mag.... 

17 things that triathlon has taught me about life - By J.

1. There are good days and there are bad days and sometimes you can't tell the difference until you start.
2. Contrary to popular belief, sleep is not overrated. Not in the slightest.

Race the River 2010

3. Don't forget to breathe.
4. Just because it's raining doesn't mean you should cry.
5. Nobody ever said it was easy.
6. Pain is temporary. Pride lasts a lifetime. Sometimes even two.
7. Create a plan and stick to it. It may not always work, but if you stay focused and relaxed, it'll all end up just fine.
8. You've got to try. No matter what happens, in the end you'll have bigger regrets from not ever trying.
9. Strength and courage blossom from the sands of adversity.
10. Sometimes it's the little things that make the big differences.
11. Getting to the starting line is usually a lot harder than getting to the finish.
12. Listen to your body and listen to your mind. And make sure you know when they're lying to you.
13. You can't change the past and you won't alter the future. Enjoy right now, right now.
14. Smile. It does a body good.
15. Be supportive of others. We're all in this together.
16. It's OK to cry.
17. Don't forget to eat. Especially breakfast -- that's a really important one.

Hayden Triathlon Race Report

Just the numbers

Race Date: 7/16/2011

.5 mile swim: 15:36  pace 1:56/100 yards

12 mile bike: 31:51  pace  22.61 mph

3.1 mile run: 20:47  pace   6:42 min/mile

Finish Time: 1:10:26

3rd Place Age Group

Pre-Race Thoughts

I decided to race the Hayden Lake Tri at the last minute.   I considered doing the Tiger Tri, but the drive to Colville and the additional cost for the registration lead me to the Hayden Tri.  This race was STACKED.   I say this for a couple of reasons.  First, Brian Hadley, a local professional triathlete who placed fourth overall at the CDA Ironman, was racing and so was Derek Garcia who is another local athlete/Kona qualifier.   I was actually looking forward to see Hadley and Garcia go at it.  In my age group Ken Collins (team mate) was racing, he did 4 Ironman races last year alone, wow!  Additionally, while I was getting my stuff ready in transition, I noticed A LOT of Ironman tattoos on the back of calves and a lot of IM CDA finisher hats on both men and women.   This was a small town triathlon with big city talent! :-)

Tri-fusion team mates from left: Dave, Jeremy, Natalie, Russ, Amy and Rene

The Swim

I could barely hear the countdown and the horn went off kind of sudden.    This swim was in Hayden Lake,  a half mile clock wise loop.  In my wave were males 25-40 (I believe). I ran and dived in and started swimming away.  I got kicked on the right side of the head then on the left!  What??!!  My left goggle moved and a little water got in.  I kept swimming to see if I would have to stop and drain it or I would be able to continue swimming.  It seemed to be OK so I continued.  After about a hundred yards we dispersed a bit and I was able to swim comfortably.  I tried to draft, but the guy in front of me was swimming too slow.  I moved ahead and multiple times I was bumping into people on the left and right.   As I was getting closer to the beach I noticed I over shot (swimming more yards) and had to angle myself to get back on course.  I got to the beach and as I started running I was falling over to the right and losing my balance.  I quickly gained my composure and started to run toward transition.  I saw Melissa with her video camera and gave her a thumb up as I passed.

The Bike

I knew I lost some time in the swim, but didn’t know how much.   As I was leaving transition I couldn’t get my peddles clipped on!  I tried about 3 times and finally was ready to go.  Once I turned on to Government way I noticed a pretty good head wind going on.  I tried to stay as aero as possible and kept my cadence up. My heart was pounding and I was breathing real heavy.  The head wind lasted to mile six, then on the way back we were flying!    Before the turn around I could see that Ken Collins was way ahead of me and I also saw Dave Erickson.  I was passing people the whole time then there was one fellow who was passing back and forth near the end.  We both reached transition at the same time.  I skidded in, jumped off my bike and did what I needed to.  

The Run

My legs felt good and I felt great coming out of the gate!  I looked at my Garmin and I was going faster than I wanted to.  I slowed myself down and was cruising.  There weren’t many people in front of me except Dave.  I saw him turn around a few times to see who was behind him and how fast they were coming.  I think I caught him somewhere around mile one.    After I passed him I didn’t see ANY other racers in front of me the rest of the race.  Once I turned the corner on Honeysuckle Ave I sprinted as fast as I could to the finish line. Surprisingly I thew my arms up at the finish, maybe because I still had that Ironman finish engrained in my head?

The crowd was great and were cheering along the last stretch and finish line.   Lots of energy near the finish.   I picked up a water and went over to cheer my team mates on.  Natalie and Amy were still on the course.  Natalie came around the corner with about four or five people within striking distance, I yelled “Catch him Natalie!! Goooooo!!” as the rest of the folks cheered.  She picked up her pace and passed them all. Amy came around the corner a little later with a big smile on her face (I was standing with her sister and husband Jeff).  I grabbed her water bottle so she could finish the race without carrying it.  She picked up her pace and finished strong.  It was Amy’s first triathlon and I was happy to see she had a great experience.

The Finish

Third place in age group

Dave Erickson interviewed a few of us triathletes after the race, I was babbling about being kicked in the swim.  :-)  I am also in the race footage they took. The footage shows me approaching T1 after the swim, coming off the bike and my run finish.  Thanks Dave and Melissa from SwimBikeRunVideos.com for the footage!

First Month of Ironman Training

My first month of Ironman training is down the hatch. Here are my stats:

January 2011 Totals:
Bike:	16h 29m  - 286.03 Mi
Run:	8h 15m 25s  - 57.05 Mi
Swim:	15h 43m  - 36150 Yd
Strength:	6h 05m
Cross-Country Skiing:	1h 00m

 ...and comparing to last year

January 2010 Totals:
Bike:	7h 37m - 127.74 M
Run:	9h 30m 35s - 69.20 Mi
Swim:	11h 40m - 22150.00 Yd

I still have plantar fasciitis which is affecting my running. I have been doing lots of stretching, icing and exercises, but I still have soreness and tenderness when running more than 3 or 4 miles.  I am getting more and more concerned.  I was hoping to do a couple of races like the Frost Bite (last month), Partners in Pain and Snake River HM, but the way things are looking I will probably have to pass on those.

As far as training is concerned, I am certainly training differently than I was for Troika (half iron distance) last year.  For Ironman, I am actually following a training plan.  I decided to skip masters swim in January and February, I am not sure if/when I will go back to masters.  I am swimming solo at the gym and I have been happy with my workouts there and the flexibility that comes with that. 

Additionally I have learned a lot about Ironman training and about myself.  A few observations that come to mind not in any particular order:
1. Training is on your mind ALL the time.
2. January is a significant date for us folks training to do Ironman CDA .  It seems the clock starts ticking at this point.  If you don't start training, you are falling behind!
3. I shower more at gyms than I do at home!
4. It has been COLD here in Spokane, hence most of my training is done indoors on the bike trainer or the treadmill.
5. Last weekend I rode 2:45 on the bike trainer, the longest I have ever done.  This weekend my plan calls for 3 hours...ouch!
6. While on the bike trainer, watching something on TV makes ALL the difference.
7. Triathlon can be expensive: bike, cat eye for bike, wet suit, wheels (hopefully), new shoes etc.
8.  Family support and flexibility is crucial.  A BIG thanks to my wife for taking on more responsibility when needed!
9. One of my goals while training is to think about the race more.  While riding, I need to envision the race.  The same for running and swimming.

My swim is my limiter and I really want to improve on it.   Yesterday my plan called for a 2500 yard swim, no warm up or cool down.  I was a bit nervous about this swim.  I even considered doing a different swim, but I figured it would be a good time to see where I am at.  I swam a nice comfortable pace and tried to glide as much as I could.  When gliding I have to hold my breath longer and keep my chest/head further in the water. In the end I was real happy to have completed this swim in 38m 26sec which is at a pace of 1m 32s /100 yards.  February is off to a great start!  Happy Training!