It's the middle of December and I'm in my 8th week back of training since taking 2 weeks completely off. I ran the Cincinnati Turkey trot after only 3.5 weeks of easy training after the 2 weeks off and managed to run a 35:41 10k (5:46/mi) good for 50th overall. I've been getting in about 10-12 hrs/week of training the past 5 weeks and I'm taking this week a little easier. Swimming has been so-so thus far as I ended up taking almost 4 weeks away from the pool after only one swim during the week of the duathlon and then an extra week off with an ear infection after my 2 weeks off. I'm starting to get some speed back and working on technique and form quite a bit. I'm already starting to feel pretty good on the bike and have really been enjoying the computrainer. It'll be nice to have the computrainer from the beginning of the season this year so I can really dial in all of the training! I've got all of my target wattages and so far things are going well. As for running, I haven't really had too many structured workouts but overall I'm feeling good and looking forward to what's ahead.
As for next year, I am planning to race age group again and hold off on turning pro, for now. As far as races go, here is what I am thinking:
American Triple-T Ohio
Copper Creek Sprint Triathlon
Evergreen Lake Triathlon
Age Group Nationals
Chicago Triathlon
Hy-Vee Triathlon
Dallas US Open
I'm hoping to have something before triple-t, but not sure what yet. I might do a Rev 3 race as well and maybe a running race or two.
That's all for now. Looking forward to the next couple weeks, spending time with my family, girlfriend, and catching up with friends back home in Chicago. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone out there!
My yearly totals for swimming, biking, and running will follow soon!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
RJ Corman Duathlon and End of Season Recap
On October 13th, I competed in my final race of
the 2012 season, the RJ Corman Duathlon outside of Lexington, Kentucky. The
race consisted of a 5k run, 16 mile bike, and another 5k run. Living in
Louisville now, I was able to drive to the race the morning of with Amanda. We
got to the race site right around 6:30 when packet pickup was opening. I
grabbed my race bag, got body marked, and got everything set up in transition.
The actual transition area was probably the smallest transition area I’ve ever
seen for a race with less than 100 people racing the duathlon (there was also a
5k). With such a small field, the whole race morning was very low key and easy
going. After getting set up, I was able to take my bike out for a quick 15
minute warm up. It was a gorgeous morning, a little on the cool side, but
pretty much perfect weather for a duathlon. I headed over to the start area and
got in a short 5 minute run warm-up with a couple short pick-ups. It was a
pretty small field but there were two pros (Nick Waninger and Mike Hermanson)
and another guy, Jeff Buhr, who I met that morning but knew he would be right
there as well.
Pre-race ready to go!
Start of the race!
Run #1: 16:36 –
5:21/mi – 2nd OA
The race started and the three guys I mentioned took off at what
felt like a dead sprint (not literally, but faster than I wanted to get out). I
went with them for the most part, staying a little behind them, knowing that I
wasn’t going to hold a 4:30-4:45/mi pace for the whole 5k. I came through the
mile in 5:12 and was just a few seconds back from Jeff and about 10 seconds
back from Nick and Mike. I slowly closed the gap and ran with Jeff and Mike for
the next mile and half, and getting just ahead of them coming through the first
5k. Mile 2 was 5:23 and Mile 3 was 5:30.
Around 1 mile in
About 3 miles in
T1: 1:26 – 1st
OA – The funny thing about the race was that after we crossed the 5k mark,
we had to continue running another ¼ mile or so to get to the actual transition
area (so in a way it was the smallest yet longest transition area at the same time).
Finishing the first 5k
Transition run to the transition area
Bike: 38:25 – 24.99
mph – 1st OA
I got on the bike quickly and new I was going to have to get
to work and hopefully put some time on Nick, knowing that he can out run me. As
I was getting situated on the bike, I could see Nick not too far ahead of me. I
closed the gap over the first few miles and kept pushing the rest of the way.
The course was a nice mix of some up and down hills and an out and back on an
airplane landing strip. I could see Nick and Jeff toward the end of the bike
and wasn’t exactly sure how much time I had on them. I knew I needed to finish
the bike strong and have a good run to hold them off.
T2: 1:16 – 2nd OA – Nice quick
transition with the same run back to the where we started the race and the
official start of the second run.
Run #2: 16:56 –
5:28/mi – 2nd OA
I felt great at the start of the run. I was focused and in
the zone and started thinking I had a chance to hold off Nick and Jeff. I
stayed strong all the way to the finish and came away with the win!
About to cross the finish line!
Finish: 1:14:41 -
I was very pleased to get the win and end the season with a great race.
The 2012 season has been very
successful. It started off with a PR at the Miami Half Marathon in January running a 1:17:32. Then in March I raced the Draft Legal Challenge finishing a disappointing 16th place after getting knocked off my bike coming out of transition and having a rubbing front break the entire first lap of three laps. Then at the end of March I was fortunate enough to spend over a week out in Santa Barbara, California training with my teammates from Fast Forward Triathlon and finished the week with a local sprint tri finishing 4th overall after a long/hard week of training. At my first big race of the year I placed 7th at USAT collegiate
nationals (the top 6 were or are now all now racing professional). Other races included an overall
win at the 2nd race of the American Triple-T Ohio (unfortunately had
some mechanical issues during the 4th race, but was able to finish
out the weekend), 2nd overall at the Copper Creek Sprint Triathlon
(behind pro, Daniele Bretscher), an overall win at the Naperville Sprint
Triathlon (my hometown race), a 5th place finish at the 5150 Hy-Vee
Age Group Elite race in one of the most competitive age group Olympic distance
races in the country, and a win at the RJ Corman Duathlon.
A HUGE thanks to my family (mom,
sisters, brother in law, etc) and girlfriend for their continued support
throughout the season. And another HUGE thanks to all of my sponsors. I know I
say this a lot, but I truly would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for
them. Thank you to Alex McDonald, my coach with Fast Forward Triathlon, who
helped me have my most successful season yet. Thank you also to PowerBar for
keeping me fueled all season long. Nutrition is truly the fourth part of the
sport and having the nutrition to fuel before, during, and after makes all of
the difference. Thank you to Brooks for keeping my feet happy with some of the best running
shoes (The Ghost as my basic trainer, the PureFlow for tempo and track workouts, and T7 for racing, to name a few) and awesome gear to keep me cool in
the summer and warm in the winter. And thanks to Computrainer, one of the many
sponsors of FFT. This was my first season utilizing the Computrainer and I
absoluetly loved it. Having the computrainer, I was able to dial in my bike
training and take it to the next level. Most of the races I did this year, I had the
fastest or 2nd fastest bike split of the entire field, and I know
that is from the high quality workouts from FFT and having the Computrainer to
help push myself well beyond my comfort zone.
I’m currently in the middle of my
“mandatory 2 week rest” (coaches orders). I’m enjoying the time off, letting my
body and mind recover from a long season. I’m looking forward to starting
things back up soon and gearing up for an even better 2013 season. I’m still
figuring out what the plan is for 2013...more to come on that later.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
2012 Hy-Vee Triathlon: 5150 US Championships
This past weekend I competed in my 7th consecutive Hy-Vee Triathlon. This is hands down one of my favorite races out there. The race is very well put together and draws a ton of incredible competition from all over the country. There's some pretty nice prizes for the top 5 overall as well as Mini Cooper to the overall champion. I drove up to Chicago Friday with Amanda and then on Saturday we drove to Des Moines with my Mom and sister after we got in our pre-race workout.
Race morning rolled around. I had my usual banana, Cookies and Cream Powerbar, and cup of coffee for breakfast right after waking up at about 4:30. We headed to the race site and got everything set up in transition. Bikes had to be in the night before which always affects my normal warm-up routine as I usually prefer to spin out the legs in order to make sure they're ready to go for the bike during the race. Instead, I did a short run warm-up with a few short pickups. There was also no swim warm-up and the swim was wetsuit legal.
Swim: 20:12
The swim was OK. I had an OK starting position and got out alright. I was right there after the first buoy, and stuck on someone's feet for a while. At one point about 1/4th of the way in, the water got really shallow to the point where everyone was standing up and doing dolphin dives. I wasn't expecting that but made the best of it. After that, I slowly began to drop back as my shoulders got a little tight and had a little bit of GI discomfort. I ended up leading the 2nd group the rest of the way in.
T1: 1:28
Bike: 56:45
The bike went really well. I had the 2nd fastest bike averaging 26.2 mph behind the eventual winner, Dan Hedgecock. The course was a little technical during the early stages and then opened up a little more after about 5-10 miles in. At about mile 20, my chain actually dropped, but luckily I was able to get it back on without having to get off the bike. I felt really strong throughout the whole bike and moved up into 3rd place coming into T2. I knew I needed to be in that position coming into transition knowing that there were a lot of fast runners in the field.
T2: 0:49
Run: 35:58
The run was pretty decent. I came out of T2 in 3rd, with Dan Hedgecock and Adam Webber in front of me, and Drew Scott right behind me. Drew passed me right at the start of the run and I tried to hand with him as long as I could but didn't quite have the speed to do so. So at this point I was in 4th and knew I needed to run strong to hold on to a top 5 placing. I held onto 4th until about mile 4 when I got passed by Jake Rhyner. I kept plugging away and made it to the 5 mile mark. At this point, there was an out and back so you had a good chance to see where everyone was at. Once I made the turn of the out and back (about 5.5 miles into the run), I saw a fleet of guys coming for me and knew I had to pick it up if I was going to hold my 5th place spot. I made it to the steep hill right before the final turn to the finish line and was still holding 5th. I picked up one last time down the blue carpet and held onto 5th place!
Total: 1:55:10 - 5th place overall
Going into the race, my goal was to finish in the top 5. I thought it was a reasonable goal but knew it wasn't going to be easy given the deep field racing. A huge congrats to Dan for winning and the rest of the field for putting up some great results. Congrats to my fellow FFT teammates Brian Duffy and Jay McCurdy as well. Overall, I was really pleased with the result. I know there's room for improvement in the swim and run (and the bike too). As of now, I don't have any additional races planned but that's still up in the air. I also qualified to race as an Elite/Pro and am contemplating that as well.
A huge thanks to my coach, Alex McDonald, of Fast Forward Triathlon for providing me with high quality workouts that challenge me to become the best triathlete I can be. Thanks also to Brooks and Powerbar for your continued support in my triathlon endeavors. Having the right shoes, gear, and nutrition make the world of a difference. And thanks to the sponsors of FFT including Computrainer. I have been doing a majority of my riding on the computrainer and have learned to push well beyond my comfort zone, taking my biking to the next level!
Race morning rolled around. I had my usual banana, Cookies and Cream Powerbar, and cup of coffee for breakfast right after waking up at about 4:30. We headed to the race site and got everything set up in transition. Bikes had to be in the night before which always affects my normal warm-up routine as I usually prefer to spin out the legs in order to make sure they're ready to go for the bike during the race. Instead, I did a short run warm-up with a few short pickups. There was also no swim warm-up and the swim was wetsuit legal.
Swim: 20:12
The swim was OK. I had an OK starting position and got out alright. I was right there after the first buoy, and stuck on someone's feet for a while. At one point about 1/4th of the way in, the water got really shallow to the point where everyone was standing up and doing dolphin dives. I wasn't expecting that but made the best of it. After that, I slowly began to drop back as my shoulders got a little tight and had a little bit of GI discomfort. I ended up leading the 2nd group the rest of the way in.
T1: 1:28
Bike: 56:45
The bike went really well. I had the 2nd fastest bike averaging 26.2 mph behind the eventual winner, Dan Hedgecock. The course was a little technical during the early stages and then opened up a little more after about 5-10 miles in. At about mile 20, my chain actually dropped, but luckily I was able to get it back on without having to get off the bike. I felt really strong throughout the whole bike and moved up into 3rd place coming into T2. I knew I needed to be in that position coming into transition knowing that there were a lot of fast runners in the field.
T2: 0:49
Run: 35:58
The run was pretty decent. I came out of T2 in 3rd, with Dan Hedgecock and Adam Webber in front of me, and Drew Scott right behind me. Drew passed me right at the start of the run and I tried to hand with him as long as I could but didn't quite have the speed to do so. So at this point I was in 4th and knew I needed to run strong to hold on to a top 5 placing. I held onto 4th until about mile 4 when I got passed by Jake Rhyner. I kept plugging away and made it to the 5 mile mark. At this point, there was an out and back so you had a good chance to see where everyone was at. Once I made the turn of the out and back (about 5.5 miles into the run), I saw a fleet of guys coming for me and knew I had to pick it up if I was going to hold my 5th place spot. I made it to the steep hill right before the final turn to the finish line and was still holding 5th. I picked up one last time down the blue carpet and held onto 5th place!
Nearing the finish line!
Total: 1:55:10 - 5th place overall
Going into the race, my goal was to finish in the top 5. I thought it was a reasonable goal but knew it wasn't going to be easy given the deep field racing. A huge congrats to Dan for winning and the rest of the field for putting up some great results. Congrats to my fellow FFT teammates Brian Duffy and Jay McCurdy as well. Overall, I was really pleased with the result. I know there's room for improvement in the swim and run (and the bike too). As of now, I don't have any additional races planned but that's still up in the air. I also qualified to race as an Elite/Pro and am contemplating that as well.
A huge thanks to my coach, Alex McDonald, of Fast Forward Triathlon for providing me with high quality workouts that challenge me to become the best triathlete I can be. Thanks also to Brooks and Powerbar for your continued support in my triathlon endeavors. Having the right shoes, gear, and nutrition make the world of a difference. And thanks to the sponsors of FFT including Computrainer. I have been doing a majority of my riding on the computrainer and have learned to push well beyond my comfort zone, taking my biking to the next level!
Me and Amanda after the race
A huge thanks to my Mom and sister, Manda, for transporting us around, cheering us on, and helping out in anyway possible!
Manda, Me, and Mom
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Copper Creek Sprint Triathlon
This past weekend Amanda and I went to Des Moines for the Copper Creek Sprint Triathlon in Pleasant Hill, IA, just outside Des Moines. This is the 3rd time I have competed in this race, the first two times were in 2009 and 2010 where I finished 6th and 5th, respectively. This is a fun and challenging sprint race which also has a nice prize purse for the top 3 which brings out some good competition. We got in late Friday night to my sister's house in Des Moines. On Saturday we went to the race course and got in a short swim and bike and picked up our race packets which included a free pair of CEP compression socks!
Race morning rolled around, I had my usual banana, Cookies N Cream PowerBar, and cup of coffee, along with a few PowerBar Cola gel blasts about 30 minutes before the race started. I got in a good 15 min bike warm-up along with a short 5-10 minute swim warm-up prior to the race.
Swim: 9:35 - 4th OA
The swim was 750 meters and went very well. I got out well and had a person on both sides of me heading toward the first buoy. We rounded the first buoy and then I settled in right on the feet of the one of the guys in front of me. I was able to maintain that position through the whole swim and finished the swim with four others all within a few seconds of each other.
T1: 1:06 - I transitioned well and started the bike right with another guy in first place
Bike: 29:22 - 2nd OA
I went back a forth a couple of times in the first couple miles with eventual race winner Daniel Bretscher but a few miles in, he pulled ahead of me and I wasn't able to pull him back in. I didn't let him get too far ahead though and didn't get passed by anyone else, although there were a handful of guys not far behind.
T2: 0:26 - I entered T2 in 2nd place and headed out on the run
Run: 17:35 - 3rd OA
I knew Daniel was a great runner and also knew there was some good competition behind me. I could see Daniel most of the way and kept trying to close the gap between us but was unable to do so. At the turn-around I was able to see the other guys weren't too far behind. I kept pushing hard the final mile and a half and held onto 2nd place overall!
Finish: 58:04 - 2nd Overall!
Race morning rolled around, I had my usual banana, Cookies N Cream PowerBar, and cup of coffee, along with a few PowerBar Cola gel blasts about 30 minutes before the race started. I got in a good 15 min bike warm-up along with a short 5-10 minute swim warm-up prior to the race.
Swim: 9:35 - 4th OA
The swim was 750 meters and went very well. I got out well and had a person on both sides of me heading toward the first buoy. We rounded the first buoy and then I settled in right on the feet of the one of the guys in front of me. I was able to maintain that position through the whole swim and finished the swim with four others all within a few seconds of each other.
T1: 1:06 - I transitioned well and started the bike right with another guy in first place
Bike: 29:22 - 2nd OA
I went back a forth a couple of times in the first couple miles with eventual race winner Daniel Bretscher but a few miles in, he pulled ahead of me and I wasn't able to pull him back in. I didn't let him get too far ahead though and didn't get passed by anyone else, although there were a handful of guys not far behind.
T2: 0:26 - I entered T2 in 2nd place and headed out on the run
Run: 17:35 - 3rd OA
I knew Daniel was a great runner and also knew there was some good competition behind me. I could see Daniel most of the way and kept trying to close the gap between us but was unable to do so. At the turn-around I was able to see the other guys weren't too far behind. I kept pushing hard the final mile and a half and held onto 2nd place overall!
Finish: 58:04 - 2nd Overall!
Me, Daniel, and Patrick on the podium
Amanda got 2nd in her age-group
Me and Amanda after the race
Overall, a great race, a nice confidence booster heading into some tough training over the next month, and some good family time with my sister Rachel, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
American Triple-T Ohio Race Report
A few weekends ago I competed in my 4th American Triple-T Ohio which is comprised of 4 triathlon's over the course of 3 days. The race starts with a super sprint triathlon Friday night, 2 Olympic distance (run's are actually slightly longer at 6.55 miles) races on Saturday, and a half-ironman on Sunday. This was also my 3rd year in a row competing as a two person team with Adam Brown, a friend from back home. 2 years ago we won the team title and last year we were 2nd. We new the competition was going to be tough this year but figured we had a good chance at top 3. My girlfriend Amanda was also racing her first full triple-t Ohio and we were lucky enough to get a room at the lodge just minutes away from the transition area.
Race #1 - Friday Night - Super Sprint - The first race is really just a warm up for the rest of the weekend. It consists of a short 250 meter swim, 6k bike, and ~1 mile run (maybe a little shorter based on some of the "mile" times).
Swim (+T1) - 4:57
Bike (+T2) - 11:05
Run - 4:59
Total - 21:02 and 5th overall
Race #2 - Saturday Morning - Olympic #1 - The 2nd race went really well. I swam well, started off the bike strong going back and forth with a few people until I had to stop for probably about a minute going up this steep hill (Thompson hill) due to a rubbing front break. I literally stopped going up this hill, got off my bike and tried to pull the break pads off the wheel the best I could. That didn't stop me though from having a great race. I rode strong the rest of the way and caught back up to 3 guys that I had been riding with before having to stop on the hill right as we entered T2. I felt great on the run as I ran side-by-side with Jared Milam who ended up being the overall individual winner of the weekend. All of the races start in a time-trial fashion and I started a few minutes back from the first few guys. I crossed the finish line in 3rd but ended up with the overall fastest time with the time trial start.
Overall Time: 2:05:39
Unfortunately there are no splits for this race
Race #3 - Saturday Afternoon - Olympic #2 - The 2nd Olympic on Saturday is a unique race in that the order is switched from the traditional swim, bike, run. This race goes bike, swim, run and is the first team race in which those competing on a team are allowed to draft on the bike and must finish together. I felt real strong biking and ended up leading most of the bike. Most people take the time to put on a wetsuit as your legs are more susceptible to cramping coming off the bike and going into the water. The water felt great as the outside temp was pretty warm and I ended up swimming well. Adam was right behind me the whole swim and we made it through T2 and ran steady.
Bike - 1:08:18 - 7th OA
T1 - 1:16
Swim - 19:43 - 3rd OA
T2 - 1:29
Run - 46:01 - 15th OA
Finish - 2:16:49 - 7th OA
Race #4 - Sunday Morning - Half Ironman - Going into the final day, the team competition was pretty close. We were about 5 minutes down from the top guys and a little over 2 minutes back from the 2nd place team with a pretty solid cushion over 4th (~20ish minutes I think). The goal was to try and close in on 2nd and at least maintain 3rd place. The swim went well (was most likely short considering the split...). The bike is 2 laps and about 18 miles into the bike, my back tire blew out, which was literally the exact same place my tire blew out during my first triple-t 3 years prior. We ended up putting a tubular tire that Adam had with him on my clincher wheel and rode the next 9 or so miles into transition. When I got to transition, I got off my bike, ran to transition to grab my car keys, rode down to my car, switched out my wheels, and headed out on the 2nd lap. It took me about 20 miles to catch back up to Adam who decided to keep riding. We made it into T2 and Adam wasn't sure if he was going to run but we started the run. He ended up doing only one of two laps of the run and I finished out the 2nd lap on my own which made us ineligible for team rankings since we both didn't finish.
Swim - 22:39
T1 - 1:15
Bike (+T2) - 3:16:39 (tire blow out)
Run - 1:47:50
Finish - 5:28:24
Overall, it was a great weekend of racing with great people. I already booked a cabin for next year and will be back and ready for a great race!
I took a nice a week off after triple-t as a little mid-season break and am looking forward to picking things up and getting ready for the Hy-Vee Triathlon over the next few months.
Race #1 - Friday Night - Super Sprint - The first race is really just a warm up for the rest of the weekend. It consists of a short 250 meter swim, 6k bike, and ~1 mile run (maybe a little shorter based on some of the "mile" times).
Swim (+T1) - 4:57
Bike (+T2) - 11:05
Run - 4:59
Total - 21:02 and 5th overall
Finishing Race #1
Race #2 - Saturday Morning - Olympic #1 - The 2nd race went really well. I swam well, started off the bike strong going back and forth with a few people until I had to stop for probably about a minute going up this steep hill (Thompson hill) due to a rubbing front break. I literally stopped going up this hill, got off my bike and tried to pull the break pads off the wheel the best I could. That didn't stop me though from having a great race. I rode strong the rest of the way and caught back up to 3 guys that I had been riding with before having to stop on the hill right as we entered T2. I felt great on the run as I ran side-by-side with Jared Milam who ended up being the overall individual winner of the weekend. All of the races start in a time-trial fashion and I started a few minutes back from the first few guys. I crossed the finish line in 3rd but ended up with the overall fastest time with the time trial start.
Overall Time: 2:05:39
Unfortunately there are no splits for this race
Race #3 - Saturday Afternoon - Olympic #2 - The 2nd Olympic on Saturday is a unique race in that the order is switched from the traditional swim, bike, run. This race goes bike, swim, run and is the first team race in which those competing on a team are allowed to draft on the bike and must finish together. I felt real strong biking and ended up leading most of the bike. Most people take the time to put on a wetsuit as your legs are more susceptible to cramping coming off the bike and going into the water. The water felt great as the outside temp was pretty warm and I ended up swimming well. Adam was right behind me the whole swim and we made it through T2 and ran steady.
Bike - 1:08:18 - 7th OA
T1 - 1:16
Swim - 19:43 - 3rd OA
T2 - 1:29
Run - 46:01 - 15th OA
Finish - 2:16:49 - 7th OA
Race #4 - Sunday Morning - Half Ironman - Going into the final day, the team competition was pretty close. We were about 5 minutes down from the top guys and a little over 2 minutes back from the 2nd place team with a pretty solid cushion over 4th (~20ish minutes I think). The goal was to try and close in on 2nd and at least maintain 3rd place. The swim went well (was most likely short considering the split...). The bike is 2 laps and about 18 miles into the bike, my back tire blew out, which was literally the exact same place my tire blew out during my first triple-t 3 years prior. We ended up putting a tubular tire that Adam had with him on my clincher wheel and rode the next 9 or so miles into transition. When I got to transition, I got off my bike, ran to transition to grab my car keys, rode down to my car, switched out my wheels, and headed out on the 2nd lap. It took me about 20 miles to catch back up to Adam who decided to keep riding. We made it into T2 and Adam wasn't sure if he was going to run but we started the run. He ended up doing only one of two laps of the run and I finished out the 2nd lap on my own which made us ineligible for team rankings since we both didn't finish.
Me and Adam at the start of the swim for the Half Ironman
Swim - 22:39
T1 - 1:15
Bike (+T2) - 3:16:39 (tire blow out)
Run - 1:47:50
Finish - 5:28:24
Finishing up on Sunday
I took a nice a week off after triple-t as a little mid-season break and am looking forward to picking things up and getting ready for the Hy-Vee Triathlon over the next few months.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Collegiate Nationals 2012
This past weekend I competed in my 5th and final Collegiate Nationals. I traveled to Tuscaloosa on Thursday with the UD Tri Club and went to Olive Garden for dinner with the FSU Tri Team. On Friday I got up and had breakfast, made a quick Publix run, where I met James Haycraft and picked up my new pair of Shimano bike shoes thanks to Inside Out Sports, and then went down to the race site for our pre-race workout and packet pickup. My pre-race workout consisted of a 25 minute bike on the course, a 7 minute run, and a 10 min swim in the Black Warrior River with a few pickups in each discipline. We went back to the hotel and relaxed for a little bit and then went to the free pasta dinner on campus.
Going into the race, I did my standard three day carbohydrate load. With nationals on Saturday, I started my carbohydrate load on Wednesday and kept track of everything I ate over those three days with an app on my phone. At 175 pounds (79.5 kg) I was aiming for 635 (8g/kg) - 795 (10g/kg) grams of carbohydrate per day. On Wednesday I took in 770 grams, on Thursday I took in 677 grams, and on Friday I took in 784 grams.
Race morning came and the women started at 7:30 and the guys at 10:30. All week there was a possibility for rain but it ended up being pretty great weather (60's and overcast) for the race with no rain. It was fun to see the girls start and I was able to watch them a little bit while trying to stay off my feet and get ready for my race. At 9:15 I hopped on the trainer we set up at our tent so I could get in a bike warm-up before the race started. After that, I grabbed my wetsuit and headed down to the river to get in a short swim warm up before the race started.
The swim: 20:17 (1:15/100 yd) - The start of the swim on this course is usually pretty crazy as you have over 100 people crammed into a very small space holding onto a dock. Luckily this year it wasn't too bad and I got out pretty fast to avoid getting kicked and hit around. About 1/4 of the way into the swim, I got kicked on the wrist and my Garmin 310XT fell off my wrist. I would highly recommend NOT wearing your Garmin during the swim portion of a triathlon. I know of another guy this happened to and its just not worth losing a $300+ watch...after that I was pretty upset about having lost the watch, but just accepted it and moved on knowing there was nothing I could do about it. Overall, the swim went pretty well. I took advantage of a couple of drafts and think I swam pretty smart.
T1: 2:13
The Bike: 58:54 (25.3 mph) - As I mentioned before, I got new bike shoes the day before the race, and I am 100% positive that they helped me have the solid bike split that I did. I took the first mile to get situated and from there pretty much hammered the rest of the way. I took advantage of the downhills and tail winds and held my ground pretty well on the uphills (where I have struggled a little bit in the past). I finished with the 3rd fastest bike split behind my Fast Forward Triathlon (FFT) teammate Jay McCurdy who split a 58:44 and Karl Kahsar who had the top bike split of 58:37 (only 17 seconds ahead of me). I came into T2 in 5th place and had made up a lot of ground on the bike.
T2: 0:38
The Run: 35:50 (5:46/mi) - I came off the bike and felt pretty decent. Knowing that there was a lot of great runners behind me my goal was to maintain a solid pace and hold off as many guys as I could, knowing also that the guys in front of me are all great runners and it would be difficult to catch them. The first couple miles are pretty hilly and tough and my medial quads on both legs started to cramp during the first mile. I have had this happen before so I knew that the only thing to do was to push through it and hope that it subsides, which it usually does and it did. I got passed just after coming out of T2 by Ryan Bice (who had the top run split of the day) but otherwise, I did not get passed the rest of the run.
Finish: 1:57:49 - 7th Overall and 3rd Graduate. I was very pleased with another top 10 finish and finishing 7th overall especially considering how competitive and deep this field was. Every year I have competed in nationals I have placed better. Back in 2008 in Tuscaloosa I was 25th, then in Lubbock I was 21st in 2009, 18th in 2010, and last year back in Tuscaloosa I was 10th. The atmosphere at nationals is outstanding and has always been a favorite race of mine, for the competition and the camaraderie that comes with competing with and against your friends and fellow athletes, many of which you have the chance to meet and come close to over the years, makes collegiate nationals a truly unique and fun race/weekend.
Congrats to my fellow FFT teammates Jay McCurdy who finished 8th overall and who motivated me to have the great race that I did. Jay and I went back and forth on the bike multiple times and I knew he had the ability to run me down which motivated me to run that much faster. Congrats also to the girls, Hallie Blunck, Erika Erickson, and Kathrine "Moose" Warren on finishing 3rd, 6th, and 7th in the women's race.
Thanks to my Coach Alex McDonald of Fast Forward Triathlon for pushing me in the months leading up to the race. I am looking forward to building upon this race and having a great 2012 season.
Going into the race, I did my standard three day carbohydrate load. With nationals on Saturday, I started my carbohydrate load on Wednesday and kept track of everything I ate over those three days with an app on my phone. At 175 pounds (79.5 kg) I was aiming for 635 (8g/kg) - 795 (10g/kg) grams of carbohydrate per day. On Wednesday I took in 770 grams, on Thursday I took in 677 grams, and on Friday I took in 784 grams.
Race morning came and the women started at 7:30 and the guys at 10:30. All week there was a possibility for rain but it ended up being pretty great weather (60's and overcast) for the race with no rain. It was fun to see the girls start and I was able to watch them a little bit while trying to stay off my feet and get ready for my race. At 9:15 I hopped on the trainer we set up at our tent so I could get in a bike warm-up before the race started. After that, I grabbed my wetsuit and headed down to the river to get in a short swim warm up before the race started.
The swim: 20:17 (1:15/100 yd) - The start of the swim on this course is usually pretty crazy as you have over 100 people crammed into a very small space holding onto a dock. Luckily this year it wasn't too bad and I got out pretty fast to avoid getting kicked and hit around. About 1/4 of the way into the swim, I got kicked on the wrist and my Garmin 310XT fell off my wrist. I would highly recommend NOT wearing your Garmin during the swim portion of a triathlon. I know of another guy this happened to and its just not worth losing a $300+ watch...after that I was pretty upset about having lost the watch, but just accepted it and moved on knowing there was nothing I could do about it. Overall, the swim went pretty well. I took advantage of a couple of drafts and think I swam pretty smart.
T1: 2:13
The Bike: 58:54 (25.3 mph) - As I mentioned before, I got new bike shoes the day before the race, and I am 100% positive that they helped me have the solid bike split that I did. I took the first mile to get situated and from there pretty much hammered the rest of the way. I took advantage of the downhills and tail winds and held my ground pretty well on the uphills (where I have struggled a little bit in the past). I finished with the 3rd fastest bike split behind my Fast Forward Triathlon (FFT) teammate Jay McCurdy who split a 58:44 and Karl Kahsar who had the top bike split of 58:37 (only 17 seconds ahead of me). I came into T2 in 5th place and had made up a lot of ground on the bike.
T2: 0:38
The Run: 35:50 (5:46/mi) - I came off the bike and felt pretty decent. Knowing that there was a lot of great runners behind me my goal was to maintain a solid pace and hold off as many guys as I could, knowing also that the guys in front of me are all great runners and it would be difficult to catch them. The first couple miles are pretty hilly and tough and my medial quads on both legs started to cramp during the first mile. I have had this happen before so I knew that the only thing to do was to push through it and hope that it subsides, which it usually does and it did. I got passed just after coming out of T2 by Ryan Bice (who had the top run split of the day) but otherwise, I did not get passed the rest of the run.
Finish: 1:57:49 - 7th Overall and 3rd Graduate. I was very pleased with another top 10 finish and finishing 7th overall especially considering how competitive and deep this field was. Every year I have competed in nationals I have placed better. Back in 2008 in Tuscaloosa I was 25th, then in Lubbock I was 21st in 2009, 18th in 2010, and last year back in Tuscaloosa I was 10th. The atmosphere at nationals is outstanding and has always been a favorite race of mine, for the competition and the camaraderie that comes with competing with and against your friends and fellow athletes, many of which you have the chance to meet and come close to over the years, makes collegiate nationals a truly unique and fun race/weekend.
Congrats to my fellow FFT teammates Jay McCurdy who finished 8th overall and who motivated me to have the great race that I did. Jay and I went back and forth on the bike multiple times and I knew he had the ability to run me down which motivated me to run that much faster. Congrats also to the girls, Hallie Blunck, Erika Erickson, and Kathrine "Moose" Warren on finishing 3rd, 6th, and 7th in the women's race.
Thanks to my Coach Alex McDonald of Fast Forward Triathlon for pushing me in the months leading up to the race. I am looking forward to building upon this race and having a great 2012 season.
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