Naperville Sprint Triathlon

The Naperville Sprint triathlon was just one week after Steelhead so I took the week pretty easy leading up to it. It's always fun to do this race! This was my first triathlon ever 5 years ago. Race morning rolled around and I got into downtown Naperville. I decided to hop on my bike and warm up a little bit before headint to transition. I got checked in and set up, went for a short run, got my swim stuff and headed to the water. I was unsure weather to wear my speedsuit or not but after a short warm-up without it, I decided to wear it (my jersey has a lot of drag in the water). The race has a time trial start with 4 athletes going every few seconds. I started in the 2nd group in hopes of avoiding as much traffic as possible.

I came out of the water in 3rd place overall (and had the 3rd fastest swim). I transitioned to the bike and was in 2nd place. A mile or 2 into the bike I took over the lead and was pushing hard knowing that there was some good competition behind me. The bike is a 2 loop course and at the start of the 2nd loop there are a lot more racers on the course starting their first lap. I got passed about this time but made sure not to let Jason (the guy who passed me) get too far ahead. I kept him in sight the rest of the way and passed him with less than a half mile left in the bike.

Coming down Aurora Ave on the bike (Picture by Brandon Gittlemen)

In T2 I turned down the wrong aisle and couldn't figure out where my stuff was! Always make sure you know where your going in transition! Me and Jason came out of T2 at exactly the same time and unlike last year at this race, my running legs felt good! We battled it out the entire way and with about 100m to go I pulled away and crossed the line in first! At this point I was estatic but still not totally sure if I had won since everyone starts at a different time and I knew there were a couple of really good guys behind me including fellow PowerBar athlete Ryan Guilano.

Me and Jason on the run...stride for stride the entire run!

A little while later they posted the results and it was official! I was so happy! The race couldn't really have gone any better. My finishing time was 56:37, about 15 seconds faster than last year and apparently the swim was a little long....My swim time was 5:55 (3rd OA), bike time was 30:57 (2nd OA, 26.5 mph), and my run time was 16:50 (4th OA).

Next up is age group nationals! This will be the first time I am doing this race and very excited about it! Training was a little down for a few weeks after Naperville as I was getting ready to move down to Florida to start Grad school at Florida State University. Between packing things up to leave, driving down, and looking for a place to live training was a little difficult. Things are back on track now though and I have my own appartment here in Tallahassee and have started training with the FSU triathlon club!

My new appartment in Tallahassee!!

Evergreen Lake and Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon Race Report

It has been a little while since I've posted and I have a few races to catch up on so here it goes...

Evergreen Lake Triathlon

I competed in the Evergreen Lake Triathlon in Bloomington, Illinois, an Olympic distance triathlon on July 16. Overall the race didn't go quite as planned. The swim was OK but the 82 degree water really got the best of me and I couldn't really get going and my shoulders were pretty tired most of the way. The bike was the only positive part of the race. I felt really strong and kept a solid pace throughout the slightly longer than normal 42K bike course (normally 40k for Olympic Distance races). I got to try out the new Ironman Perform drink by Powerbar (I went with the Orange-Mango flavor and loved it!). I made the transition to the run and wasn't too sure how my legs were going to respond after an aggressive bike leg. The temperature was warming up and soon after starting the run I knew it was going to be a long, slow run. I kept going the best I could and tried to increase my pace every once in while but my legs just did not respond well. I finished the 10k in 42:21, almost 7 minutes slower than last year on the same course which was pretty dissapointing but most of the run times were unusually slow. My overall time was 2:10:09 which put me at 13th place overall.

Before the start of the race (In my Xterra Speedsuit)

I was originally hit with a position/drafting penalty of some sort (which I didn't find out until the next day when the results were posted online...after some investigation and contacting USAT, the penalty was revoked...lesson's learned, 1. always check the results while at the race and 2. always follow up and stick with what you know is right). I was ready to move on from this race and focus on my next race, Steelhead 70.3 Half-Ironman 2 weeks later!

Steelhead 70.3 Half-Ironman

After a not-so-great race at Evergreen, I was really hoping to race well at Steelhead, a Half-Ironman in Benton Harbor, MI on July 31st. I headed up the night before the race to pick up my packet and got dinner with Amanda and her dad and aunt. The restuarant had a pasta bar set up (as they have a high demand from all of the triathletes eating out and wanting pasta the night before the race) which worked out really well!

Race morning rolled around and it was a wet, cool, soggy morning, not quite what I was hoping for but Amanda and I rode over to the transition area from the hotel and we got all our stuff set up. My wave wasnt scheduled to go off until 7:54 although we had to be out of the transition area at 7 (when the Pro's went off) so I had a little time to kill and try and stay warm before I had to to walk down to the swim start (a mile away...the swim is a point-to-point 1.2 mile swim with the current).

I did a short swim warm up and headed to the start. The water temp was pretty perfect at about 70 degrees or so (maybe a little less). Anyway, I felt great in the water! I had a nice long, strong stroke going the whole way. I lost the top couple guys after the first few hundred meters but then this one guy with the same colored cap passed me so I decided to stick with him; and that I did the rest of the way. I came out of the water confident and feeling good (minus the tough uphill run on the uneven sand from the water to the TA) and ready to start the 56 mile bike!

Coming out of the water, heading into T1

I got going right away and was feeling great from the get-go! The rain had let up but the temperature stayed cooler. I plugged away the entire time and ended up biking a 2:17:00 (24.5 mph average) which I was really happy about! At the very end of the bike I started cramping a little bit and was really nervous that it was going to affect my run...luckily there was no sign of cramping as I started the run otherwise it could have been a long, slow 13.1 miles. I felt strong running and averaged about 6:30's the first 4 miles or so. I slowed up a little bit but maintained a solid pace throughout. I ended up running a 1:29:13 half-marathon (6:48 average) which I was very pleased with. My finishing time was 4:16:00.

I really wasnt sure where I was amongst the other guys in my age group and you can never really know how your doing overall (as everyone is starting at a different time) but I was very happy with how I did. Unfortunely I missed qualifying for Clearwater by 53 seconds (2 spots in my age group, I was 3rd).

Me and Amanda after the race!!

After I got done I waited for Amanda to finish (she did extremely well...way to go Amanda!). We went down to the water to soak our tired legs, got some food (and POP...haha :) and enjoyed the rest of the day and evening in Benton Harbor! My mom along with Mr. Bachman and Amanda's Aunt were there to cheer us on...it's always nice to have some family at the race to cheer us on!

Me and Amanda after the Awards Ceromony

Copper Creek Sprint Triathlon and Hy-Vee Triathlon Race Reports

On June 6th I competed in the Copper Creek Triathlon in Pleasant Hill, IA (Just east of Des Moines). The race is a sprint triathlon but offers nearly $5,000 in prize money so there is definitely some good competition that comes out to race. The race overall went really well. The swim was wetsuit legal at 75 degrees so I went ahead and wore my full-sleeve Vector ProX2 from Xterra and I came out of the water in 4th or 5th. The bike was OK. Legs didn't feel great but I came in on the bike in 6th place. Heading out on the run I was feeling good and was going to give it my all to see if I could crack into the top 3. I quickly moved into 5th and moved into 4th about a mile in of the 5k run. I got passed by Jason Maurice, who I had previously passed to get into 4th and had gone back and forth with on the bike. I hung with him hoping that we could work together to finish strong, and that we did as it came down to a sprint finish. He out kicked me finishing 4th and I finished 5th.

Practice swim the day before the race in my Xterra Vector ProX2!

My sister, brother-in-law, and niece live in Des Moines, so I was able to stay all week with them, help them out with Ava and get some open water swims at Raccoon River Park where the Hy-Vee Triathlon is. The new PowerBar Team Elite gear was finally available and I was able to have it overnighted in time for the race (pictures below!).

My niece, Ava, trying to eat a PowerBar....too cute!

This was the 4th year that I have done the Hy-Vee Triathlon. Race morning rolled around and about 45 minutes before the start, it was announced that the race was going to be a sprint triathlon due to a strong storm that was expected to move in. At that point I was definitely disappointed as I had planned on competing an Olympic Distance race but I quickly got over that and made sure I did everything I needed to do get me ready for this race. The race was wetsuit legal but with it being a supposedly 400 meter swim, I decided against using a wetsuit in hopes of gaining some time in transition; I went back and forth multiple times about what to do...it was a coin flip decision.

The swim started with a time trial start. The swim was OK. I'm pretty sure it was longer that 400 meters and maybe should have worn my wetsuit; oh well. The bike felt good, unlike last week where I just couldn't really get going. The run also felt pretty solid. I ended up running a 16:57 5k which I was really happy about and finished 8th place overall behind some really good competition!

Sporting the new PowerBar Team Elite Gear before the start of the Race

Manda, Me, Rachel, and Mom after the race

Me with Aaron Shiedes and his guide. Aaron has only 20% of his vision and finished right behind me during the race. Great guys!

After the race I got a free massage and ended up helping out at the PowerBar table/tent with Steve Rosinski, a fellow team elite member, when the storms finally rolled through. After the storms cleared up, we were able to enjoy the rest of the day, getting a bunch of free SWAG (stuff we all get) from all of the sponsors that are giving stuff away and were able to watch the women's and mens Elite races. Emma Snowsill won the womens race after an impressive run and Tim Don won the Men's race also after an impressive run.

All of the SWAG from the race: One of the great things about the Hy-Vee Triathlon!

The Pro's riding through Hy-Vee Stadium

Currently I have a nice 4 week break until my next race, the Evergreen Lake Triathlon in Bloomington, IL. I have already gotten in some good quality workouts including a solid 72 mile ride with some good tempo work where I tried out the new PowerBar Ironman Perform drink, a 14.5 mile hot and hilly run both down in Cincinnati, along with a great swim workout just this morning. Hopefully these next few weeks continue to go well so I can race strong at Evergreen and carry that into the rest of my races planned in 2010!

American Triple-T Race Report

Our Awesome Cabin Before the Half-Ironman On Sunday!

Last weekend I competed in the American Triple-T, a race that consists of 4 races in 3 days; a Super-sprint Friday evening, 2 Olympics on Saturday (Morning and Afternoon), and a Half Ironman on Sunday. The total distance of the races equals roughly an Ironman. The courses are all very challenging with a lot of hills on the different bike courses and the same out and back rocky trail for the run course. The race is held in Portsmouth, Ohio in southeast Ohio.

The race can be done with a teammate where drafting is allowed on the bike during the 3rd and 4th races. I teamed up with Adam Brown and we ended up taking 1st place overall in the team division.

The first race went well and I finished 4th place overall. This race consists of a 250 meter swim, 5 mile (or less) bike, and 1 mile run; just enough to get the legs ready for a fun weekend ahead. I was lucky enough to stay in one of the cabins right in the park just a mile or so away from the entire race site with a bunch of great people!

The second race went really well and I finished 4th place overall in that race as well. Our cabin took 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th overall which was a major accomplishment! Between races we went back up to the cabin and took a nice 1.5 hour nap. Race 3 was the first "team" race with a slightly different order than the typical swim-bike-run. This Olympic distance race started with the bike then goes to the swim and then finally the run. Me and Adam raced well taking the whole thing nice and conservative and finished 5th overall.

Adam and Me getting our recovery on Saturday night before the Half Ironman!

Sunday rolled around and Adam and I had a pretty good lead going in so the goal was to keep things nice and steady to make sure we could finish the run strong and steady. We finished 7th and 8th overall for the Half Ironman and took home the team title!

HFP racing does a fantastic job of putting on this weekend of races. There is great food after all of the races and everything is very well organized. This "race" is unlike any other in the country and is definitely a very unique, challenging, and fun race experience with great camaraderie. I would definitely recommend it to anybody looking for a challenge!

Thanks to PowerBar for keeping me fueled over the entire weekend. PowerBar Endurance Formula kept me fueled on the bike, PowerBar Recovery Formula helped me make sure my muscles recovered quickly after each race, and the PowerBar Smoothie Bars, energy bites, and gels kept me fueled before and during the races!

Thanks to Xterra Wetsuits as well. This was the first race I was able to use my Vector Pro X2 Wetsuit and it was great!

At the Awards Ceremony: After 140 miles of racing, were all still standing and smiling!

One week until the Copper Creek Triathlon in Des Moines, IA and 2 Weeks until the big Hy-Vee Triathlon also in Des Moines, IA! Very excited for both of these races. Race updates to follow after each!

Happy Memorial Day to everyone. Thanks to all of those that serve in our military and keep our country safe!

April 30th: A Day of Remembrance

It is amazing how fast time flies. As I write this, I am trying to finish up my last project of my undergraduate career at the University of Dayton. Today, however, marks the 4 year anniversary of the day my dad died. As some of you may know and others of you may not, my dad suffered from alcholism and struggled with it for many years. This is the reason why to this day I do not drink, and never have, as I know I possess those same addictive qualites that he once did; this is one of the major reasons why I love the sport of Triathlon as well, because I can transfer those qualities into a sport that I have come to deeply love and become quite competitive at. It is those qualites that have helped me become the triathlete that I am today and will continue to carry me into the future.

I wish he was still here to see me compete and to be here this weekend to see me graduate. He was always so proud of everything I did, as well as my 2 older sisters, and I know he would be very proud of me this weekend for graduation and for my all of my successes in triathlon thus far.

Today is about remembering my dad. All of the good times that we had together; going to baseball games, going to baseball card shows, watching our cleveland sports, going to cedar point, and so many other things. It makes me sad to think back to four years ago when he passed away the day before my sister's college graduation and how he won't be there for mine. However, I know he will be there in spirit.

My mom and sisters, brother-in-law, and niece are coming into town today for my graduation weekend. It will be good to all be together on this day, something that has not happened since four years ago.

I just want to end with a few words: You never know when you might lose a loved one so make sure you tell those people in your life how much you love them and how much they mean to you and enjoy the time you get to spend together, even when they may get on your nerves, because once they're gone you will miss them more that ever. Do it today for me, in remembrance of my dad, but do it everyday or everytime you talk to someone special in your life; life's too short not too.

Dad, I love you and miss you each and every day...forever you will be remembered and in my heart

PowerBar Team Elite and Collegiate Nationals Recap

It's been a while but I'm back and hopefully will be making updates on a more regular basis. Training over the winter went well. I competed in two indoor triathlons at UD and Ohio State and took first place in both of those races. About a month ago I found out that I made the PowerBar Team Elite! I am very excited to represent PowerBar and their great line of sports nutrition products. They are and have been one of the leading sports nutrition companies for the past few decades and I feel very fortunate to have their support as I go forward in my triathlon pursuits. I just got my first order of product a few weeks ago and was excited to have a great supply of products, both ones that I have tried and other new products that I had not tried yet.

This past weekend I traveled to Lubbock, Texas for the 2010 Collegiate Triathlon Championships with the UD Triathlon Club. We left Wednesday morning and arrived in Lubbock Thursday afternoon after we stopped in Witchita Falls, Texas Wednesday night for a quick night's sleep. When we got into Lubbock on Wednesday it was raining and it would continue to rain almost non-stop until Friday night before the race. A few us went for a short run in the rain Thursday afternoon to shake out the legs after the long drive. Thursday night we had an "Ohio Dinner" with all of the collegiate triathlon clubs from Ohio. A lot of us have gotten to know each other over the past few years so it's fun hanging out and socializing with each other over dinner.

Friday rolled around and sure enough it was raining. We had a quick team meeting and headed to the race site, Buffalo Springs Lake, to get in the water and check out the course. It decided to start pouring right we got there, along with being windy and about 50 degrees. I got my temporary new Vortex 3 Wetsuit on (will be getting the Vector Pro X2 by Xterra very soon) and got in the water for a nice 1000 yard or so swim, checked out the transition area layout and got back in the car so we could drive the bike course.

Getting blown by the wind and rain after our short swim the day before the race in my Xterra Vortex 3 Wetsuit

We got back to the hotel and I decided to hop on the trainer instead of going out in the cold rain. After that I went to the pre-race captains meeting and rules briefing and then we went to the Texas Tech Rec Center for a free pre-race pasta party. Dinner was good and a bunch of teams came dressed up in all sorts of different costumes as there is a spirit award given out during the awards ceremony after the race on Saturday. We through in a little UD chant as well. After dinner we made a quick walmart run and got our stuff ready for the race.

Saturday was race day and the rain had finally let up. The race didn't start until 9:00 which gave us a little extra time than some races to "sleep in". We got up a little before 6 and got to the race site. The swim ended up getting cut in "half" (more like 1/3 or about 500 meters) due to the weather conditions and cold water temp (54 degrees, although last year it was 53 degrees and it felt A LOT colder last year). I got in a few strokes before the start of the race and it really wasn't too cold. I finished the swim in 6:28 with the 26th fastest swim. I headed out on the bike which is a very challenging course, especially with 20+ mph winds and 30+ mph gusts! I finished the bike in 1:07:45 which was good enough for 28th overall on the bike. At the end of the bike I started cramping up and new that it was going to carry over into the run. I started the run and started to cramp up. Within a half mile my legs were on fire and I was literally hobbling at one point and forced to a slow jog for about a half mile. The pain subsided and I was able to pick up the pace a little bit, but had to keep it under control to make sure the cramping didn't return. The run was a 2 loop 5k course so I was able to see where I was after the first lap; I was about 12th with a few guys in front of me. I kept pushing away and was finally able to pick up the pace in the last 1.5 miles and finish strong coming across the line in the top 10, although I finished 18th overall and 14th of the undergraduates. Run times were slow and someone had a GPS on the run and it was apparently 6.5 miles. My run time was 39:17 which was good for 25th overall in the run.

We all enjoyed the rest of the day after the race including the MWCTC (Midwest Collegiate Triathlon Conference) awards ceremony which I took home the award for top Male triathlete. Additionally, UD took home the awards for 1st place female team, 2nd place male team, and 2nd place team overall.

Overall I was pretty happy with the race. I was really hoping to be in the top 10 but am OK with 18th especially considering the cramping on the run. I know I have a lot of work to do to get to where I want to be. This was my first big race of the year and I know that things will only go up from here. Next up the race schedule is the American Triple-T, which is 4 races in 3 days, which I will be doing with Adam Brown. I know we both have high goals for this race which is now only a month away.

A few other things going on: I graduate now in less than 2 weeks (May 2nd). I cannot believe how fast time flies and how quickly these last 4 years have gone. This fall there is a good chance that I will be at Florida State for my masters in Sports Nutrition which I have already been accepted into.

Best of the US Triathlon

Well I am finally going to start tracking my races using this Blog. I have thought about it for a while but figure it will be a good way for others to read about what is going on with me, particularly with my races.

This past weekend I was in California for the Best of the US Triathlon; an amateur triathlon competition consisting of one male and one female from every state in the US. Friday after classes I headed up to Columbus to fly out of the Columbus Airport. I was flying Southwest with stops in Nashville, Denver, and finally Santa Anna California. At the Columbus Airport, I lucked out not having to pay the $50 dollar fee for my bike (it came in at 49.5 pounds and the lady was nice enough not to charge me as it was still an oversize item!). It was a good start to a great trip. The flight's were not too bad and after the first flight I was able to move up to the Emergency exit row which gave me some extra leg room for the remaining flights. I arrived in California, got my bags and headed to the hotel. I was staying with some other athletes that I had not previously met.

I woke up Saturday morning at 7:45 (10:45 eastern time) on my own. It was nice having the extra time and a full day to take care of everything. I put my bike together, ran to the grocery store with the 2 girls I was staying with, and came back and went for my pre-race ride. We were in Mission Viejo, California which is about 45 minutes or so south of LA. It was gorgeous out. Sunny skies and 90 degrees (much better than the rainy 65 degrees it was when I left Ohio). There were mountains and palm trees which made for some great views as we went on our ride and checked out the bike course. After the ride we went and checked out the swim venue and got in the water for a little bit. I was able to get a free speedsuit from Xterra wetsuits and was excited to give it a test run before the race; Thank you Xterra for your genorous contribution! The rest of the day Saturday we had a pre-race meeting with all of the Best of the US triathletes and went to get some dinner at a local Italian restarant. After that we all made sure we were ready for the race and got to bed pretty early (around 10:30, which for me is pretty early for the night before a race).

Race morning came and I was really excited for the race. Me and the people I stayed with biked down to the race start from the hotel and got all set up. It was setting up to be a perfect day for a race. The Best of the US athletes were in the first wave. We all towed the line of the beach (Lake Mission Viejo, not the Pacific) and the race had begun. I hung with the lead group for the first 500m or so and then dropped back and ended up leading the 2nd group for a while. I came out of the water in 19:21 which was my fastes 1500m swim (and was a non-wetsuit swim too!). I came out of the water somewhere around 19th place made my transition to the bike. The bike was pretty hilly! It was up and down the whole time. I stayed in my big chain ring and plugged away the whole time. I passed a few people early on and a few more throughout the bike course, getting passed by only 2 or 3 others. The bike was very scenic and overall a very solid bike course. Onto the run and I hit the pace fast right from the start. I wasn't going to leave anything out on the course. About 1-1.5 miles into the bike, my inner quads started tightening up BIG time! I may have put a little much into the bike but this wasnt the first time this has happened. I kept going and eventually it wasn't too bad. The run course was very tough. A lot of different surfaces and a couple of tough hills. There were 2 guys in front of my for the final 4 miles and I just tried to keep them in sight and not let them get away from me. The last half mile finished downhill and back into the beach area where we started the day. I finished in 1:58:02 and 8th place overall! I was very excited about my race and where I finished.

This was one of the most competitive races of the year and one of the most challenging courses I have ever raced! I loved it! It was a true test of everyone out there. The post race party was awesome including free food from Trader Joes, Cliff Bar, a local smoothie place (delicious!), as well as FREE MASSAGES!!! It's always great getting a nice relaxing massage after a good solid race.

This was the best race of my life so far. It was a great event to be a part of and it was great meeting so many nice people!

After the awards ceromony we headed back to the hotel and got our bikes packed back up and everything ready to go. My flight was not until 6:45 that night so I was able to go to the beach for a little while and got a burger from In 'N Out Burger which I had heard great things about from other people (triathletes) before. Burger, fries, and milkshake were a nice treat after a great race. One of the girls I was staying, Meghan, dropped me off at the airport and I began my 12+ hour trip back to Dayton. I didn't get as lucky on my way home and had to pay the $100 fee for my bike (US airways) as well as a $20 fee for my bag....oh well. I got a Jave Chip Frapachino (sp?) in the airport as another nice post race treat; two conclusions; they jack up prices big time at the airport ($5.25 for a grande!) and I should have paid the extra 50 cents for 8 extra ounces...next time. I left Santa Anna at 6:45 and arrived in Phoenix at about 8:15. I was there for 3 hours and took off to Charlotte at about 11:15. I arrived in Charlotte at about 6 am eastern time. During my walk to my next terminal, I saw Greg and Laura Bennett! I was very excited and wish I would have said hi...Eventually I made it to Columbus around 9 am and then drove back to Dayton arriving there around 11:30 easter time, over nearly 14 hours after my flight left Columbus. It was quite the trip back to say the least....

Overall, my trip to California was great and I feel very fortunate to be able to go and race with some of the best in US. Now I am taking 2-3 weeks off of training. Recovering physically, mentally, and getting caught up with school work. It will be a nice break but I know that I will be ready to get back at in preparation of the 2010 Collegiate Nationals in Lubbock, Texas in April and the rest of my races for 2010. Congrats to everyone that competed and thanks to Trudy and Jerry and the Orange County Triathlon for a great race and a great weekend! I love this sport!!!