Tri season is officially underway! I decided to kick off the season with a smaller, local race just 20-30 minutes from my hometown of Sarasota where my parents still live. This made it easy for them to make it out to spectate, which was great. Having not done an olympic tri for the past two years, this race was one of several that I've decided to do this year to mix things up a little.

It was a wet morning. Scattered storms and rain coming down on and off. They said it was going to clear up soon, but it ended up coming down for about the whole first hour of the race. So be it! Everyone's in the same boat. On to the race. My swim has been feeling stronger lately, so was anxious to see if I would come out of the water in a good position. Ended up coming out first with two other guys not too far behind, so was pleased with that! The rain was hitting my face pretty good on the bike, but I was ok with it. The road didn't feel too slick to go fast on, but I definitely had to pay attention to avoid some of the puddles that had formed. Anyway, I was overtaken by two guys during the first few miles and wasn't quite able to match their pace. Tried to keep them within reach and just focused on maintaining my effort. By the time we got to T2, I was two minutes back, but still in 3rd. My friend Ian was spectating around the 0.5 mile mark of the run and yelled to me "you can catch 2nd!" As I turned the corner onto a road with a long straight away, I could see 2nd place. That became my motivation, as I was hurting a bit and trying to find my rhythm. Kept pushing and by the halfway point I was probably within 45 seconds. Feeling even more motivated, I picked it up a little more and ended up catching him at mile 5. Pushed to the finish and claimed 2nd overall! Was pleased with this start to the season. I'm starting to step up the intensity another notch in training and should be ready for the next challenge: the always competitve St. Anthony's Triathlon next month.

It’s still sinking in that I had the privilege to participate in this year’s Ironman 70.3 World Championship. I felt a lot of gratitude and excitement in the months leading up to it. My season had already been a success, having qualified. My goal was to GET there, so in a way I felt like some of the pressure was off, even though it’s a big race. There were over 1700 athletes coming from 54 different countries! I was eager to enjoy the experience of a World Championship without any specific goals for the race itself. I was also excited that fellow Melbourne triathlete BJ Graham had qualified also, as we had the opportunity to talk and get pumped about the race for a while, do some training together, and hang out when we got to the Las Vegas venue itself.



It almost didn’t feel like a race at first. More like a big event that I eventually realized I was supposed to participate in when race day finally came... as if I was watching a show and suddenly got called on stage to participate. I felt a certain calmness that morning. Some of the usual race day nerves were there, but overall I felt relaxed and was ready to have as fun as an experience as possible. It sounds corny, but I really tried to treasure every moment. How often does one get to go to the World Championship? I found myself looking around and smiling a lot, even if just to myself. Besides, this is supposed to be fun, isn’t it?! I even decided to race with no speedometer, no Garmin, no watch. Yes, I can see all you other triathletes cringing as you read this. “WHAT?! NO DATA?! NOTHING?!” I thought about it and really couldn’t think of a good reason why I needed to see my speed or splits. Not only is it a different type of terrain, but why have one more thing that would probably cause more worry or deter from the experience? And as race director Frank Lowry made clear, this was not a course designed for a PR. Besides, I've been training based on feel and perceived level of effort more than ever lately. I haven’t used my bike speedometer in the last month or so and in fact didn’t even use it at the 70.3 Florida race where I qualified (in that case it was actually on the bike but broke due to water damage). So many competitive triathletes are OCD about their training, their data, their routine, etc. and take the sport very seriously. And while some of these things can be beneficial, sometimes I think it just feels good to take a step back from that, tell yourself to let go, and be “free” for a while. For me, this was one of those times.



The course was continually described as a true “World Championship” course that would test even the strongest athletes… separate the men from the boys, if you will. We were told there wasn't a flat section on it. Looking at the elevation profile, that looked to be about right. I knew it would be challenging with a decent number of climbs, so my plan was simply to maintain a steady level of effort throughout the day. I tried to relax on the swim and not go out too hard. There would be plenty of time for suffering out on the bike course :). It was a little congested until the second buoy, and then I had a little more room to get into a rhythm. Kept it steady and smooth, wasn't winded coming out, and had a smooth T1 to my bike. On the bike course, you start climbing immediately on the road leading away from Lake Las Vegas and soon reach Lake Mead Parkway for the heart of the course, which is essentially a long out and back through the rolling hills of Lake Mead Park. As expected, there were a good number of 2-4 minute climbs out there. Up and down, up and down. Big chain ring, little chain ring. Lots of desert scenery, which I enjoyed and tried to take in at times, at least when I wasn’t focusing going down some of the screaming downhills going something like 40+ mph. Sometimes I would back off a little if the winds caused me any concern at high speeds. I felt decent on the climbs and felt the Clermont training I had done this summer had helped. After the long out and back through the hills of the desert, you head into the town of Hendersen to get to T2 (which is actually something like 13 miles from T1). I thought “Ok, good, most of the climbing is out of the way, just gotta take it home into T2.” But I quickly remembered the elevation profile, which showed the last 5-6 miles as a steady uphill. It wasn’t horribly steep, but in my opinion this was the hardest part of the ride! Not only was it the last few miles and you wanted be at the end, but I found the terrain very deceiving. It was like one long false flat. It’s the type of terrain that makes you look down to see if you have a flat tire. Oops, nope, just going up an incline. Cmon, bike, go!!! You feel like you should be able to go faster. Anyway, just cranked away steadily and made the climb into T2, standing up at times to try and loosen up my legs and back. I was relieved to get to T2 and get to the run, despite not knowing how my legs would feel. Let's see what else you got Vegas!


The run course was much like the bike course in a way: up and down the whole time. The hills were over a mile long and definitely tested you mentally... the type of hills that don't LOOK daunting, but boy do you feel it as you're going up. You have to battle that little voice inside you that keeps telling you "go ahead... walk a little... just a few steps..." No! I'm busy! I continued to keep a positive and steady effort, trying to keep my turnover high and my stride short. It got up to something like 90 degrees at the peak fof the day (which was actually cooler than the day before), but I was able to keep pretty cool with sponges and ice and continued to fuel well. Training in the Florida humidity had helped, as the dry heat of the desert at a similar temperature wasn’t quite as bad. The first lap (of three) felt a little iffy as I was getting my run legs going and figuring out some of the undulations of the course. But a little into the second lap I felt like I got into a good zone. I heard one racer shout out to his buddy “this course is relentless!” Yep, sure was :). Kept the effort going, pushing on both the ups and downs, and was able to bring it home strong. Overall, I felt my effort was good and I had the experience I had wanted. I loved Las Vegas as the venue for this race and it was a great experience to compete with so many strong athletes. I’m extremely grateful to have had the opportunity and I’m very thankful for all the support!



Here is the race video:

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Two years ago, I had a somewhat rude introduction to the half ironman distance: this race. The swim and bike were pretty normal, but the run was brutal. It's a 3 loop course (which already messes with your head), with half of each loop being on grassy, uneven trails. It's always hot and the aid stations get crowded as the day goes on as more and more racers start their run. So why do it again? Good question, but being a Vegas qualifier and only an hour drive from where I live, it was hard to pass up. And really, it's a pretty decent course overall. It's just that the run isn't the most fun. But everyone has to do the same course, right? And at least I knew what to expect going in. I was also a little more confident, more fit to handle the heat, and hopefully willing to suffer a little bit more than the guy next to me.

Race morning was interesting. Lots of lightning and rain. Questions loomed... would the race start on time? Would it start at all? Would the course be really wet? It was coming down when I got to transition and continued for about an hour and a half. The race director assured us that it was supposed to pass soon and that the race would start as scheduled. Never did I think I would actually be trying to keep warm before this race! But I figured it may be a blessing if it turned out to be overcast for the entire race. Anyway, the race start only ended up being delayed 20 minutes. My energy was pretty good before the start and was able to catch up with some friends doing the race. As far as my plan going in, it was simple: swim hard, bike harder, and run for my life! I didn't know what the temps would be like throughout the day, but I knew fueling/hydrating would be key so I made it a point to focus on it. THIS time I was going to be well hydrated as I started the run!

With the swim waves being 3 minutes apart, you end up running into several of the waves ahead of you. It gets a little congested and it can be an energy waster to try to maneuver around people. Knowing this, I decided to try to take the inside path and stay to the left. This worked pretty well for the most part and I didn't have too many major issues. Getting out of the water I kept a "no time to waste" attitude, sprinting past people and trying to get to my bike as fast as possible. Decent T1 and off I went. Funny thing... when I did this race in 2009 something got knocked around in transition and my speedometer didn't work the entire ride. Same thing happened this time! It was because of the rain... and the fact that it's a couple years old. If one of the sensors gets too wet it tends to stop working. Though I found I don't really seem to mind if I don't know my speed. I seem to be able to go off my level of effort and know myself better nowadays. Anyway, quads were burning during the first few miles. Ahh... already? Felt like it took a good 10 miles to find a rhythm. Legs just needed to warm up more. There are some rolling hills throughout the course and I just tried to push as much on the uphills as on the downhills. I could feel the day getting warmer as the sun came out so just tried to fuel up and stay hydrated like I planned. Took a gel every 20-30 mins, mixed in some salt tabs, and plenty of fluids. Sometimes temps can be deceiving on the bike when the winds seem to be keeping you cool. But I could tell the run would be a tad warm so just tried to take in what I could. Was a little unsure how my legs would hold up, but kept positive and kept it steady. No fear! Getting onto the run I thought I would try to take the first lap a little conservatively and not overdo it, as this run can wear on you. I knew it'd be all too easy to just go out and attack that first lap, so just focused on even splits. It was warm out, but not QUITE as "hellish" as two years ago. Second lap was much like the first and was pleased I was maintaining pace. Legs were definitely fatigued but I was holding on! At every aid station I was taking things from almost every volunteer I encountered. Water, ice, gatorade, gel, etc. as well as the salt tabs I was carrying. Last lap hurt kinda bad but battled through it mentally and my last mile ended up being my fastest! I ended up 11/138 in my age group and 111/2376 overall. I was really pleased with this and felt I had a balanced swim/bike/run combo. But the best part of all: earned a slot for the 70.3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS in Las Vegas!!! This is a major milestone for me. It was my goal to qualify and it feels great to give your best and get rewarded! It's interesting... throughout the race, as you struggle, battle, and push your way through each leg, you never really know you're having one of your best races until after you cross the finish line. Anyway, the other great piece of news is that fellow triathlete BJ Graham (pictured belowed) who I recently met in the Melbourne area also got a Vegas slot! We'll see you in September Vegas!!!



Race Recap Video:

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This race was attempt #1 at trying to qualify for the 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas (September 11). Realistically, this being my second 70.3 (my first was two years ago), I wanted to use this race to gain more experience at the distance and as a springboard for my other races this year (which includes two other 70.3s... Florida and Muncie). I needed to see where I was at given my last few months of training and establish a baseline on which to improve.

So let's get right to the 69.1 business. On race morning, with 25mph winds, it was unsafe for the watercraft to place buoys out on the swim course and naturally also unsafe for all participants involved. It was announced that the swim was canceled. Ambivalence permeated transition. All the swimmers a little upset, all the non-swimmers a little happy. I consider swimming a strength for me and would have rather had the swim. I knew it would change the game, but didn't really know how much. I didn't even go out and look at the water once. It was time to roll with the punches and focus on the task at hand, which was, as is procedure, a time trial start duathlon.

Yep, it was windy alright. One of the more windy rides I have done, but still not too much unlike some rides I've done in Florida (especially at Deer Park!) so mentally I felt strong. I tried to maintain a good level of effort throughout the ride as headwinds, tailwinds, and crosswinds were encountered. Quads and hamstrings definitely working a little extra. Getting off the bike and onto the run my legs felt surprisingly good. My cadence was steady and form felt solid. First 5-6 miles I was able to maintain around 7:00-7:10 pace and felt I could probably maintain it for the remainder. The weather was nice and felt I was fueling appropriately at the aid stations. But by mile 8 or 9 it felt like my legs just wouldn't go anymore. I could tell my turnover had worsened a little and my pace had faded to around 7:30. Held on the last couple miles and overall it was a solid race for me. Looking at the results, I realized the lack of swim had changed the game even more than I thought. The strong bikers came out stronger than expected and I ended up finishing in a lower place than predicted. My initial reaction was disappointment, but analyzing it further and predicting what my time would have been with a swim and how I would have placed in last year's race, I was actually right about where I wanted to be time-wise for this race, and potentially would have been in the top 10 in my age group. But no sense dwelling on what COULD have been. I have more fuel for the fire for my next race (Florida 70.3 on May 15th) and feel ready to take it on.

I'm happy to say I have completed my 2nd Ironman, this one in my home state of Florida! This being my 2nd season in triathlon, I knew I had plenty of room for growth and improvement. I wanted to improve across all 3 disciplines this year, and I felt I did that. I considered Ironman Florida my only "A" race for 2010, so I tried to build my fitness throughout the year by racing regularly, adding more intensity, and gradually building a manageable amount of volume in the months leading up to the race, focusing as much as I could on getting in quality workouts given the time I had. Another big thing I concentrated on this year was being careful not to overtrain. Any time I felt like a workout was going to be a struggle to get through or I was too tired, I would either not do it or cut it short. This helped me both mentally and physically, and as a result, I never really felt burned out. "If in doubt, leave it out."

So skipping to a week before the race. On my last few little runs, I had felt a little pain in my calf, which I thought was just some general soreness. I was tapering! This couldn't be an injury, could it?!? However, since it had not gotten any better in the past week, I knew something was up and had to be cautious. My plan immediately became: just nurse it the entire race week and hope for the best. Meanwhile, another little obstacle. On Tuesday at some point I developed a sore throat (the beginnings of a cold) and ended up getting ZERO sleep Tuesday night since it was causing me to toss and turn uncomfortably all night. Unfortunately, the plan was to leave Wednesday morning for Panama City Beach (about a 7 hour drive). Thankfully, my friends Ian and Jen (who were also going up for the race) were also leaving Wednesday morning, so we decided to caravan up together with our two cars. Ian was gracious enough to drive my car most of the way so I could at least shut my eyes for a while. Long day. My friend Krissi from Indiana was also coming to do the race and her family came with her, arriving Wednesday afternoon, so I was really happy to see them. We grabbed some dinner together and I went to bed early to get some MUCH needed sleep.

On Thursday and Friday, I tested my leg to see if it was getting any better. The pain was still there. A little discouraging to feel it when all you're doing is jogging a few steps down the hall of your condo! On Friday (day before the race), I went to one of the massage therapists at the race site and somewhat jokingly said: "I need a miracle." I explained the situation, he did some evaluating and basically determined it was some type of strain. He stretched me out a little and did a little Kenesio taping on my leg. That was about all we could do. Still, my mood was pretty positive. Months and months ago I had mentally prepared myself for almost any situation for this very reason. Things happen. But I had worked hard this year and I hadn't come all this way to not do my best. So I said LET'S DO THIS! I will play it by ear when I get to the marathon.

Side note: I had stated to several friends this year that getting to the start line of Ironman "ready to go" is the hard part. I guess I was right: out of the 2800+ athletes originally registered for the race, about 2400 actually showed up to race.



SWIM:
38 degrees in the morning! Krissi and I were in long pants and jackets until they closed transition, at which point we hopped into our wetsuits and headed to the beach. We could barely feel our feet walking down there and felt like we were walking on hot coals. We went down to the water and put our feet in, which actually warmed them up. The water temperature was around 70 degrees. With the ensuing mass start and being a decent swimmer, I moved up toward the front to try to avoid some of the mob. As soon as the gun went off, I realized this plan really hadn't seemed to do any good. In fact, it didn't seem to matter where you started. The Titanic had sunk and everyone was fighting for their lives. I hadn't done a mass start quite this large before and initially was just trying to survive in this washing machine full of triathletes. I was jockying for position a lot and it must have been a good 10 minutes before it even FELT like it was thinning out at all. I felt like I was expending a little more energy than I wanted to. After the first lap, you run up onto the beach, cross a timing mat, then do another lap. I tried to relax a little more at this point and reminded myself that the swim is only the beginning of this day. In a race like Ironman, I really try to focus on the one split that matters: the finish time. This helps me keep my level of effort steady throughout the day and allows me to set myself up for each subsequent stage of the race. Anyway, concentrating on long, smooth, relaxed strokes, I made my way through the second lap fairly comfortably, staying mostly on the outside, which I felt was better than trying to swim between bodies. (Swim time: 1:01:13)



T1:
I took my time a little here, making sure I got everything set before beginning the bike, which included compression sleeves and a $5 sweater I bought at Walmart that I planned to discard later as temps warmed up.

BIKE:
Sure, this is Florida, and the course is described as "flat and fast", but flat does not always necessarily mean easy. It's still 112 miles! The winds also played a factor. Right from the start, there was a headwind, which continued for about an hour. It was hard to find a rhythm. Knowing of course that there was plenty of biking was ahead, I tried to keep my level of effort steady, using my heart rate as a guide as usual. There wasn't much to look at on the course (which was one loop). Mostly just fields and forests. There were periods of time when it felt a bit lonely, save for the other bikers and occasional groups of spectators seemingly cheering for YOU as they called out your name (which was printed on your bib). After a few hours, the cool winds were starting to take their toll, just from the fact that they were blowing on my face for so long, regardless of what direction I was heading. I kept wanting to just close my eyes, as they were starting to burn some. Being a relatively flat course, it is natural to be in your aerobars most of the way, so every 5 minutes or so, I made sure to adjust my position a little by sitting or standing up for a moment in order to stretch out and stay loose. But on to what really made me curse under my breath and what this course is known for: the drafting. I had seen a video or two from the past and expected it, but WOW. This did NOT look like a triathlon. This looked like a stage of the Tour de France. It was bad. Packs of 10-12 riders in one big bunch, often 2 abreast, would go past me. Not only that, but sometimes a referee motocycle would go by these packs and not hand out ANY violations!!! Were there simply TOO MANY to possibly give out? Were they only looking for the REALLY obvious ones? COME ON! It is so unfortunate that this amount of cheating goes on. Being a one loop course, it is one thing for the referees to be spread out too thinly, but for them to ignore so much of the drafting going on was ridiculous. Anyway, I feel proud to say I never once tacked on to someone's back wheel. People would tack on to mine until I noticed, at which point I would either slow down or break away, mumbling "cheater" under my breath in either case. Anyway, the ride felt tough overall and I was ready to get off the bike. (Bike time: 5:40:53)



T2:
Nothing too exciting here. I felt a little fatigued from the bike ride, but had fueled well. So far so good.

RUN:
The moment of truth. Would I be able to run comfortably? And how long? Well, as I started running, something magical happened: the calf pain I had experienced the past week disappeared. My legs must have somehow been numbed up from all the biking and/or the cool temps. Whatever it was, I felt good to go! Calf strain be damned! No turning back now. I tried to mentally prepare myself, as I knew this is where an Ironman race really begins. It's a two-loop course and my plan was basically to run the first half "comfortably," then unleash whatever I had left on the second half. As planned, I was pretty steady the first half, as was my heart rate. As I reached the half way point and started the second lap, I had a brief conversation with myself: "OK I have to run that half marathon I just ran... AGAIN." I guess that's one way to break up a run :). I maintained my pace for the next 2 or 3 miles. The last 10 miles turned into just trying to hold on. Not desperately, but I slowed down by about 15 seconds per mile and felt like I was working harder! Welcome to Ironman :). Around mile 19-20, I walked for about 10-15 seconds and took a moment to just gather myself and make sure I was good to go for the final push. And I was! I held on and finished smiling and relieved. (Run time: 3:46:56)



Phew. Overall, I thought the race was tough and I definitely had to focus. Big thanks to my friends and family for all the support!!!

Final time: 10:45:16

Here is the race recap video (PRESS PLAY)!

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I am an Ironman!!! I completed Ironman Louisville on August 30th, 2009! What an incredible journey and experience. I am so pleased that I was able to get there in a year's time. On top of that, I was really happy with the venue and couldn't have asked for a better one for my first Ironman. So on to the details :)



Week of race:
From about 10 days out from race day until race day itself, I was checking the weather forecast every day. They were saying it would be in the 70s, but I didn't really want to believe it until race day drew closer. I knew the race in 2008 had been pretty hot, so I was praying for good weather, especially since it was my first Ironman. I was quite nervious. I had been training in the hot Florida sun all summer so I knew I would be accustomed to the heat, but I had a few training days in there that were downers... e.g. had to cut it short because the heat was just too much, didn't go as fast as I wanted to, etc. It was frustrating. I was worried about how I would be affected in the actual Ironman. But as race day drew nearer, I tried to keep my head filled with as many positive thoughts as possible. Most of my training had gone well. I knew Louisville definitely could not be any worse than Florida. I told myself that the hard work was over. I had made it this far and all I had to do was go out there, execute my race, and enjoy what I had worked for all year.

Day before race:
After taking care of the administrivia (athlete checkin, bike/gear checkin, signing up for post-race massage, etc), I met up with my girlfriend and the family to hang out, check out downtown Louisville, and grab some dinner. FYI, I ended up having teriyaki salmon... interesting :). Could this become a tradition? I think that night I got about 4-5 hours of "decent" sleep, which was more than what I expected considering how occupied my mind was.

Race morning:
I awoke at 4am to eat a decent sized breakfast and to give it enough time to digest before the race start. Transition opened at 5am, which was about when I got there.  I made sure everything was cool with my bike, then headed to the swim start, which was actually 3/4 of a mile from transition, as this was actually a point to point swim that ended near the transition area.  Like I wanted to do more than 140.6 miles for the day!  But it wasn't too big of a deal.  I got to the swim start and realized how long the line was getting already.  I think I walked another half mile just to get to the end of the line. I chatted with a few folks to help pass the time.  What's great about these events is that you get to see people from all walks of life, each with unique pasts and different goals. Based on the temperature that morning (some were wearing sweatshirts), I knew the weather for the day would be great, so I was thrilled about that! This didn't change my race plan of course, but I knew I would feel better out there overall.

Swim:



This was a unique swim in that it was a time trial start.  They had two lines of people going into the water constantly with people entering every couple of seconds.  Your official time started when you crossed the timing mat.  It was also unique in that this was in a moving body of water, the Ohio river.  Since the line ran alongside the riverbank, I caught a glimpse of the swimmers who had already entered the water.  You could tell the current did have some effect, but some of the swim was upstream and some was downstream, so not much worry there.  The age groupers started going off at 7 and I remember entering the water around 7:24, so at least the line had moved relatively quickly. They had expected everyone would be in the water within a half hour of the start.  I tried to treat the swim as a warmup with respect to the rest of the race and made sure to relax as much as possible and just go at whatever pace felt comfortable without straining. I concentrated on long, smooth, efficient strokes.  I got out of the water and wasn't breathing heavy at all... so far so good!  Headed to T1!

T1:
I jogged over to get my bike gear bag from a kind volunteer, making sure to be efficient but not to rush like crazy.  Saw my sister and her boyfriend waving at me as I headed to my bike.  I waved back, smiled, grabbed my bike, said to myself "Am I really doing this?" and headed out to what was sure to be a fun-filled 112 miles! 


And here is a video my Dad made for me of the whole experience (PRESS PLAY)!

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Some of my other favorite videos that keep me inspired:
Ironman Triathlon
Ironman You WILL Do This
Dick and Rick Hoyt


On February 18, 1978, 15 competitors took on the challenge that has become the Ironman. Included in the list of pre-race instructions were these final words of encouragement: "Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life!"