2010 schedule...

I have been thinking on it for the last month as to what my race schedule is going to look like next year. I had two options that I wanted to pursue. One, focus on on-road tris and ultimately try and lower my time to a more respectable half iron. This would entail a few sprints and oly distances with an end of season Soma triathlon just like this year. Option two, change things up, go for XTERRA and do my best to qualify for the world championships. This would mean more money invested because I need a new mountain bike, and the races would cost more because of travel and hotel and the like. But, the rewards could be intensely greater.

After much personal deliberation. I have decided on XTERRA. I need a new mountain bike anyway and I think this is a great time for it. It is going to be a totally different beast than the on-road tris that I have gotten accustomed to. But, I still feel like I am new to triathlon and am testing the waters (no pun intended) of what distances will suit me best.

With that said, I have a tentative race schedule mapped out for next year. And it goes a little something like this:
Throughout the Spring - 2-3 MBAA races - Single Speed
May - XTERRA West Region Championships - Lake Las Vegas
June - XTERRA Deuces Wild - Show Low
July - Mountain Man (Oly?) - Lake Mary
September - XTERRA US Championships (qualification pending) - Ogden/Snowbasin UT
October - XTERRA World Championships (qualification pending) - Maui, Hawaii

Off season...

I am finally in my off season. After a somewhat disappointing performance at the half-iron I am setting myself anew. I took a week and half completely off from exercise. I have slowly gotten back into easy running with the XC team and am hitting the weights more. Three times per week more. I am hiking and riding my trainer intermittently. I have yet to get back in the pool, which I probably should. I know I will have little to no access during Christmas break when the Natatorium closes. But then again, why get in now when i will be out again for four weeks in December? I think I might just stick with the weights and ease my way back into the water after break.

I am feeling pretty good right now. I have to start thinking about my race schedule for next year. I am contemplating a run at the XTERRA series or focus more on doing better at the half iron distance. I think I could make the world championships for XTERRA, but I really want to put down a better time for the half...I will definitely have to think on this one.

Soma triathlon re-cap...

The whole day, in retrospect, seemed so surreal. Sure it was 5 hours of racing, but it seemed to go by so fast. So I will start from the beginning and, guess what, finish at the end.

Saturday was mandatory bike check-in. Meaning, for those of you who don't know, that you pick up your packet with your race numbers, timing chip, schwag bag, and walk through the expo of retailers. You also have to leave your bike in transition over night. From what I can deduce, its only because it creates less chaos the morning of.

At this race, everyone had a specific place in transition that was reserved for them by their race
number. This made the whole process less congestive and more fluid. Nice.

My parents and I browsed the booths, didn't buy anything and went to listen to the athlete meeting. In athlete meetings they go over everything you need to know for race day, course maps, starting times, aid station placements, cut-off times, even who is going to be supplying food after the race. It is totally comprehensive. We sit and listen until the end and since I have already checked in, we leave so my parents can go grab some lunch (I had my daily PB&J). We also check into the hotel.

From 1-3pm on saturday, they were allowing athletes to enter the water and test it out. Make
sure your wetsuit was fitting right and you could sight the bouys that lined the course. After lunch, we went back to the race site to try this out. I had yet to swim in open water with my wetsuit since I bought it. The race this summer had its swim cancelled due to high surf. So, it would be a true test of its abilities. I swam about 500 meters and got out. Good test. Worked great.

We went back to the hotel, rested and went out to dinner at PF Changs. I ordered the Crispy Honey Chicken. Bedtime.


When I consciously know I have to get up early, I always tend to wake up every hour thinking its almost time to get up. My first wake-up was 11pm, then 11:10pm, then 12:20, 1, 3, and finally I get up at 3:45 for my morning. As many of you know, I like to be one of the first people to transition on race day.Transition opened at 4:45, i was there.


Pre-dawn is an understatement. It was still night at 4:45am. Thank Red Rock (the race promoter) for lights and music that early on. And speaking of music, I have never heard Black Eyed Peas more in my life than I did yesterday. Was that song on repeat? Anyway, I get my transition area set-up, its now 5:15. FCA Endurance had a small church service at 5:50. I go for a short jog, stretch, drills before the service. Make sure everything is set. "What else do I need?" "Sunglasses!" I almost forget them on my head. Could have been a horrible mistake. What was I doing with sunglasses on my head at 5 in the morning?


Church Service ends at 6:08 and transition closes at 6:15. I have to get my wetsuit out before it closes. One mroe mental check over my stuff adn I am good to go. Waiting for my parents to show up, riding their bikes from the hotel. National Anthem plays. Still not here. First wave begins and they just show up. Freaking me out. I was about to run to the car and put my backpack away and hope I make it back. They showed up in time.


I squeeze myself into my wetsuit as we watch the first waves of racers start their swim. Swim cap on. I get so interested in watching, that I am apparently not listening to the announcer, who I have hard time hearing anyway over the background music and through a swim cap.






My mom says. "Hey, Oranges are getting in the water!" Sure enough, my wave was headed into the water. I didn't think we were that far along yet. I run over, get in and then wait the 4 minutes between waves. I set myself up on the left side of the pack about midway through.

The horn goes off. It takes probably a good 10-15 seconds to get going because I am waiting for those in front of me to start moving and not kick me in the dome. I get into a rythmn, swim over a couple people, and bump out into some open water. The main pack is in a line to the left of me and I couldn't be happier staying where I was. I didn't want to get into that mess. So far so good, I am cruising, feeling good albeit some tightness in my shoulders.

I was nervous and hesitant after the previous days swim in the lake. The bouys were way down there. And open water swimming always makes me a little uneasy. It is a TOTALLY different experience from swimming in a pool. No walls, no bottom, can't see your hand in front of your face, you have to sight your line where you are going, tons of people around you, kicking, hitting, waves, etc. But, my goal was to cruise down to the turn around. I wasn't going to stop, I wasn't going to let anyone stop my momentum. I wanted to have a good first half and then turn on the after burners for the way home. We were swimming east and the sun was right in our faces. I could only see the bouys once they were right next to me. As long as that line of people was still there to the left of me, I was going to keep swimming with them. I hti the turn around and felt great. I had begun to pass people from two and three waves ahead of me by this point. That means I had made up 4-8 minutes on some people. I was hauling. I felt great. I didn't know my pace or time, but knew I was doing something I had never done before, having a strong swim.

About 150-200m from the end, I was swimming next to another guy. He splashed me and I got some water in teh mouth and with it came air. I got this tight spot in my chest from teh air that I needed to burp. But, couldn't because of my quickened breathing and horizontal position. I didn't want to stop to get it out because I was almost done. It was kind of uncomfortable for the last section. But I made it. Swim time: 34:11.5 97th fastest swim out of 615.

I ran out and into transition as I was taking my wetsuit off. Never done this before. First race with a wetsuit. Not any huge problems. Kind of a struggle to get it off over my timing chip. Sunglasses on, helmet on, shoes on, on my bike and off I go.

Bike course was 3 laps of 18.5 miles roughly. My goal was to finish in under 2hrs 30min. That would mean averaging under 50 minutes per lap. I was on the bike about 7:32am. I finish my first lap. approx. 48minutes. Perfect thats right where I wanted to be. I plan on hammering the second lap and then spinning more and letting my legs recover for my third lap. Well, I start to feel it on the small hills that dot the course. My legs are getting more tired. I have taken in a couple PowerGels, water and Xood power drink. Only a dozen or two people have passed me and stayed out front. Second lap: approx. 50min. Still right there, but if I did what I had wanted this lap was going to be faster than my first.

I didn't want to try and make up for lost time and hammer the third lap, only to sacrifice good legs for the run. So I kept steady and made sure my pedaling cadence was higher to keep lactic acid from building up. About halfway through the third lap, I knew I needed some food that was solid. There was an aid station about two miles from the finish of the lap that had powerbar products. I grabbed a chocolate power bar from the wonderful volunteers. Thanks volunteers! And ate that, definately helped. Almost done. Slower. Third lap: approx 57 min. Total bike time: 2:35:20.3. 134th fastest bike split. It was about 10 minutes slower than I thought I was capable of. Had I kept the pace of my first lap, I would have had the 21st fastest lap. Onto the run.

When I got to transition and hopped off my bike, i could tell my legs were going to give me a problem. They felt heavy and tired. More so than I had expected. The run was 2 long loops around the lake. About 6.5miles each loop. Mostly flat and almost all on concrete. 6 aid stations each loop. I had my GPS watch with me to make sure I was sticking to the pace I wanted. I started out at just over 7min/mile pace. A little slower but I thought it would take a couple miles to run the tiredness out of my legs and then I could get going faster. Instead my miles kept getting slower. From 7:04 at the begining to 8:20s at the end of the first loop. By the second loop I was just running between aid stations. Jog to the aid station. Walk through it, make sure I was getting all the fluids and nutrition I needed. Gatorade, water, coke, oranges, pretzels. And then start off jogging again. About 3 miles into the second lap I saw a kid (25yrs old) who had passed me on the first lap. Talked as he passed and then must have blown up on the second lap. I patted him on the back and said let's keep going. He caught up to me and for the next 2.5 miles we ran together, talking and walking through aid stations. By the last mile and a half, he had more in his legs than I did and took off, which was totally fine. I was just glad to be 1.5 miles from finishing my first half-ironman. Total run time: 1:49:15.2. Which averages over 8min/mile.

I finish. Finishers medal draped across my neck. Food table calling my name. John Foster, the leader of the FCA Endurance team in phoenix was helping take off timing chips. He congratulated me and told me they were cheering for me throughout the race. Which I heard and wanted to say thank you to them for that. It was nice to hear your name called out in the middle of the crowd. Food table. Animal crackers, oranges. Water.

The kid who I ran with says congratulations. (number 461 below)

It was hot. I didn't do as good as hoped. I know I could have gone at least 20 minutes faster. It was a lack of training and knowledge about this race distance. But, if you know anything about me, I will be back and will hammer the next race.

Thanks to the volunteers, FCA Endurance and Tyler for keeping my pace up. Thanks to my parents and friends who always show enthusiasm for my crazy sporting ventures.

Check out this video. I don't know who is in it or who shot it, but I think it is a good representation of the race.

Taper...

I am only 4 days from my race! It is going to be a half ironman distance: 1.2mile swim, 56mile bike, 13.1 mile run. 70.3 miles total.

My training hasn't gone exactly how I imagined it. I had my ups and downs. When you are as busy as I am and work or school call, they become priorities and training takes a back seat. But, I think I totally have it in me to have a great race. I had a great brick workout the other week and it gave me huge confidence in my ability to finish well. My swimming has been good, although, again not exactly how I planned. I could have spent more time on the bike, and longer runs would have been nice too. But, I can't look back at what I didn't do and can only look forward to what is to come.

I am so glad that my taper is here. It has been a long season of training and racing and I am looking forward to taking some time off before beginning my base for next year.

Depending on how this race pans out will decide how and where and how far I race next year. After the good brick workout last week, I feel like my calling might be to the longer distances. Especially with more consistent training, I think I could do really well. The Olympics might not be my ultimate goal. And now that I think about it, I am not sure they were ever my ultimate goal. I just want to become a professional triathlete. If I never win a world championship, or make it to the olympics, I will still be doing something that I absolutely love. Qualifying for a big race is not as important if I am doing what I love to do.

Stay tuned for a race re-cap early next week. Be ready for a novel.

Rejuvenation...

I have had a rejuvenation this past week. And it begins with Rio. The spanish word for river. Maybe the river of life and wisdom. Maybe the river of creativity and perseverance. Maybe the river of January. Literally the "river of January" is the meaning for Rio de Janeiro. I have fully re-devoted my training to the 2016 Olympics. They will be held in Rio. It has rejuvenated my push for professional status. It has also rejuvenated my push for God's will through my training, because without his grace I would not be able to do this athletic endeavor. So, as I reach for higher athletic fame, I must also redouble my efforts for God to grant me what he has the power to take away from me. It is becoming clearer to me that training and racing triathlons is a priviledge granted to me by God. Many people can and will race the same triathlons I do, but they will feel no more than personal, earthly satisfaction out of them without God riding tandem with them. I fully commit to riding tandem with God through all my training and racing in the next 7 years.

With that said, here is the training that has been happening since I last posted.
I have had some niggles in my foot that has sidelined any increase in intensity of my training for the last week or two. I am still running 20-30 miles per week. But, not as many morning runs or workouts with the team I coach in the PM. I have gotten in some good rides, but got run over with school work this last week and hardly got on the bike at all. I am refocusing some energy into weight training and injury prevention, so that the small things stay small and no new pains pop up. My swimming has also taken a hit because of my busy schedule and I have only been in the pool two, maybe three, times in the last couple weeks. I don't think I am losing any fitness in the pool, but I am not improving thats for sure.
I ran a 5K race on friday and did ok. It wasn't as great as I wanted, but it was pretty close to where it should be considering where I am at in my training. I think I am in about 1:25 half marathon shape right now, which will translate, hopefully, to about a 1:30 half at the end of the triathlon. I am shooting for 1:30.
I did 130min bike ride last weekend and averaged (at 7,000ft elev.) 22mph (approx.) which is exactly where I want to be for the bike in the tri.
I also swam a 1000m time trial last week and finished in 16:50, which puts me right around 32min for 1900m, which would solidly place me in the swim as well.
Overall, my times are doing ok, with the lack of training I am experiencing. I have about a week and a half of solid training time left before a taper and the race. Pretty stoked to see how I do and where I am able to finish!

Newspaper Article...

The local AZ Daily Sun newspaper did an article about my recent accomplishments in triathlon. The story ran on Labor, September 1st. Here is a link to the article:
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/09/07/news/sports/20090907_sport_203295.txt

Here's a quickie...

Just signed up for Soma this morning. First Half-Ironman. In fact, its the first triathlon over a sprint that I will do. 8 1/2 weeks out. Swimming feels good. Need to get back on the bike and running will be ramping up next week. Til next time.

The Epic Grand Canyon...

Epic: 1: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an epic 2 a : extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size or scope

I am not sure a better word can describe the Grand Canyon, although many words have tried. An immense hole in the groud, cut through solid rock over millions of years. A plethora of various animals habitate there. Water seeps from the most solid of these rocks where the porous nature of these said rocks is questioned. Plants, trees, grass, and cactus all live here in an otherwise inhospitable environment.

The vista from the rim is the view that 95 % of visitors to the park see when they gaze upon its, almost, infinite quality. But, diving deeper provides a surrealistic envoronment that is hidden from the guardrails and ice cream parlours at the top.

I began my hike on August 15th at about 7am. It was a free fee weekend at certain national parks around the US, in order to encourage getting outside. Something our nation tends to take for granted too often. The wind at the top was pretty intense. A nice respite from the wind was welcomed after dipping just below the surface.

I chose the Bright Angel trail for a couple of reasons. For one, it has pretty reliable, consistent water sources located at various points along the trail. And two, because I was hiking alone, it was more populated and if, God forbid, anything happened, someone would be along shortly.

As is the case in most hiking stories of the Bright Angel, the tourists take the cake at the top. Hi-top Nikes and Converse are more common than hiking boots for the first mile and a half. The further you descend, the less crowds you have to fight to pass. And after Indian Gardens, the numbers dwindle even more greatly.

I was feeling great heading down. The air was cool, the sun was rising, and I just happened to be smack dab in the middle of one of God's greatest creations.

I had hiked in the Canyon once before this. The far western section of the South Rim, by Dripping Springs. But I had yet to see the river. That was my goal.

I couldn't have prepared myself for what I would encounter. I have hiked a lot in my young life. I have been to the tops of mountains and through valleys. When you descend into the Grandest of Canyons you leave the preconcieved notions of what you thought the canyon was behind. You can look down from the scopes from in front of the Bright Angel Lodge and see hikers far below, maybe a mule train. But, hiking in, ironically, makes you feel like you are out of the canyon, even though you trudge deeper in. By this I mean that once you leave an overhanging or a ridge and the trail flattens out, you forget that you are in a canyon. You are no longer looking at the Big Picture from the top, you are getting the intimate welcome from the Canyon itself.

It holds another ironic notion. The desert, the dry, the inhospitable becomes the friendlist place on earth as you encounter other hikers enjoying the same thing you are enjoying. Short conversations with individuals in passing brought smiles to my face. A runner (passed once each way) on the longest, hardest running leg of his life, has time for some friendly conversation. No names need to be exchanged, maybe a place of origin, but the enjoyment of being deep in where few people, relatively speaking, have ever gone is just remarkable.

Overall, it was an incredible place. I have fallen in love with the canyon again. I told my mom yesterday that although I have never had that 'WOW' moment when first seeing the Canyon. I love it just the same, if not more than most. My parents tell me that I was only 7 months when I first went to the Canyon. We would go up every new years day. I think I need to bring back that tradition. I can think of no better way than celebrating the new year.

I hiked out, not quite feeling as good as I did going down, but I made it. 19 miles. Rim-Ranch-Rim. I have already vowed to go back. I had forgotten how amazing hiking is. As a runner, you tend to think, "How do I get to the finish as fast as possible?" The destination, in hiking, is only as important as the journey there. And I have missed that.

My parents and I went back again on Sunday. One, because it was another free fee day and my parents wanted to go again. But, also because our one and only President, Barack Obama, was going to be there too.

My sore legs weren't going to allow for too much hiking on Sunday. But, we took it leisurly, did the tourist thing. Waited with the masses for 50 minutes for the 30 second passing of Obama as he left in his bullet proof outfitted vehicle and 17 car entourage. (No kidding, probably 17 cars) Went to the Imax. Ate Navajo Tacos. It was an incredible day. God really does bless those who love him. And...It was my parents 23rd wedding anniversary.

I sometimes forget that my parents aren't true natives of this great region. Dad being from all over, mom from california. But, this region is as much a part of their lives as it is mine. I can't tell you how much of a priviledge it is for me to have grown up in the family I live in now. They afforded me the opportuinities to get outside. To enjoy what God has provided and really appreciate the place I live. Too many kids don't get that same invitation anymore. It is a huge shame.

I will leave you with a few more photos from my hike on Saturday.

Pacific Coast Triathlon re-cap...

Where to start? The week leading up? The drive to Southern California? Waking up at 2:45 on race morning? The starting horn? Are your nerves running as high as mine were? Enjoy this...

Last week was long. Not in the sense that 5 days magically stretched into more. But, I worked 8 straight days and they were hard days. That made getting to my weekend California trip all the more painful. Especially when I was anticipating a national championship triathlon.

Thursday and Friday were by far the longest of those days. I did no exercise...none. I was recovering from the previous weeks' training efforts, in order to be race ready on Sunday. I began slowly packing on Friday morning. I was getting ready for a late night/early morning departure.. I also had work from noon til 6pm. Off work, finish packing, dinner, sleep. I set my alarm for 11:00, which incidentally means 11am because my clock is on 24-hour time or military time. I forgot. I get woken up by my phone buzzing because it's already 10 past midnight and my travelling partner, Lauren is wondering where I am for her 12am pick-up. Oops. Not starting good. Hoping it gets better. All my things just need to get loaded and I am out of my house 10-15 minutes later after hurriedly getting up. Pick up lauren, see friends selling themselves on the corner at 12:45 downtown, get gas, leave town.

The Journey officially begins... with a seven hour drive.

I still hold my opinion that the only worthwhile drive out of Flagstaff is south toward phoenix. Going west toward California is not really pleasant (deserts) or scenic (deserts). But, it wasn't that bad of a drive, I think only driving half the time to tucson is worse than seven hours to LA.

Anyway, Lauren slept 5 of the seven hours, leaving me to ponder my nervousness. And my anxiety of big cities as we weaved in and out of the mass movement of vehicles entering LA. Surprisingly, didn't have any problems and got us right to the hotel. Go figure. It is now about 8am. Breakfast, and packet pick-up.

We go to the race site after a nice detour along balboa peninsula which, despite the gorgeous weather and beautiful homes, was not on the schedule. A huge line awaits us for registration. No glitches, grab my timing chip, numbers, and goody bag. We walk to the ocean to check the swim arena. Waves are pretty tall and ominous. I have never swam in the ocean before. I say a little prayer.

Back to the hotel, check in, shower, sleep. We head back to the site of our detour and decide its a good place for dinner. Albertson's seems like a nice place to grab a quick dinner and take it to the beach to eat. Ceasar Salad and apple slices w/ caramel. Sunset over Newport Beach and Lifeguard harpin' on the swimmers with no fins. I have a lot of respect for what lifeguards do. They Guard Life! Got to have respect for that. But, not when you are sitting in your truck, speaking through a PA system, turned to 11, parked right behind me. Chill out Bro. Early to bed. Britni makes it to the hotel at 1:30am from San Diego. Alarm set for 2:45.

Lauren and Britni didn't understand why i needed to be there so early. Race wasn't til 7:00am, why are we leaving at 4:00am? For one, there was a parking lot, right next to the transistion area, that only had 150 spots in it and the race packet said it would fill by 5:30. I tend to go back to my car 5, 6, maybe 15 times after I set up my transition area. If we didn't get a spot in that lot, its at least a 1/2 mile walk one way. We NEED to leave at 4:00am. This was despite the fact that transition officially opened at 5:00am and I am a huge believer in the 'hurry-up-and-wait' philosophy. At last year's Mountain Man Triathlon, transition opened at 4:30, I was the second car there at 4:20. Hurry-up-and-wait. And wait I did.

Transition was set up by 5:00am. Bathroom run, shake out run, shoe tests, water and granola bar ingestion. Good to go.

More people started filtering in. The excitement began to grow as the start approached. The excitement balloon grew and then was subsequently popped with the information, at 6:30am, that the swim had been cancelled due to high surf. You could hear disappointing growns as I waited in the bathroom line for a second time. You could inmistakably hear some shouts of joy as well. I think I saw one woman jump up and down shooting her fingers like pistols in the air. Cancelled swim made everyone feel different. Pacific Coast Triathlon just became Pacific Coast Duathlon. Run-Bike-Run instead of Swim-Bike-Run.

The change definately played into my strengths. I was not a great swimmer, but have put more training time into that poriton of the race than any of the others. My run, after my continued injuries this spring wasn't eactly where I wanted it. I would have to rely on a good bike split.

The swim was supposed to start at the far end of Crystal Cove State Park, a 1/3 mile walk down the beach would have gotten you there. Since the swim was cancelled, the same walk down the beach, in the other direction, was now going to be our opening run. 1/2 mile run instead of a 1/2 mile swim.

7:00am. After a delayed start, 4 waves spaced 3 minutes apart and a 20 min break, I started at 7:40am. I was started with all the men aged 24 and under. I was racing with some post collegiates and some 12 year olds. Good times. I thought I could keep up with all the guys. It was only a 1/2 mile and I am from 7000 feet running on a beach. I was wrong. These kids kill it. Running on the beach is not my strong suit as well as doing zero speed work since last fall. I finished the first 1/2 mile 23 seconds behind the first kid. I was just glad he was in the younger age group. 3:14 for the first half mile.

Transition 1. Threw the shoes off, put the bike shoes on, swig of the water bottle, helmet, bike off the rack, I am off! 55 seconds. They time your transitions from entering the transition to leaving the transition. So all the running in and out of the transition area is also counted. I am heading out with a large group of guys.

Bike. We head out of the parking area and onto the Pacific Coast Highway. Also commonly known as Highway 1. The bike course is 12 miles. Two, 6 mile loops up and down a coned off portion of the highway. Each way had about a lane and a half of space to ride in. As you enter onto the highway and take a right out of the state park, it is immediately downhill. You merge with other cyclists who started in that initial 4 waves, as they have already done one lap during the time you where taking that 20 minute break. As we were merging with other cyclists and being the large gaggle we were creating, it was hard to not to break the rules that were being strongly enforced. These rules including: Drafting, the act of following closely behind another rider in order to save energy by the leading rider breaking the wind. And Blocking, the act of staying to the left of the bike lanes after passing another rider. When there are 20 riders surrounding you and only a lane and a half of width to share it gets difficult to follow these rules. As was said earlier, the bike course started out downhill from the transition area. But, as most educated individuals can deduce, if you go downhill on a looped course, you have to come back up. And come back up we did. The whole course was rolling. Out of the saddle, aero, out of the saddle, drive, aero, you could never get in a good rythm. As we went the first mile to the first turn around and back the length of the course (3 miles), 5 or 6 riders in my wave were cruising about the same speed. Some were intentionally drafting each other. I didn't want to get penalized for their actions and tried to stay to the left of them, but then I was blocking, also illegal. Predicament. By the end of 4 miles and the second turn around, I decided I needed to distance myself from them. I was doing much better on the climbs then they were and used it to my advantage. I earned a little lead. In all fairness, this course, despite the difficulty, was really fun! I caught a lot of my wave and kept cruising. I should have brought a water bottle onto the bike course, but consciously decided against it. I am now consciously kicking myself for that decision. By the end of the bike portion i knew I was dehydrated. I still had 3 miles to run. 31:47 for 12 miles.

Transition 2. Finished the bike feeling pretty far ahead. I slip my feet out of my shoes before I get to the transition so that when the dismount line approaches, I can hit the ground running. Rack my bike, slip the runner's back on, helmet off, swig some water, off again. 58 seconds.

Run. I started the run feeling pretty good. I was right behind a 17 year old. I kept trying to pace off of him, but by the first 1/2 mile I knew this was going to be a battle. My legs felt OK. But, my breathing was off, I was a tad dehydrated and was on the verge of a cramp that formed later. I am suspecting my lack of run training and going so hard on the bike on a hard bike course may have done me in. The sport of triathlon is interesting for many reasons, one of them being the body marking. In a sport that lacks plentiful clothing, creative ways to identify you need to be used. Hence Body Marking. You get your race number on your arm, thigh and your age on your calf. The latter of which, as far as I can deduce, is only for other athletes to know if you are in their age group. I used this bit of info plentifully. For every one who passed me on the run, I would check there calf first. 17, 16, 16, 18, 19...No one in my age group. But, that young group were studs. We are running along a paved path that parallels the PCH. After the first mile or so, we turn left and down a pathway to the beach. Another sand run. And again, use the noggin, you go down...you must do what? That's right, go back up. After 1/2 mile on the beach and being passed by two in my age group, we head up a very steep, very uncomfortable, very slow going kind of hill. Even for my 7000ft lungs, I was huffing. But, the brightside was a water station at the top and a gradual descent to the finish. No more people passed me. 19:10, 3 mile run.

Total time was 56:04. No penalties. Thank God. I was sure those other kids had gotten me caught. 7th in my age group. 59th overall. 4 min and 11 seconds behind the winner.

Its a bummer that the swim didn't go, but God had other plans. I did my duty and accomplished the goal set for me. Now...Do i go to Australia or not?

Almost here...

The weather has been gorgeous lately. Can't ask for a better climate to liv ein during the summer.

I am only a handful of days away from the Pacific Coast Triathlon. If you are just joining me, it is the sprint national championship and the sole world championship qualifier. Since my last post, i have bought a new wetsuit, which is interesting to say the least, and kept up my training. My swim is getting better and my run is coming along. Still not where i want but i think it will be good enough for the race. I am unsure where my cycling is. I know I have the strength, but i am not sure where my speed is at.

I ran the "Four on the Fourth" race on July 4th. It was the Flagstaff inaugural installment of the race. 4 miles on the wonderful urban trails we have in Flagstaff. It is an interesting race because everyone starts in waves according to their age and gender. For instance the oldest women start before everyone else. In this particular case, the first wave went off 12 minutes ahead of the last wave, which happened to be mine. There were something like 65 or 70 runners in the race. Meaning, being the last to start, that I had to pass every single person if i wanted to win. It makes it nice for me, because i am a back of the pack kind of runner. Meaning, I go faster when I have people to catch and pass.

I wasn't expecting much from the race due to the lack of any speed training yet this summer, but, as usual, I surprised myself. My first mile split was 5:53. I have not run under 6 minutes since december because of my constant injuries and build-up training. So, it was good. I finished the race in 10th place. Although, I think I had the 3rd or 4th fastest overall time. As I said earlier, someone who started, let's say, 6 minutes ahead of me could run five minutes slower in total time, but cross the finish a minute ahead because of the handicap. Kind of a bummer. But, the top-10 won certificates, so I can't complain. And knowing that I was faster than most in the top-10 anyway makes it easier to digest anyway.

To more recent news. I did my first 'brick' workout today. A bike-transition-run workout. I know, it is probably too late to get any benefit from the workout before next weekends race. I felt alright, although my legs had nothing for the hills towards the end of my run. Otherwise, it wasn't too bad. And my transition felt pretty 'ok' too.

I am still really nervous for the race. It is the biggest one of my triathlon racing career so far and I am just praying that everything goes good. It is going to be quite exciting, no matter the outcome.

104 mile debacle...

A recap of the Flagstaff Barn burner.

The beginning of the day seemed to be foreshadowing the conclusion. By that i mean, rain.

Alarm goes off at 4:00am. Yeah, that's the morning. Most of my gear and food and water was set out the day before. It was just a matter of double and triple checking everything i had, eating, showering and loading up for the hour drive to the race venue. At about 4:30, I realize it is raining outside, not really hard, but constant and wet. Great. I say that with some sarcasm, when in all truth, it wasn't really bothering me. Even on the drive up 180 and across the miles of slick, muddy, pot-holed roads, i didn't really care. Which is odd.

I left the house about 5:15 after not being able to find the socks i had pulled out of my dresser (they were in the dryer, nicely folded, where i left them as i was looking for something else). I also couldn't find my hand pump. Probably should have looked for it yesterday. Thanks for bringing an extra Mr. Pfannenstiel.

I fell in line with a caravan of cars heading in the general direction of the temporary city set up for the race. This inaugural event had over 400 riders in all teams! it was an impressive site as we drove closer. I have experienced this same shanty race living once before when i raced on a 4-man team at the 24hours in the Old Pueblo. Still blows my mind.

I arrive just after 6am at the race. Final instructions are being belted out by the announcer from the safety of the barn (hence the name "Barn Burner"). A final racer meeting is set to start at 6:15. They are surprisingly right on time. Mumbles circulate through the crowd about the mud. Shoes are inches higher from the build-up of the sticky stuff. Race start is Le-Mans style...200meter run to the bikes. Should be a great time trying to clip in with mud-clogged shoes.

Final inspection of the bike and off to the rack. Andy shows up just in time to go over some last minute instructions. He is going to be my feed man for the first couple laps.

We pilgrimage to the start. Count down. GO! and then the gun goes off. Late. As we run passed. Whatever. I am running on the grass, trying to stay out of the mud as much as possible. Give andy a last minute hoot and holler and a pat on the shoulder as i run passed. I miss my bike in the rack. Have to go back for it. I am off. Surprisingly, i have little problem getting my shoes into the pedals. Mud is flying everywhere off tires. I can feel clumps hitting every part of my body.

To the course. 4 laps, 26 miles each, 1700ft of elevation gain per lap. I have one gear on my bike, no suspension and no food on the first lap. Didn't think i needed it. Bad choice on all three of the previous descriptions. The first lap is fast. I am at a disadvantage with only one gear on my bike. While everyone else can shift down to go faster down hills. I have a limit. I hate that. I know i can physically go faster but my bike won't allow it. I kill it on the uphill. Some say this is also a disadvantge. On a bike with gears, you can shift up and make the hill easier. I can't, obviously. Most of everyone who passes me on the downhills gets passed back and their pride a little hurt as i cruise passed with one gear. This first lap seems to go on forever. I don't know where we are. By the time i ask someone how far we have gone he says 22 miles. Nice. I am about 1.5 hours into the first lap. Starting to feel hungry and wishing i had brought some food with me.

There are two large ascents per lap. One about halfway through the course and the second right before the end of the lap.They just keep going! You will get little breaks as the hill levels out for 100m, but then start back up again. Killed my legs. As i said earlier, with only one gear, you can't shift up to make the pedaling easier. I had to crank up every hill. No easy way out.

Lap one is done. I come through the barn. They record my time, and I am out the other side. Andy is waiting with my food. Trevor was also there to help with support. I have to say that he was sick the night before and still got up to come cheer me on. Thanks trevor. I should have put more food in. I asked for a powerbar gel and an apple. I also got filled waterbottles. I down the gel, take a bite of the apple, stick it in my mouth and i am off for a second lap. My chain starts acting up and coming off. Its an easy fix, but when it happens every 2 minutes, it gets frustrating. I had no problem the first lap, now i do. About a mile in and at the conclusion of my apple eating, i realize i am going to need more food. This lap, now that i know the course, is mentally clicking by. It is going by quick. A few other single speeders pass me. I think i was the first single speed to finish the first lap. I am now in fourth. Just after one of these single speeders passes me and says, "Nice, rigid" (commenting in my lack of suspension) we come up on a self-serve feed table. They have gatorade, water, power bars and powerbar gels. This guy gets a flat. I fill up, grab my goodies and am out again. I down a powerbar, another gel and and some gatorade. I start to feel much better. Before the energy, I was thinking of throwing in the towel, its no fun being hungry, bonking and just pounding out the miles.

Its also no fun having zero suspension. I heard this was a fast course and it sure was, but the lack of any reprieve from rocks sucks. I thought it shouldn't be any problem, i was wrong, once again. After every climb usually came a descent. Most likely a rocky descent. Holding onto the handlebars for dear life, makes your hands feel like they are on fire. I would literally let go to shake them out from time to time and my fingers would hurt to straighten because they were so cramped. Let alone just getting pounded by the vibrations. My biceps began to hurt. Never again.

Second lap is over. I feel pretty good. It was a tad slower lap, but it went by a lot quicker in my mind because i wasn't blind to the. course anymore. I switched, my sweaty, muddy jersey for a new one, picked up more gel, almonds, and some kiwi chips. Another water bottle as well. Third lap. Andy had to go to work after this feed. Lauren and Mick were taking his place. My parents were also coming out.

About a mile into this lap, after feeling good while picking up my food. My legs began to weaken. I ate some more, but wasn't really hungry. I drank but that wasn't it either. My legs were tired and they were letting me know it. I still had 25 miles til the end of this lap. I could tell i was a lot slower. My chain came off a couple more times. More frustration. I thought if i could make it to the self-serve energy bar, i could take a short break and get some gatorade. it helped me last time, maybe this time too. The difference on this lap was the constant counting of miles. It made the energy bar come mush slower. I hadn't even hit the climbs yet. I was dreading it already.

The whole lap was a constant internal battle whether to give up or not. Numerous times i came to the conclusion of quitting only to tell myself that i was way ahead of my goal time and i could take a 15 minute break when i got back to camp and then pound out the last lap. This happened a dozen times over the third lap.

Less people seemed to be out this time around, i knew that some would be finishing soon. I knew that after 52 miles, everyone would get spread out. It was nice to know that i wasn't getting passed all the time. I walked up the first climb, for the first time. Someone passed me on the climb for the first time. I was losing the battle. I kept hashing out the miles. First climb over. First large descent, over. Long stretch of gradual uphill, over. Here comes the final, huge, steep climb. I need a break. I drop my bike on the side of the road. Eat a little. Two minutes might have passed. Here we go. I decide on that climb, that i don't, can't put myself through another lap. My body was telling me to stop. I wasn't ready to go 104 miles. I did 78 and DNFed.

I have never, not finished a race. I don't sign-up for races with out the intent to finish and do well. I can only imagine what would have happened if i went out for that final lap. I would have walked, i would have gone slow, i probably would have finished and earned the coveted belt buckle that was my main motivation for signing up in the first place. But, it would have been huge pain. It wouldn't have been fun and I very well might have raced myself into some form of weakened health. The lack of fun and physical and mental break down was enough for me to call it quits. I am still second guessing my decision. I feel like a quitter. I had already completed 3 of 4 laps. What was one more? I can't tell people that it was a struggle, but i finished. I have to tell them that i dropped out. Doing 78 miles, while a huge accomplishment, isn't 104 miles. I will eventually forgive myself. But, this race is going to be that black mark on my racing career.

miles...

Back again for another installment of the blog. Summer seems to be in full swing. The temperatures have been cool as of late. Cooler than a normal June would allow to believe. But, I have been reassured by the 'trusty' weatherman that we are supposed to warm up this week and finally peak over the 80 degree mark.

It was my birthday yesterday and I am no longer a teenager under law. A new decade has arisen in my life.

I am racing in a 104 mile mountain bike race on saturday. Do I think I am ready for it? probably not, but i am going to give the ol' fighting try and keep pedalin' til the finish line. Its only 12 hours of riding right? Stay tuned for a re-cap of that race early next week.

I am still trying to fight off a minor cold i have been dealing with since early last week. It comes on as a stuffy nose and doesn't seem to be shaken.

My running is coming along. I am up to about 3 miles at a time. Once i feel comfortable doing that distance i will increase it a little more and sooner or later i will be getting in a good amount of miles every week. I am doing no speed work until July. Not even strides at the end of a run. I want to make sure my legs have enough miles under them before I add any speed.

I believe that is it. Work is still rocking my socks. And I can't believe that one of my literally 3 days of vacation this year is going to be mountain biking 104 miles. Whatever.

Oh Boy....

June has finally arrived. The rain has finally left and the summer is kicking into high gear.
Work is still kicking my butt. I have worked overtime the last three weeks. Which are incidentally the first three full weeks of my summer vacation.

I have been trying to get at least two workouts in everyday with one rest day a week. So far its been going pretty good. There are some days when i can only get one or none in because of work. But, i shake that off and continue on the next day.

I am up to about 2.5-3 miles per run now. Still really easy running. I don't want to push myself at all at this point. I am going to gradually work up a base and continue the gradual increase of mileage. I am expecting not to do any speed work before my triathlon in July. Then, hit the track and the trails for some faster work for the World Championships in September (hopefully, if i qualify).

I also have a 104 mile mountain bike race coming up at the end of june. I think its only in like two weeks. I can't believe how fast it is arriving. I might not be ready for it at all, but i think my mental drive and determination not to quit will keep me rolling over the long miles. Plus, they are awarding SWEET custom belt buckles to the individuals who break 12 hours. I think i can do that and the belt buckle is my one and only motivation.

Anyway, I am about to go swimming this morning for my second pool session this week. A short run after that and probably a mountain bike ride later on. Today is one of my coveted days off this week and i intend to use it fully. Later.

slowly but surely...

One week of running down, 6 miles total. Still a little pain in the IT band. I am planning on setting up a massage for it next week through the hospital. They would know better about what specifically to do for it.

Swam again today. the pool at the Aquaplex kind of suck for lap swimming and is awesome for everything else. They say its a 20m pool, i am thinking 20yds. Its also like 87-89 degrees! That comparable to running in 95-100 degree heat. I get out of the pool and sweat! But, its the only pool open. two more days of that this week and then more pools will open.

Been riding a little as well. Not as much as i would like, but i still don't think i am up to my regular fitness. I am getting about 75-100 miles/week.

Work is kicking my butt. Last week was my first full week off of school and i was already into overtime! I am actually liking it a little though. I feel very accomplished at the end of the week.

Swim and two miles running tomorrow. Mountain bike on thursday. yes.

Summertime...

Two more days! I get to run again! The IT Band is feeling better, not 100% by any means, but better.

I have to figure out a new place to swim for the next month. The country club pool doesn't open til memorial day weekend and the Natatorium on cmapus (where i usually swim) is closed to rec swimming for the month of May. Who does that? I can't believe they close for a whole month. I can't believe flagstaff doesn't have more public pools.

The weather is Nice! I have been able to commute on my bike again. Get some miles in. I am feeling really good for this part of the season as far as my cycling is concerned. Let's hope that carries through til July.

Next race: Flagstaff Barnburner. A 104 mile looping mountain bike course. June 20th. Single Speed. Break 12 hours and you get a sweet belt buckle. That is my one and only motivation.

Not much changing as far as training is concerned. School is over. Summer has officially started. And what better way to start than two days of Grand Canyon Region track and field!

Training gets serious next week. Check you later.

Ups and downs...

I had a good day and a bad day yesterday. We'll start with the good. I got in the pool for a 1000m time trial. I dropped my 750m time (en route) to 12:44 and my 1000m to 17:13. Those times are still a lot slower than i would like them, but i am seeing successes in small triumphs. I mark my progress by dropping under certain minutes blocks. For example, My next goal is to drop my 1000m under 17 minutes. I am hoping that with more time in the pool this summer i can drop those times exponentially and get to a point where i feel comfortable as a threat in races.

Bad news. I hopped on the bike later in the day and i felt absolutely horrible. My legs were heavy. I think a lot of it came from the strong headwinds. It also could have been from being the first good day on the bike outside since last year. Riding inside on a trainer only does so much. But, I don't like making excuses.

One success and one needing improvement. My IT band is feeling better and i am counting the days til i get back to running full time.

Mental blocks...

I am having mental blocks. Not the kind that ail you when you are trying to write an essay or a song. But the kind of mental blocks that make everything you do seem bad. For example, I want to get back to running. But, today especially, I am feeling horrible. I am sick of feeling bad. Well, not bad necessarily, just not 100%.

I had my knee diagnosed last thursday. I have Illiotibial Band Syndrome A.K.A. ITBS or IT Band Syndrome. It is a swelling of the It Band which runs from your hip to just below your knee. I have started home therapy on it.

I look back at this year and am thinking, "Man, here i am in April and i have yet to put in any good run training." I think never being seriously injured before is really a blessing and a hindrance at the same time. I am not dealing with this well. On the other hand, even if i start my base back up come may and the end of the semester, i will still have a good 8-10 weeks of training time before the race the matters, The Pacific Coast Triathlon.

The whole situation is mighty frustrating.

Time is just seeming to fly by these days. One minute it was spring break and now its two weeks after and I am counting down the days til the end of the semester.

I felt really good in the pool today. The pool trolls moved the lanes back to short course which was a nice change. The Japanese team must have left again. I have been running a couple miles per day or every other day. No pain back in my knee but i am still being super cautious about everything. Every little ache and pain is registered on the mental radar. I think its good to be cautious, so you catch injuries before they get too bad, but i might be over doing it.

The weather is still a nuisance. Its either warm and super windy or cold or cold and windy. There is no good weather in flagstaff in the spring.

I need to get back on the bike more, i think i am ahead of where i was last year as far as fitness goes but i won't know until this summer.

I guess that is about it. The Rock and Worship Roadshow was awesome! Good job to the few track athletes that competed this weekend at chandler. I'm out!

Back to it...

I finally went running again. After just about 4 weeks off, i went on an easy 30 minute jog with a co-coach of mine last saturday. Except for the usual aches and pains from getting back into running, i felt ok. I went running an easy 20 min on tuesday and that felt pretty ok too. My knee doesn't seem to be bothering me yet, but we'll see what happens when my pavement pounding becomes more routine. I hope to get out again today for an easy 20-25 min.

I am being very cautious this time around. My base mileage last fall was obviously low and i didn't have the strength to keep up training at the intensity that i was going. I am really focusing on getting myself healthy and staying healthy through the year.

This week, in general, is pretty laid back. It is spring break and the pool is closed. No swimming. I haven't yet, but i want to get on my bike maybe once or twice this week too. It is generally a recovery week and i will be back to normal training, plus running, next week once school recommences.

base training...

I am still off of running which i am mentally feeling better about. I still have two weeks of self prescribed rest before i try another few easy miles. Track season is in full swing. The high school team that i assitant coach had their first meet last night. Most of them did a good job, although we have a lot of work left to do.

Personally, my own cycling and swim training is going well. I had an opportunity to get out a few times last week on the bike. It was breezy at times but felt a lot better than so much time on the trainer. I am also getting in a consistent 3 days in the pool every week. I am working up my base in both cases. I want to drop my 1500m swim time down to 25min by May. I feel like right now i am at about 27-28min.

Not much else happening really. The weather is supposed to get bad again this weekend and into next week. I will hibernating on my trainer once again.

motivation...

As i am in a transition period of my training. Meaning, i am trying to get over the little niggles i am feeling in my legs by not running (again). As well as beginning my base phase for the cycling and swimming. I have been comtemplating my reasons for doing what i do and this is what i have come up with:

1. I like being in shape both by looking fit (six pack and the like)and by being able to ride 40+miles, swim daily and run half marathons without much second thought.

2. I think about going fast and i like the feeling, so training helps me get faster and therefore live the 'fast' dreams.

3. I like competition. Training helps me be competitive where most people could never be and i feel truly blessed for that ability.

The problem i am facing is the fact that i have no long term goals. Sure the olympics would be great, Ironman too. But, i am not sure i could stay motivated for 4 years to, perhaps, be disappointed. I am the kind of person who waits til a week or two before a race to sign up so i know i really want to do it. Until this last fall, I hadn't specifically trained for a race for more than a month. Its usually a spur of the moment decision whether to race or not.

The bottom line of this problem is: how am i going to keep myself motivated to swim everyday, run everyday or bike everyday, let alone do all of them multiple times every week? So far i have had mediocre success with local races and a general natural ability pull me to the finish line, usually in a high placing. But a top-5 finish in a local race is nothing campared to be top-5 in a high class field of racers. I can see myself being a great athlete, but how do keep myself motivated to reach that goal? And what exactly is that goal? Olympian? Ironman? Until i figure that out, i feel like it is an endless struggle to keep myself motivated.

Time flies...

What happened to these days?

More snow...

Last wednesday, one week ago from today, I was running in short sleeves and shorts. I believe the temperature that day was close to 60 degrees, 57 i think. Absolutely gorgeous. Most of the snow from the previous christmas holiday storms was gone and sunny portions of the trails were mostly dry and firm again. And then...

28inches of snow, hours of shoveling and a rare snowday at NAU later, i am wiped. Mentally and Physically. I literally shoveled hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of snow the last couple of days from our driveway. My shoulders, back, abs, and forearms are all sore. I took a day off from swimming today because even if i wanted to swim it would be a wasted workout because of my aching muscles. I was asleep last night at 8pm. Lame. I know.

Mentally, i was stoked for the trails to be back open. I am not really a fan of running on the streets (although i will do it out of necessity). And the streets aren't all that safe anyway. Ice and cars tend to keep me off the asphalt.

Good news is, my dad will probably not be gone fighting fires this summer as much. And, we desperately need the moisture.

Nothing much...

Not much happening here.

A couple days late, but the Cardinals lost and the whole of Arizona sighed at being so close to a championship winning state again. The weather is nice, pending a horrible snow storm predicted for this weekend. I, after a few weeks, have finally found a routine around my school schedule to train. And i missed out on signing up for the Desert Classic Duathlon this last weekend because of being sold out. I tend to wait until the last minute to sign up, just to make sure I am really going to be ready. It doesn't bode well for these kinds of races that sell out early.

Its a bummer that I am not racing in February, but there are some upsides. One of the silver linings means i don't have to spend money to race or travel. Without having a job for the next couple of months, its nice not spending so much money. Secondly, I am not feeling pressured to be physically ready for it.

Next race is the Tempe International Triathlon in May. It will be my first olympic distance triathlon and if training goes well, it could be a break-out triathlon for me. And i will make sure i sign up early for it. ;)

Feelin' better...

After a slow start back into running and a quick examination by a physical therapist of my calves, i am feeling better after my break. I have started to take stretching more seriously (something i took for granted) and have slowed down my easy runs. I am usually a 'give it all you got' kind of runner, even on easy days and I have begun to change. My muscle soreness is becoming a deterrant to running and i don't want it to be, hence the change of mentality.

I ran about 20 miles last week along with a few hours on the indoor bike trainer as i prepare for the Desert Classic Duathlon at the end of February. I hope to work my way back up to 35-40 miles/week by the first week of Feb. I am not looking to run any PR's, although a good time would be appreciated and a Worlds Qualifying wouldn't be too shabby either.

I got back in the pool again today too after 5 weeks out and, although not as fast, I felt good and bad at the same time. I felt exactly where I should be. My endurance suffered, my muscles were a little tight. I hope to be back to full strength in the next few weeks in the water as well.

As far as i am concerned I am feeling good about where I am physically, albeit still a tad tight in the legs, and I should be ready for the Desert Classic when it rolls around.

Changes...

The first big change is it is now 2009! It has been 2009 for a few days and so far, not so special. But, who knows, i don't tend to judge the outcome of things by the beginning. If everyone judged things that way, Michael Phelps wouldn't have won 8 gold medals, The two wars we are in would be over and the snow would just keep coming down. Fortunately Michael Phelps did win 8 golds, and it has stopped snowing everyday.

Now, on to running. Big news: I am not running the marathon, nor the half marathon anymore. I really had to re-evaluate my goals for 2009. I originally signed up for the RNR Marathon in phoenix with the intent to leap frog into the AZ Ironman in November. Well, plans changed there too and I don't think thats the way i want to go just yet. I want to focus on the shorter distance triathlons and work my way up.

Physically i wasn't feeling it either. The recovery from the Tucson half took a lot more out of me than i expected and i wasn't feeling good on my long runs after that. I thought, "Man, if it takes me this long to recover from the half marathon, its going to take me twice as long to recover from the full!" And i can't take that much time off. I have a Duathlon at the end of February and it is a world championship qualifier. I don't have the intent to race at the World championship if i make it, but i want to give myself the best shot at qualifying. Secondly, i just felt like a I needed a break. I haven't run since christmas eve and i think this is good for my legs. Once school starts back up in a little less than a week. I will get back in the pool, back on the trainer and back out on the roads to train for the new exciting year ahead!