Show Low Race Report



We're back from Show Low and life is back to normal for a little while before we leave to Dexter for the NM state triathlon championships this weekend. The races in Show Low went well and I had a lot of fun racing, hanging out with my bro Mike, and of course spending time with my own family. There were however some bads too, like getting a speeding ticket in Quemado, NM and getting a flat during Saturday's race.


Saturdays race was the Olympic distance road triathlon and this was my first time doing this event so I had nothing to compare it to and I didn't know what I could do or how I would feel. The swim was really cold, like 56 degrees! My full wetsuit did help a lot but you still can feel it. I got in early and had a hard time breathing but I did sort of get used to it and once the race starts you just sort of start like everybody else. I think I swam really straight and exited the 1500m swim in 25:35 which put me in 34th place of 216 finishers. Onto the bike and I had a hard time getting started because my legs were so cold. It took a little while but I did get it going and started passing people until I got a flat. I had bought this new stuff called Pit Stop that supposedly would fix and inflate my tire all in one quick stop sort of like fix-a-flat so I was ready to get it fixed and get back into the race. Much like fix-a-flat the Pit Stop didn't work and I again had to stop and this time replace my tire with a spare and fill it up using a CO2 cartridge. It's hard sitting there on the side of the road when you can sense a million people passing you by. I have no idea how long all of this took me but I estimate it to be anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. I finished the 40k ride in 1:14 good enough for the 60th fastest bike split. Once on the run I did my best to maintain a consistent pace but it was difficult because of the hills and the off-road sections on the course. I finished the 10k run in 48:16 and I finished the race in 39th place overall and 4th in the 30-34 age group. I was ok with it but there is always work to be done and I'm not really satisfied. Without the flat I guess I might have been second in my age group but coulda woulda shoulda ya know? I now have a mark that I can surpass next year :)


Onto Sundays race, the Xterra off-road triathlon. Same cold lake swim but this time just half as long. I swam a 14:12 800m good enough for 19th out of 127 finishers. The bike was a lot of fun in a twisted sort of way as it was rocky, hilly, muddy, log jumping, downhill kind of course. While I do enjoy mountain biking I do not claim to be a mountain biker. I'm just not that brave and I would rather not crash if I don't have to. I finished the ride safely and without a flat and was able to have the 39th fastest bike split. The run was pretty crazy as we ran (walked) up a climb called the eliminator and the mini eliminator, ran through knee deep water and even up stairs. It was a lot of fun and I got pretty dirty and I finished 35 overall and 5th in my age group. Now I have done this Xterra before, in 2005, and I was able to better my time by 13 minutes!


Like I said in the beginning there were some good and some bad. I know I should be faster and more competitive outside of NM. My swimming is coming around and my bike is my strength right now but I really need to work on some speed for my run. After this weekends race in Dexter I'll have some time to dedicate to consistent training and I know my times will improve as will my confidence.


Here are some pictures from the races and the weekend, I hope you enjoy them.

Hi from Emma!

THE BIKES

We're getting ready to leave for Show Low and I got both bikes cleaned and ready for the weekends races. My triathlon bike just got a new upgrade with the aero bottle, carbon stem,carbon brake levers, carbon base bar and carbon aerobars. I really like the way they look so sleek and it even dropped the weight of my bike by almost a quarter pound. It now weighs as is 16.4 pounds. The mountain bike got new tires which actually made it a little heavier but much more reliable.

SUMMERTIME 

It's here!  School ended last week and we officially checked out of our rooms today.  Lindsey and I both were able to get a run in early this morning before Emma was even awake.  We walked to the pool and were there pretty much the entire afternoon and I was able to get in a workout when Emma got cold and wanted to take a warm shower.  Before I was finished however, she was already back in after having already changed back into her dress.  She's really getting to be a good little swimmer.  It seems like she is doing more and more every time we go.  She can jump off the board, flip from the side, dive from the side, go anywhere while holding onto a noodle and kicking, do a "pencil drop", a torpedo, a corkscrew... the list goes on and on.  

This last weekend were over in Phoenix for a relatives high school graduation party and to spend some time with my oldest brother, Paul.  We had a great time and even drove through snow and  fog in Payson on our way there.  One of the highlights was going to be swimming in our cousins pool but the unusual cold spell had knocked the temperature down to 71 degrees and a little too cold for us.  On the Tuesday before we had arrived, the air temperature in Phoenix was already 110 degrees!  It took Emmster a little bit to get out of her shell but she did and her and her Uncle Paul had a lot of fun together.  They were being sneaky and playing tricks on everybody with ice cubes.  She had a blast and laughed so much as she enjoyed being a little bit mischievous.      

Coming up is this weekends triathlon festival in Show Low, AZ.  The races are called Deuces Wild and there is a total of 3 races over the weekend but the most one can participate in is 2.  I have decided to treat the weekend as a fun training weekend and I am registered for an Olympic  triathlon (1500m swim/40k bike/10k run) on Saturday and an Xterra off-road triathlon (800m swim/24k mtn bike/8k trail run) on Sunday.  Mike will be in town tomorrow and he will be doing them too so I'm looking forward to it all.  

And I'll leave you with a video by Kenny Chesney called (what else) Summertime... 

Jay Benson Triathlon

Today was my first triathlon of the season and I have to say that I surprised myself. The triathlon was the Jay Benson memorial sprint triathlon held on Kirtland AFB, in Albuquerque, NM. The distances were a 3 mile run, a 20km bike and a 400m swim.

The day started dark and early at 5:00am and we were on the road to ensure plenty of time to get onto base, pick up my race packet, and set up my transition spot. The weather was cold and windy but by race time conditions had improved. Everything went smoothly and I had a good warm up before the 8:00 am start.

All men started together and ran along a street lined with all the supporters and women racers who would start later. As you can imagine the run started out fast! I on the other hand started out pretty conservatively. I know that my best runs are always when I negative split them so I held back and let a lot of people go knowing I would see them again. I let things settle down and I started picking people off one and two at a time. At the first turn on the course I counted that I was in 28th place overall. I continued picking up the pace until my legs were running as fast as they would turn over and I never let anyone pass me . Finish time was 19:07. I never felt like dying and was able to finish strong so I know I can go faster once I start putting some speed work into my training. The fastest run on the day was 16:47 to put things in perspective.

Once onto the bike I started working hard from the get-go. I just started picking people off one by one. I only allowed one person to pass me and I finished the ride in 30:35 which amounts to an average speed of 24.4 mph! At this point I was in 8th place overall. The fastet bike split of the day was 29:06. My performance on the bike was a big surprise for me and is really encouraging as my real training hasn't even started yet.

On the transition to the swim I ran passed one person (the guy that passed me on the bike) and jumped in right behind the 6th place competitor. As soon as I jumped in I got a huge cramp in my right calf. It was so tight I couldn't point my toes out, kick, or push off the walls. Fortunately I didn't lose any places during this time and by the halfway mark it went away and I was able to start "swimming". I was able to get around one person and finished the swim in 6th place overall! I was so glad to be done I took a deap breath at the end of the pool not knowing I still had to jump out and run about 12 feet to the timing mat. At that point I allowed the two guys behind me to beat me to the mat and push me to 8th place overall by less than a second :(

Total time was 58:55, I finished 8th overall and second in the 30-34 age group. Total, there were 183 male competitors. Like I said earlier the final stats surprise me...in a good way. This race is one of the faster races in New Mexico as it's the only triathlon held in Albuquerque. With this result I am really looking forward to training some more over the next 3 weeks before I race again at the Deuces Wild Triathlon Festival in Show Low, Arizona. There I will be doing an Olympic distance triathlon on Saturday and an Xterra off-road triathlon on Sunday. Then the following weekend is arguably New Mexico's most competitive triathlon, the Milkman triathlon in Dexter, NM. This race will serve as the NM state championships for 2008.

Thanks to Lindsey and Emma for getting up with me and cheering me on all day. I even surprised her when I came back from the bike ride as she wasn't quite expecting me yet! You guys make the day even more special, happy Mothers Day and I love you.

Training Update

Track is now officially over and I am eager to ramp up my own training and get summer started.  I really enjoyed coaching track and am really proud of 4 of our athletes that were brought up by the high school team and are already top athletes for them.  One girl in particular, the one I wrote about on here not too long ago, missed qualifying for the 400m high school state championships by only 1 second!  

I am having one of my best training weekends in a long time.  It's really not a whole lot compared to what I have done in the past or what I want to be doing but it is still something I have not been able to do for a long time.  Yesterday I ran for an hour and a half.  The total distance was just over 11 miles.  Today I rode 50 miles alone in 2 hours and fifty minutes.  Both workouts felt good and pushed me just the right amount.  I still want to get to the pool for a little swim but I think we are having some people over that we work with for an afternoon cookout so we'll see how that goes.    

Check back as I'm actually writing stuff again.  Stay tuned for my first triathlon of the season next Sunday, mothers day.  

Yes I know it has been a really long time since an update, sorry. As you may or may not know, Lindsey and I have been coaching middle school track and it just so happens that tomorrow is our last meet of the season...HOORAH! I do enjoy coaching but I also enjoy some time for myself and my family. Triathlons are starting and I will be doing my first of the season on Mothers Day in Albuquerque, NM. It's called the Jay Benson Memorial Triathlon and it's one of the races that I used to do every year back when I first started doing triathlons 12 years ago. This race is always competitive and very fast. Being in Alb it sells out and attracts top local talent. For me, I am not chasing any overall placings, I just want to do it comfortably fast (whatever that means) and just get back into the swing of things. Last year, I only did the Socorro triathlon with very little training and the only reason I did that one is because I have done every race there since the innagural and I wanted to keep the streak alive. I recently read that there are three things in life: family, career, and your hobby. You can only choose two to do well because you can't do all three well. I guess last year I had to let triathlon go in order to work on the other two. Now with things falling into place and the fact that my career offers me the opportunity to have more than 2 months off I can again concentrate on my hobby. Being a teacher does take the career part out during the summer...SWEET!

Please keep checking back often for updates and don't be afraid to leave a comment, it shows me that people actually read this!