So while most people head south for the winter's and north for the summer's, I seem to be doing it in reverse. I'm spending the beginning part of the winter up in Calgary and then heading down to Texas for the spring and summer months. I think I may have gotten this a little backwards. Haha. At least it was finally above freezing yesterday, first time in about two weeks, but only lasted for the day. Today back down in the low 20's with chindwills in the teens. I guess that 12 mile run will be on the treadmill after all
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
2014 Race Schedule
While this will always be a work in progress my tentative 2014 pro race schedule is as follows
- April 6th - Galveston 70.3
- May 3rd - St. George 70.3 (US Pro Championships)
- June 15th - Boulder 70.3 (tentatively)
- July 13th - Vineman 70.3
- July 27th - Calgary 70.3
- September 7th - IM Wisconsin
Kona Race Recap
Well it has been a long time since I've written on my blog so I won't try to cover everything. Following IMTX back in May I resigned from my full time engineering position at ExxonMobil and began to pursue my dream of being a full time professional triathlete. My girlfriend and I began a 6 month trek throughout the United States moving from race to race and finding some pretty amazing places along the way to train and travel. We started out in Wisconsin staying in Devil's Lake State Park for about 2 months during July and August. The area was a great place for hill training compared to Texas and the State Park is one of the premier rock climbing areas in the Midwest which was a great cross training activity and a shared passion for my girl friend and I. I raced at Racine 70.3 at the end of July and had a very disappointing at 4:16 due to an IT band injury on my right leg, that I would come to find out would stick with me most of the summer. After Racine I raced at the USAT Age Group Olympic National Championships in Milwaukee, WI and had a PR at the olympic distance of 1:58:21 and finished just of the podium in 6th place.
Next we headed to the western US out to Colorado to stay with my uncle just outside Colorado Springs. While I have been to Colorado dozens of times on family vacations growing up and for work, I've never been able to train in the mountains the way I did this time. Getting to do 130 mile rides in the mountains outside the Springs and Denver where absolutely beautiful. I can definitely see why all the pros move to Boulder to live and train. The most epic ride I had was riding from Denver out through Golden and along the peak to peak highway, down through Boulder and back to Denver. It pained me to see all the reports on the flooding that was going on there knowing how beautiful on area that is. The flooding also affected us over in the Springs area with the pool in Manitou Springs getting closed due to the flooding and much of the downtown area was heavily damaged. While we were there we managed to make several day trips to Garden of the Gods, Red Rock Open Space, and even hike up to the summit of Pikes Peak. What a view!!
After four weeks in Colorado we headed off to Utah to see Moab, Arches NP, and Zion & Bryce NP's. We started off in Moab and got to spend a week roaming the area and seeing both Arches and Canyon Lands National Parks. Moab was probably my favorite part of our trip and had some of the best road biking I've ever ridden on. We definitely plan on going back next year but will be bringing mountain bikes next time!! Next up was Zion and Bryce National Parks. While I was hoping for some heat training we seemed to have missed the heat and were hit with some pretty cold days and especially nights. I was finally thankful that we had been carrying some extra blankets for our trip or it would have been mighty cold in that tent. Haha. I had been to Zion & Bryce in 2010 but had forgotten just how beautiful it was. We also made several new friends at the campground we stayed at for almost two weeks and even meet some other pro-triathletes, Heather and Trevor Wurtele. Very nice people. Our trip to Zion and Bryce got cut a little short due to the government shut down but luckily we got to see all of the major attractions we wanted to see.
So finally after almost 4 months of traveling we headed to Seattle to fly out to Kona. The flight out and days leading up to the race were just a blur of trying to stay relaxed and getting mentally prepared to race. Going into the race I knew that I was most likely not going to be able to showcase my true fitness due to my right IT band flaring back up only a few weeks before the race. Race day couldn't have been better weather if we had planned it. The swim start was the most hectic that I have even been apart of. Luckily after months of training with Tim Floyd I was able to get out in the front of the swim pack and was able to get into the lead pack. My swim time wasn't the greatest at 56 but after looking at everyone's times it seems like the swim was a little slow this year. I came out of the water in 10th in my AG and headed out onto the bike to see what my leg would let me do for the day. Apart from a bit of a head wind on the way back into town the winds were pretty light and the temps were pretty cool. Unfortunately I couldn't hammer the bike without risking locking up my right leg completely and not being able to complete the run. I had a very disappointing bike ride at 5:16 but luckily I was able to get off and by really holding my form as solid as I could run a 3:35 marathon. All in all I don't consider my first trip to the Big Island as any kind of success apart from being exposed to the course and atmosphere that is out there and that is something worth it's weight in gold for years to come. I accepted my pro card based on my race result at the beginning of the year at the IMTX 70.3 in Galveston where I finished as the 3rd overall amateur and went 4:08:49 (PR at the 70.3 distance). After Kona we headed out to Maui for a little over a week to enjoy some of the island fun and relax after such a hectic year. The snorkeling and hiking were just amazing and the weather was perfect. or in other wards Hawaii haha, for our whole trip. Can't wait to start it all again in 2014 with the Galveston 70.3 as my debut pro race.
Next we headed to the western US out to Colorado to stay with my uncle just outside Colorado Springs. While I have been to Colorado dozens of times on family vacations growing up and for work, I've never been able to train in the mountains the way I did this time. Getting to do 130 mile rides in the mountains outside the Springs and Denver where absolutely beautiful. I can definitely see why all the pros move to Boulder to live and train. The most epic ride I had was riding from Denver out through Golden and along the peak to peak highway, down through Boulder and back to Denver. It pained me to see all the reports on the flooding that was going on there knowing how beautiful on area that is. The flooding also affected us over in the Springs area with the pool in Manitou Springs getting closed due to the flooding and much of the downtown area was heavily damaged. While we were there we managed to make several day trips to Garden of the Gods, Red Rock Open Space, and even hike up to the summit of Pikes Peak. What a view!!
After four weeks in Colorado we headed off to Utah to see Moab, Arches NP, and Zion & Bryce NP's. We started off in Moab and got to spend a week roaming the area and seeing both Arches and Canyon Lands National Parks. Moab was probably my favorite part of our trip and had some of the best road biking I've ever ridden on. We definitely plan on going back next year but will be bringing mountain bikes next time!! Next up was Zion and Bryce National Parks. While I was hoping for some heat training we seemed to have missed the heat and were hit with some pretty cold days and especially nights. I was finally thankful that we had been carrying some extra blankets for our trip or it would have been mighty cold in that tent. Haha. I had been to Zion & Bryce in 2010 but had forgotten just how beautiful it was. We also made several new friends at the campground we stayed at for almost two weeks and even meet some other pro-triathletes, Heather and Trevor Wurtele. Very nice people. Our trip to Zion and Bryce got cut a little short due to the government shut down but luckily we got to see all of the major attractions we wanted to see.
So finally after almost 4 months of traveling we headed to Seattle to fly out to Kona. The flight out and days leading up to the race were just a blur of trying to stay relaxed and getting mentally prepared to race. Going into the race I knew that I was most likely not going to be able to showcase my true fitness due to my right IT band flaring back up only a few weeks before the race. Race day couldn't have been better weather if we had planned it. The swim start was the most hectic that I have even been apart of. Luckily after months of training with Tim Floyd I was able to get out in the front of the swim pack and was able to get into the lead pack. My swim time wasn't the greatest at 56 but after looking at everyone's times it seems like the swim was a little slow this year. I came out of the water in 10th in my AG and headed out onto the bike to see what my leg would let me do for the day. Apart from a bit of a head wind on the way back into town the winds were pretty light and the temps were pretty cool. Unfortunately I couldn't hammer the bike without risking locking up my right leg completely and not being able to complete the run. I had a very disappointing bike ride at 5:16 but luckily I was able to get off and by really holding my form as solid as I could run a 3:35 marathon. All in all I don't consider my first trip to the Big Island as any kind of success apart from being exposed to the course and atmosphere that is out there and that is something worth it's weight in gold for years to come. I accepted my pro card based on my race result at the beginning of the year at the IMTX 70.3 in Galveston where I finished as the 3rd overall amateur and went 4:08:49 (PR at the 70.3 distance). After Kona we headed out to Maui for a little over a week to enjoy some of the island fun and relax after such a hectic year. The snorkeling and hiking were just amazing and the weather was perfect. or in other wards Hawaii haha, for our whole trip. Can't wait to start it all again in 2014 with the Galveston 70.3 as my debut pro race.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Kona - Let the Journey Begin
After enjoying last week off from training it's time to start my Kona training. My race at Ironman Texas was quite successful for my first race at a full Ironman distance but it also pointed out several areas I need to improve upon. Most notably the back half of the marathon and my nutrition on the bike. Looks like I have many long BRICK sessions to come this summer. Can't wait to let it all begin.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Ironman Texas Race Recap
Well I can finally call myself an Ironman for real now. It feels good to have that monkey off my back now. I'll be honest and even as I waited in the water for the canyon to go off I had my doubts that my body would be able to deal with the 140.6 miles of racing to come. All of those fears went away though as soon as the race began. Having never been in a mass swim start that was quite an experience. Never have I seen so much body contact during a swim.
Once the swim spread out some over the course I was able to settle into a comfortable pace and was happy to see the clock just under 55 as I exited the water. T1 was uneventful apart from the fact that I ran down the wrong bike aisle at first. Oops, next time I guess I should remember where I left my bike. Out on the bike course the fans were great and it was amazing to see so much OutRival Racing support. Thanks largely to Corey Oliver and his brother posting signs all along the course for each OutRival athlete racing. Was very cool to see my name on a poster at mile 40. Plus the OutRival Viking Tribe was a nice sight - twice in fact on the course. I enjoyed all of the bike leg apart from the last ten miles coming back into the Woodlands which didn't seem to end. Every time we got back onto Woodlands Parkway we'd turn off for another little loop. I've never been happier to start running a marathon before, that was until about mile 13 when I wished I was back at mile 102 on the bike but more on that later.
T2 was quite hot as many people can attest to. Luckily I didn't notice my feet had burned from the hot pavement until after the race. The first loop of the run course went very well and I was a little behind pace but not too much considering the heat and humidity of the day, even got to see my swim coach Tim Floyd on the first lap and had a quick chat on the move about my swim. I began the second loop of the three loop run course and started to feel the heat and lack of cloud cover take its toll on my body. Systems just start to shut down after being on the move for over almost 7 hours and the smallest things, like missing a cup of water can be devastating. Mile 13 brought home reality and I went into disaster recovery mode, running from aid station to aid station and being forced to walk and take every cup I could. I was no longer think about the finish line but just the next cup of water about 1 mile ahead of me. Crossed the finish line at 9:49:40 and immediately collapsed in relief and from exhaustion. Luckily I was able to just hang on to 4th place in my age group (men's 25 - 29) and claim a spot to race in the Ironman World Championships in Kona this October. Overall my first Ironman experience was an amazing one and pretty successful but pointed out few areas I need to work on for the big one in October.
Thank you first and foremost to all the amazing volunteers out there on the course. Without all of you we would have just been 2000 people bobbing up and down in the water. Thank you to all of the spectators out on the course. It was amazing all the support I received from people I didn't even know. I also want to thank all of my sponsors who helped me train and get ready for the race. First my amazing coach Michelle LeBlanc with OutRival Racing, my swim coach Tim Floyd with the Magnolia Masters Team, and Bike Barn for getting my bike in race form. I also want to thank Klean for my nutrition.
Once the swim spread out some over the course I was able to settle into a comfortable pace and was happy to see the clock just under 55 as I exited the water. T1 was uneventful apart from the fact that I ran down the wrong bike aisle at first. Oops, next time I guess I should remember where I left my bike. Out on the bike course the fans were great and it was amazing to see so much OutRival Racing support. Thanks largely to Corey Oliver and his brother posting signs all along the course for each OutRival athlete racing. Was very cool to see my name on a poster at mile 40. Plus the OutRival Viking Tribe was a nice sight - twice in fact on the course. I enjoyed all of the bike leg apart from the last ten miles coming back into the Woodlands which didn't seem to end. Every time we got back onto Woodlands Parkway we'd turn off for another little loop. I've never been happier to start running a marathon before, that was until about mile 13 when I wished I was back at mile 102 on the bike but more on that later.
T2 was quite hot as many people can attest to. Luckily I didn't notice my feet had burned from the hot pavement until after the race. The first loop of the run course went very well and I was a little behind pace but not too much considering the heat and humidity of the day, even got to see my swim coach Tim Floyd on the first lap and had a quick chat on the move about my swim. I began the second loop of the three loop run course and started to feel the heat and lack of cloud cover take its toll on my body. Systems just start to shut down after being on the move for over almost 7 hours and the smallest things, like missing a cup of water can be devastating. Mile 13 brought home reality and I went into disaster recovery mode, running from aid station to aid station and being forced to walk and take every cup I could. I was no longer think about the finish line but just the next cup of water about 1 mile ahead of me. Crossed the finish line at 9:49:40 and immediately collapsed in relief and from exhaustion. Luckily I was able to just hang on to 4th place in my age group (men's 25 - 29) and claim a spot to race in the Ironman World Championships in Kona this October. Overall my first Ironman experience was an amazing one and pretty successful but pointed out few areas I need to work on for the big one in October.
Thank you first and foremost to all the amazing volunteers out there on the course. Without all of you we would have just been 2000 people bobbing up and down in the water. Thank you to all of the spectators out on the course. It was amazing all the support I received from people I didn't even know. I also want to thank all of my sponsors who helped me train and get ready for the race. First my amazing coach Michelle LeBlanc with OutRival Racing, my swim coach Tim Floyd with the Magnolia Masters Team, and Bike Barn for getting my bike in race form. I also want to thank Klean for my nutrition.
Monday, May 13, 2013
6 days till IMTX
Well I can't believe it is almost here but IMTX is just 6 days away. Training has been feeling really good and I can't wait to get to that starting line. Of course I'm sure I'll be thinking differently at mile 95 on the bike! Haha. I want to thank everyone that has helped me so much to get ready for this race. Couldn't have done it without all the support and help from my coaches and sponsors. Thank you to Tim Floyd and the Magnolia Masters Swim Team for helping me with my swim technique, thanks to Bike Barn for all the help with bike fits and keeping my bike rave ready, and most importantly thank you to my coach Michelle Leblanc and OutRival Racing. Everyone there is truly an inspiration. Hopefully I'll have a good result to show on Saturday.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Galveston 70.3 Race Recap
What a weekend. Finally went under 4:10:00 for a half Ironman and on the first course that I started racing on two years ago so it has a nice poetic ring to it. Was also nice to redeem myself after last year's dismal performance where I had system shut down on the run. The race started out great on the swim setting a new PR in the swim split by 50 seconds at 26:09. Been working on my swim technique with Tim Floyd with the Magnolia Masters Swim Club. Seems to have worked - had the fastest split in the men's 25 - 29 AG. Implemented a new nutritional race plan this year on the bike using Klean's electrolyte's on the bike and made all the difference in the world on the run. Had my fastest bike split by over 6 minutes thanks to the use of a disc wheel and a lot more miles of training this year. :-) Although those miles on the trainer while living in Calgary over the winter seemed to have paid off. Run started out great spliting between 5:57 and 6:02 miles but then had some blister issues that really caused the last few miles to suffer. Wont make the mistake again of not wearing socks! Thanks to Bike Barn for getting my bike ready to and race and most importantly to my coach Michelle LeBlanc with OutRival Racing. Couldn't do this without all their support and help. Now back to the grind to get ready for IMTX. 6 weeks to go and not a moment to lose.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Rain, Bike, Crash, Race, And Then Bike Some More
Well Saturday was an interesting day. Started off with some light rain for the morning ride that also included a crash in the first 10 miles!!! With that out of the way I was in the mood for putting the hammer down and rode a hard 50 miles in the rain before going to the Snapping Tortuga Aquathlon hosted by swim coach Tim Floyd. Despite a ridiculous time getting my wet suit off in transition ended up having a good swim and felt great on the run and ended up taking the overall win. Rounded out the day by hoping back on the bike and riding another 40 miles but this time not in the rain :-) so all in all a very successful day. Now to rest for an 18 mile run, 60 mile bike, and swim session with the Magnolia Masters club tomorrow.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
First Pro-Swim Lession
Had my first swim lesson today with Tim Floyd and the Magnolia Masters Aquatic Club. Really looking forward to having him help me improve my stroke and swim times. Lots of work to do now that I can see my areas for improvement.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
First Blog
So I never would have thought that I would be using a blog but figure I should give it a try as a way to just let everyone know what's going on in my triathlon world. Four weeks till 70.3 Galveston and lot of prep work still to be done. Had a solid aerobic fitness bike test today out in The Woodlands but could have done without the wind. Hoping on tomorrows long run I don't get soaked but hey I'll take that over wind any day. :-)
Excited to go work with Tim Floyd for the first time in the pool tomorrow. Swim definitely needs some work to be a contender at Galveston and IMTX. And just realized that the clocks jump forward tonight so need to get off to bed.
Excited to go work with Tim Floyd for the first time in the pool tomorrow. Swim definitely needs some work to be a contender at Galveston and IMTX. And just realized that the clocks jump forward tonight so need to get off to bed.
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