Bad News!

I believe in four years I've only blogged in the off season once. That time it was to brag about my beautiful daughter being born. So you know when I blog this time of year it's going to be big. Unfortunately this time it's not on the good news side of things.

In September I was ramping up my mileage in preparation for the Mankato Marathon. I was feeling fantastic and running better than I've run all year. Then on a lunch run I felt a tweak in my inner ankle. I gingered it back to work and figured I would rest it for a few days. However I had long run with my buddy Ross Weinzierl two days later. On Friday night I was on the bubble but didn't want to let Ross down and I've run through things like this in the past. Unfortunately I'm not 28 anymore and running was a bad idea.

Ross and I ran two 8 mile loops with a ten minute breather in between. It was painful but not unbearable. The last couple of miles were especially bad but I was still able to run even though I was wincing with every step. At the end I thought "thank god I made it through that without making it worse." The ankle felt ok and was fully mobile. Later that night I woke up to go to the bathroom and nearly fell down with my first step being that my ankle was so stiff. I knew then I was in trouble.

I went to Tria a few days later to see if I could salvage it before the marathon. The PA told me it was post tibial tendonitis and I would be out for four to six weeks. I asked if there was anything I could to speed up the recovery. The PA gave me a boot and told me to see the Physical Therapist once a week. I did both but I was not getting much better. So I asked my wife for some help.

I am blessed to be an athlete with a doctor for a wife. She is in residency and doesn't specialize in sports injuries but she does know who does and who's the best at it. She asked her old professor Dr. Knop what it could be and he immediately feared the worst and that I had torn post tibial tendon (at least I think that's what it is). The doc recommended me to Dr. Cotzee who is supposedly one of the worlds best at this injury. In fact that is his direct specialty. The best part is He's at Twin Cities Ortho, no kidding, two miles from my house.

When I called they told me he was booked till March. Keep in mind I called in October. I told them who I was and my sad sob story. I also named dropped my wife and Dr. Knop and that got me in a month later. After examining me for a minute Dr. Cotzee shot me straight and said I had a 5% chance of not having surgery. I kept thinking, "so you're telling me their's a chance." I had an MRI last week and yesterday, my birthday, the doc called me and essentially said it's not bad it's really bad.

So apparently I have a two inch lateral tear in my posterior tibial tendon. Or that's the medical jargon I heard so don't quote me. Bottom line is I'm in a cast for two weeks after the surgery. Then I can swim. I can bike at a month or so, elliptical at 6-8 weeks, yoga in 8 and running in 12 weeks. Or at least that is what I'm shooting for.

For my rant of the week I have to say how disappointed I am with Tria and how thrilled I am with Twin Cities Ortho. When you tell someone your a competetive athlete they should treat you as such. When my ankle is swelled up like a bastard I want you to MRI it and not send me on my way. If I had been satisfied with Tria I may have damaged this thing to the point of never running again thinking it was just tendonitis. Or at least just have been out for three months before realizing it was something more. Luckily Dr. Cotzee immediately wanted to MRI it due to my lifestyle. Fortunately I only lost a month to the incompetence of the PA at Tria vs. three extra months.

The good news is that it's the off season and with my hopeful timeline I think I can get back into pretty good shape for June and the beginning of the season. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Didn't See That Coming

Wow!! What an Awesome race. I've come to grips with the fact that I'm not it the shape I was in 2009 so I was hoping to just not suffer too bad and finish sub 4:20. I knew Dan Arlandson would be their along with my buddy Ross Wienzierl. I figured Dan then me then Ross for the podium. I then hear Bennett Isabella was also there. I have only raced against him once at Turtleman where I flatted out. I knew he was a stupid fast runner but I was able to make up the difference in the first few miles of the bike before I flatted out. I had no idea what his swim was like. I knew he could be a contender but figured if he caught me on the run it would be around mile 9-10ish. What unfolded was probably my favorite race of the year and a totally unexpected result.

The morning was nearly perfect. Very light wind and about 60ish to start. Ross and I chatted at the start and went over our plans. As the gun went off I took it a little easy as planned but found a good stroke right off the bat. Ross was actually ahead of me and I drafted him to the first bouy. I then got ahead of him for about 100 yards till the next bouy. I then tried to put a little into it to drop him from my draft and thought I did. I then saw someone ahead of me a worked a little hard to see if I could close the gap and catch a draft. It worked perfect and later found out that for the third time in the three years I've done this race I was on Thomas Krenz's feet. Then about halfway I notice Ross was still on me. I figured he was working harder than he probably should since he is not known for his swimming. We ended up coming out of the water together and Ross and I were in 3rd and 4th to start the bike.

Ross and I rode together for the first few hilly miles of the bike and again I thought Ross might be a little ambitious for his first Half IM, which is a common mistake no matter how experienced you are. I then started putting distance between us at about mile 20 I looked back and couldn't see him so figured he had dropped back pretty far.

As I started the second loop I heard my mom yell that I was in good shape and was only a couple of minutes back. I knew Dan would destroy me in the water so I knew the only hope I had was to match his bike split and hope I somehow could out run him. A tall order, I know but it was all I could hope for.

I had made a gutsy decision for my bike nutrition plan. Since it was cooler at the start but would be getting warm I decided to not take a water bottle on my stem and only use my 1 liter Aero bottle with 16 oz of Heed in the extra cell. There was a water bottle drop at halfway and I would refill my main cell then use the Heed for the last 30 mins of the ride. I would also have four GU's taped to my top tube and I would have one every 30 mins. The strategy worked perfect as I took all the fluids I wanted and was literally sucking the Heed dry in the last mile of the bike.

As I came into transition I heard times from 30 secs to 2 min behind Dan. I knew I was close but also knew the next few miles would be where the race was decided. Rather than blasting out of T2 like I did against Rhett Bonner in 2009 I took a nice easy steady pace and just chugged along. Not worrying about Dan I knew I just had to concentrate on keeping my breathing slow and steady and not overheating.

My legs were fatigued but I was able to keep a decent pace. When I say decent it was probably 8:30 miles as the first half is almost all up hill with some rather steep inclines. I did notice that my hamstrings were almost cramping so I wasn't able to open up very much in order to keep from pulling one. The best way to put it was I was carefully running. I knew I needed to let my stomach absorb everything I had in it to keep the cramps at bay.

As I chugged along I noticed Dan wasn't putting much time on me. In fact at about Mile 4-5 I thought I might actually be gaining on him. Then I heard some seriously fast footsteps behind me. I honestly thought it was a recreational runner who was doing some speed work. No way was a competitor running that fast at this point in the race. As he went by I noticed it was Bennett. No way was I going to be able to run with him and he asked me if that was Dan ahead of me. I sad yes and that he was going to catch him.

As Bennett glided past me I was still focused on catching Dan. Then Bennett caught Dan. At that point I thought I saw Dan walking. Sure enough he was. Then he tried running again only to go back to a walk again. As I passed him he jumped in behind me for a bit then tried to pass but only made about a 10 yard gap before he started walking again. My strategy had payed off but yet I was still going to be 2nd. Or so I thought.

At the turn around I was impressed to see my buddy Ross. I was also a little shocked as he was only about 1:30-2:00 back. I thought this was a decent gap but I had to go or he would catch me. At the same time I thought there is no way Ross can keep this pace with it getting hotter. On the way back my legs were feeling a little better but I still felt the hamstrings tighten up ever now and again. Especially if I pushed it too hard for too long. With about 3 miles left I noted Ross was only about 45 seconds back and looking good. I did the best I could to push the pace. My legs were responding and I my heart rate wasn't spiking and breathing was under control. Problem was Ross was still putting time on me.

With about 1 mile and a half left Ross made the pass. I figured I would still try to keep a tough pace and hope he faded on the last hill. Unfortunately Ross just wasn't going to slow up. In fact he may have been able to keep that pace a while longer by the looks of it. I still haven't seen the results but Ross put down a serious run to grab second overall. It had to be Ross's best race yet and it was awesome to see a good friend have such an amazing race. Even if it meant finishing behind him.

After the race I got in the water for a bit and knew I needed electrolytes. Then I started to cramp up and bad. I had to drag myself to shore just as my mom brought me my recovery drink. Someone else brought me some Gatorade and I was able to get function back in my legs.

I have to admit that even thought this the outcome I was hoping for I was ecstatic with the result. I felt like I had put as good a race together as I could of, didn't suffer too bad and got to see a good friend take it to the next level. I also got to talk with Dan after the race. I could tell he was disappointed but as he put it, "some days you have it, some days you don't." Very true.

Bennett was a monster and I'm really curious to see his run split. It had to be serious along with Ross's. Congratulations to both of them. I think all three of us put together the best races we could have. It was a fantastic finish to a good season and left me with a feeling of anticipation for next season.

Next up Mankato Marathon followed by a pub crawl.

Square Lake Preview

I can't believe it's almost over. This will be my last multisport of the year and I feel strangely unfulfilled. Most year by the end of the season I am ready to throw in the the towel and get down to yard work. For some reason this year I want the season to last another month. I think it's partially because a somewhat disappointing August with a flat tire at Turtleman, good but not great performance at St. Paul followed by a frustrating race at Maple Grove. It could also be that I had higher expectations for this year. My '09 season I seemed to have everything go my way and had a huge August. I think I was hoping for a similar season. I did have a few ups, but also more downs than I am used to. In '09 it was almost all ups.
Another reason I want the season to be longer is that I feel like I am still improving or at least finally working out the kinks. I have my run where I want it and my swim feels like it comes around more often than not. However my bike power seems to be dropping. Funny how that is. Just when I feel like everything is pulling together, the season ends.
As for Square Lake, Dan Arlandson is on the register list so it looks like I will have to settle for at least second. My good buddy Ross Weinzierl will also be there to see how he fares at this distance. Ross tried to do Chisago Half last year but flatted out. For me I'm just hoping to come in somewhere between 4:15-4:20. In '09 I came in at 4:15ish on a warm day in a battle with Rhett Bonner. I believe my swim may be better than then but my bike is not. However my run could be faster. We'll have to wait and see.

Janickied

I was really looking forward to this race. There was a big buzz from last year and now there was the 111 race with Macca and some other pros. When I got to transition I was blown away. It was very well put together, a huge transition area and all the amenities of a pro level race.

I got my packet and headed into transition. They had a racking system that went by age but the Elite rack was not marked very well on the layout they had. The layout map was marked by wave except for the Elite wave. It took three volunteers to finally tell me they had no idea and to rack in the overflow. When I did I saw my friend Kim Gorman who is an official. She helped me out and showed me where the Olympic Elite was on the map. Now it made sense. It cost me a good 10-15 mins just to find my rack. When I found it though I got right to warming up.

I just got finished when they started kicking us out of transition so no loss with the racking. When we got to the water there seemed to be some more confusion as to the Olympic course swim and which direction to go. It eventually got settled and the swim went off without a hitch.

The Elite wave only had five guys in it and no one I recognized. I had a decent swim and came out of the water in first for the guys. I thought at this point that I had the race in hand but still wanted to push to see if I could go sub 2:05:00. The bike just never seemed to click. I'm guessing the intestinal bug I had earlier in the week hurt my power but I just kept pushing.

T2 was a little sloppy but not horrible. In an Olympic I'm not worried about it as much anyway. My legs felt sore in a different way than normal. They hurt but I had no problem with turn over. My first loop I felt fantastic and then it happened.

As I came down a hill near the park there was a sign saying sharp turn. There was a hard turn at nearly 180 degrees going down hill. I didn't feel right but I saw a volunteer about 20 yards after the turn and figured I would just make the turn and ask. When I got to him I said I was Olympic and needed to do a second lap. Where am I going? He told me that I was on track and to keep going. "I couldn't miss it." A few hundred yards later I noticed there was no where to start the second lap and I was in the finish shoot just before the finish. I've missed turns before but never on a run course. I stopped and thought "oh crap." The announcers Jerry Mcneil and Chris Swarthout shouted at me to keep going and I was having an amazing race. I told them I still needed to make a second lap. Jerry asked over the PA for help from a volunteer. I realized I needed to run back out the same way and just keep going where I was before the turn. At that point I made another mistake, I panicked a little. I ran back to where I made the wrong turn a little too hard to make up for lost time. Luckily I realized it before I blew up too bad and backed off.

The second loop I felt strong but knew I was starting to slow down. Unfortunately being the first one threw a course means the volunteers are not prepared for you. There was a water point that was only on the second loop so I was the first one through. I needed Powerade but they weren't ready for me so I had to grab a water. I was even more frustrated at this point as I knew I was going to have to go the rest of the way without and extra energy or electrolytes.

Fortunately I pushed through it and came down the finishing shoot as the first Olympic finisher. The wrong turn had meant nothing and like Minnetonka I was able to overcome it. I enjoyed talking with Claire Bootsma and Becky Youngberg in the lake to cool down and then we went up to see the finish of the 111 race. When I did my mom informed me that I was second on the finish list. I thought it was just someone who missed a lap and didn't think anything of it. I went about my business hanging out with my close friend Scott Swenson and figured I would go over and check the results. I was floored to see Doug Thiessen did in fact beat me by two minutes. Doug is from Thunder Bay, raced in the 30-34 AG and slipped under the radar. At this point I was frustrated that the wrong turn may have in fact made the difference. But it would have been close and there is no way to tell.

Since I was second overall I stayed for awards to see what I got. I was wondering how they would do it since Doug was the overall winner. Would they put me in an AG or just do Elite awards. They went all the way through the awards and announced me as the Elite winner. When I looked at the award it said Sprint Overall Champion. I went back to switch they gave me the Olympic Male Overall award. Doug was right there so I said give it to him. He deserves this since he won. I then asked if there was anything for me. They told me to wait and they would straighten it all out.

Then after they announced all the sprint I talked to one of the race directors. She explained they thought the overall winner would be an Elite and they didn't do a 2nd or 3rd place overall. In other words I waited 3 hours for awards. Then another 30 mins for awards to end to find out that I get nothing. I really don't care that I got nothing. I just care that I waited nearly 4 hours that I could have spent with my wife and baby daughter to find out that I got nothing. To be honest I feel bad for the 2nd and 3rd place Elites that stuck their neck out to jump in the first wave to get nothing. They should have just stayed in their divisions and gotten a nice AG award.

I guess you can see where this post was going. The event was very well organized. Great food, awesome venue, but they forgot the basics. Most importantly marking the course and properly briefing volunteers and having them in the right spots. I could care less about the awesome post race buffet if people get lost on the course. I also don't want to hear that it's the racers responsibility to know the course. That's just a cop out that race directors say so that they don't have to take responsibility for not properly marking the course or having volunteers that don't know what they are doing. I will say this. I thought the bike course was marked pretty well. Not awesome but close. The run course was very well marked and had great volunteers until what I would consider to be a point that obviously could be a trouble spot. When I came around for the second loop there were 5 volunteers directing you where to go so they must have figured out there was an issue after my wrong turn. I know my buddy Scottie made the same turn. Luckily the volunteer that sent me the wrong way learned from his mistake and sent him the right way. I also know at least on Elite female also made the turn only to be sent back by the same volunteer.

For any race directors out there who read this I offer advise and extend a challenge. Racers are not focused or thinking about the map you gave in the packet. While racing we are thinking about the 20 feet in front of us. We don't take the map out of our pocket and check to see if we are going the right way. My opinion is to not even give a map and dedicate that time to marking the course correctly and properly briefing volunteers. Then if anyone who makes a wrong turn on your course and it makes a difference in the results should receive a free entry for next year.

Congratulations to Doug Thiessen! He had a monster race and this post was not meant to say I would have beat him but... but more to vent about how important it is to make sure that the racers know where they are at all times. I met Doug at the awards and he is an ultra cool guy. Doug is coached by another cool Canuck by the name of Jon Balabuck. Maybe you've heard of him. I look forward to racing with Doug again. Hopefully he realizes how fast he is and jumps into the Elite wave next time so we can go head to head. I think it would make for a very exciting race.

Next up is Square Half. I'm actually finally feeling strong in the run and water. Hopefully the bike comes around and I can put it all together like I did at Twin Cities.

Maple Grove

When I decided to do this race I was hoping to do the Tri Star 111 race. Unfortunately the 111 was almost a $100 more expensive, which was too rich for my blood. So instead I opted for the Olympic course. I was also hoping that this would be my premier A race of the year next to Square Lake but that has taken a turn for the worse as well.

I came down with a minor cold a few days before St. Paul tri last week but it was just a runny nose and a scratchy throat. Nothing that I haven't had before or that would effect my race. Then on Monday evening I was not hungry after my evening swim. This is not common. Usually I can't stop eating from June to September so not wanting to eat anything was a bit peculiar. Then by the time I went to bed I felt like my intestines were going to explode and had no energy. It was a case of an intestinal bug of some type. I actually called in sick to work for the first time I can recall since I had mono in high school. Luckily by later on Tuesday I was able to do some light training but my stomach was still feeling a little raw and I didn't get my appetite back until later on Wednesday.

Needless to say training this week has not gone well and tapering has become more of recovery from illness. I have no idea how this will effect my performance on Sunday and I don't like to make excuses but I don't plan on this being my best race of the year.

Looking at the start list I saw Devon Palmer's name. Luckily he dropped into the 111 race and I don't recognize any other names on the start list. So hopefully I can pick up a win even with having to spend the week recovering from a stomach bug.

I have been looking forward to this race though and am very curious to see what the talk is all about. Maybe this will take over Graniteman as my favorite race of the year. Regardless I'm really hoping to put together a better swim than last week. Ever since masters took a break my stroke and power just don't seem to be as sharp. I really want to get things tuned up prior to Square Lake Half.

St. Paul Tri Recap

Going into Sunday I knew Brett Lovaas would be my toughest competition. I would give me the upper hand but not by much. When Brett is on he is tough to beat. I knew that I would have to bring my A game or Brett would take it to me.

Race prep went as normal but I somehow was running later than usual. Because of this I didn't get in a very good swim warm up. I really didn't think this would matter because my best swim this year came with no warm up. I also decided to go with my sleeveless wet suit for the swim since the water temp was probably in the low 80s. This suit worked well for me at Graniteman and I like having no sleeves to keep a little cooler. Unfortunately I seem to have lost some body mass since July because I noticed it was a little looser than I would like when I put it on.

As the swim started I immediately did not feel as comfortable as I would have liked. Then for some reason I kept drifting to the left. I would try to compensate but just couldn't straighten it out. I also did't feel as fluid as I had in the past this year. After the person just ahead of me tried to exit after one lap and had to go back I was in second but was pretty far behind Brett.

I exited the water knowing I didn't have a strong swim but figured I was only about three minutes back. A gap I thought was overcome-able but wold not be easy. I hit the bike a little conservatively in the first loop and just didn't quite get into a groove until the second loop. Unfortunately the second lop we got mixed in with the sprinters. Combined with the rough rode the sprinters made for a very dangerous second loop. No one seemed to be staying to the right and the bumpy road made people very unpredictable. In all I thought it was a strong bike but after a slower transition was still a minute and a half back from Brett to start the run.

With how I my running seems to be improving and from past races with Brett I figured I may be able to close the gap but it was going to be close and possibly even a sprint finish. The first loop I felt very strong and held back a touch at the beginning of the second loop for a mile or so to save a little for the finish. With about two miles left I started to really hit it hard but with about a mile left my buddy Ross Wienzeirl (who won the sprint) told me I was about 45 seconds back. At this point I knew I was beat but kept pressing as my HR seemed to be within tolerance and I wanted to see how hard I could push.

In the end Brett took me by a little over a minute. Looking at the results he really put it together in all three legs and had a fantastic run to close it out. When I'm on I usually out split him by 10-15 second miles and I felt like I had a great run on Sunday. Yet I still only out split him by 5 second miles.

Congrats to Brett on a great race and as always I look forward to racing against him again. He is always tough and we have battled each other now for a few years. Next is Maple Gove Olympic.

St. Paul Tri

I did this tri in my very first season in 2005. At the time it was a PR of around 2:20. I was 12th I believe and was super stoked. A lot has happened since then and I have improved more than I could have ever imagined. I do remember liking this try but at that time it was put on by Sommer Sports and has since been bought out by Randy Fulton and Front Runner.

I'm guessing that I will be near the top of the field if not the favorite come Sunday. However there is a lot of talent out there and you never know who is going to show up. I've been humbled before and I'm sure it will happen a lot more. What I am hoping for is to put together a good race and use it as a tune up for Maple Grove. I do back to back races all the time but this is the first time I will go back to back with a Sunday to Saturday race. I'm hoping it works out.

Training is going well but I am starting to feel the fatigue of the season. My bike just doesn't seem to have the power it did a few weeks ago and the legs are starting to feel heavy. I decided to jump into Square Lake Half so I have slightly increased my training volume with a few longer rides and a big brick two weekends ago. I'm not worried about my endurance but hopefully the volume won't slow me down too much.

I'm also looking forward to seeing how well I can swim and if my run has come around yet. I ran well at Turtleman but didn't get to run the second half due to flatting out. I do think I will be able to put it all together though and with the previous results think a sub 1:55 is not out of the question.

Oh Well

I have to admit I was not as excited as I usually am before Turtleman on Saturday. I don't know if it was the weather or the fact that duathlons play to the runners more than the cyclists. However my cycling is much improved since the beginning of the season and my running seems to be coming around.

The day started out as usual other than some rain and being overall gloomy. I chatted with Matt, Patrick, Kevin, Thad Ingersoll, Josh and a few others before the race. The Elite field was deep but there were only about 140 total registered. This made for more of a small race feel even though there was some serious talent there.

I knew I needed to run well and bike fantastic in order to do well. Josh and I have had a blast this year beating each other up on the course and I figured I needed to be within 40 seconds of him coming out of T1. As the race started I took a back seat to the runners and just kept plugging away as best I could. At on point I looked down at my watch expecting to see 3 min based on the pain I was experiencing only to see 6 min. This meant I was running well and felt like I had a lot left in the tank.

I managed to run straight through T1 without needed to catch my breath and left T1 only about 32 seconds behind Josh. The bike felt tough from the beginning but it always does especially in a duathlon. I picked of Bennet Isabella at around mile 6ish. Then I came up on Josh at about mile 10. It was slightly disheartening that Josh had held me off that long and I didn't pass him with as much authority as I thought I needed to put time on him before the second run.

After that I came up on Chad Millner and Kevin OConner. When I passed I figured I would be able to drop them but a few minutes later Chad passed me back. I quickly returned the favor but couldn't put any time on him. We then went around a corner and I almost lost it. I somehow managed to hold it up though and thought I just went too hard on wet pavement. Then I started to think I may have a flat. I started paying attention to how the bike felt and it did feel a little rough and not very responsive on the front end. I looked back again and Chad was still about 5 bike lengths back. As we went into the next turn I went very gingerly and sure enough I still almost lost it. I then slowed down enough to look down and confirm I had a flat. Who knows how long it had been going flat and how much of a difference it was making. I didn't want to risk injury or my $1000 dollar zip 404 so I decided to call it a day.

Fortunately this was my first flat out and it happened in a race that I had no hope of winning or even making the podium. Funny because I had been having problems with the valve on that wheel for the last two races and was going to replace it after this one. One too many I guess.

Next week is St. Paul tri and I'm hoping to have all the kinks worked out by then.

Swim Cyclist? Trutleman Duathlon

With the change in my training schedule I thought I would be better suited for duathlons this season. Unfortunately it seems that I am becoming more of a swim cyclist instead. Not that I'm not happy with an improved swim split but I have been disappointed in my run splits. I know I can run faster than I have been.

So what has been wrong and what can I do about it. One problem is I used to swim in the afternoons so I could run on fresh legs three times a week. Now I only get two fresh runs and have to run twice more in the afternoons. Once after a bike work out and the other after a big swim. In neither case do my legs feel fresh. The only thing I have been able to do is move my lunch back an hour in the hopes my legs recover just a little bit more.

Another thing I have changed is my physical therapy. It was a few tweaks but I have decided to change back and also put more of an emphasis on them regardless of my racing schedule. So far so good. I also wasn't sure of my sprint distances so I also increased them by about 5 seconds per 400. The last thing I've done is increased my core workout. I had hoped that I could cut it down to save time but I think it may need to go back to where it was.

I don't know what has made the difference but I do seem to feel better on my runs. VO2 seems better and I'm feeling much more comfortable than I used to. My stride also seems longer and I my form feels much better. The only thing I'm unsure of is how my arms swing. I'm hoping that this will work itself out when I stop thinking about it.

As for Turtleman I'm cautiously optomistic. I'm guessing that the usual suspects will be there similar to Gear West. Gear West was my first race of the year and I ran well but I wasn't biking at my potential yet. Hopefully I can bike better and close the gap some more on the runners.

Twin Cities Rocked

I was really interested to see how this race would play out. I was unsure of how the fast swim and hilly course would effect everyone. Given the start roster I figured that Ryan Giuliano would win, Patrick would take second and I even had Matt edging out Devon. I was pleasantly surprised to see Patrick take it rather easily. Devon ended up edging out Matt but that could have been a different story if not for Matt's timing chip falling off three times. Although you never now how it will play out if everything goes perfect. Then Ryan coming in 4th. Given his talent I'm guessing he trained through the race or flat out exhausted himself on the swim.

I was leaning towards coming in 6th figuring Josh Blankenheim would catch me on the run again. Although David Holden and Brett Lovaas were wild cards. In fact I had no idea how 5th through 8th would turn out. I also hated how bad last weekend hurt and did not want a repeat performance of exploding on the run.

In order to beat Josh I knew two things needed to happen. One, I needed a huge lead out of the water. Two, I needed to be fresh on the run and put together a solid run split. In order to do that I wanted to not push quite as hard on the bike hoping to save the legs some.

One issue that came up last minute was the Sheriff's department wouldn't let us do a Elite Wave start so we had to do time trail style. This gave Josh an advantage since he could jump in the time trial start right behind me. Josh is not quite as good of a swimmer but could jump in behind me a use me as a draft. The bonus for me was the water was too warm for wetsuits to be worn.

The swim started great. Since we couldn't warm up I did a few push ups prior to jumping in to get the blood flowing to the upper body a little. I knew Josh was right behind me but I didn't want to push too hard too soon since we hadn't warmed up. The strategy worked perfect. I found my form for the first few hundred yards when all of a sudden it felt like, yeah, there it is, repeat. I started hitting it hard but never felt like I was even pushing hard. For the most part it felt effortless. The good news was I dropped Josh and then some as I came out of the water with over an minute and a half lead on him. On top of that I came out right behind Patrick, Matt and Brendon O'flannigan. Patrick and I are even but Matt and Brendon usual blow me up pretty good.

For T1 I left my shoes in since there was a little bit of an incline to start and then a short flat until Ohio Hill. I knew I needed to build speed as much as possible prior to the hill. I took Ohio very cautiously so I didn't blow up right away and stayed in my seat. I then kept a rather fast casual pace. I never overly did it but also kept pedaling hard. I felt like it was more of a Half Ironman Pace than Olympic pace when it was all said and done. I came into transition with Ryan Giuliano and knew he was going to outrun me. As soon as I started running I knew it was going to be more comfortable than last weekend. My legs felt pretty fresh and my stride was long. I kept it conservative up the Wabasha bridge and down the back side on to Shepard Rd. Once on the relatively flat Shepard I started pushing a little harder. Just after the Turn around Josh was almost exactly a quarter mile behind me. I figured I had about 1:25ish on him. Although I thought he would catch me I didn't panic but picked up the pace a touch and then started to increase it as I felt more and more comfortable. I took the hill back up to the Wabasha bridge a little harder but never blew up. On the way down I had to find a clean stride and push hard to the end. As I made a left turn loop I looked to see if Josh was behind me. I was shocked to see he was not within short sight of me. At this point I had a ton left in the tank, felt fantastic and was able hold a fast pace for the final stretch to the finish.

This race had to go down as one of my best races. I put together a great three leg race and felt like I could have kept going. At the end I was thinking that I could hold close to this pace for a Half Ironman. I still need to work on my run but I felt like my form was good through the hole 10k. Now I just need to increase the speed. Now I have a few weeks off to work on the run before Turtleman Duathlon.

Twin Cities Preview

This was a race I was really looking forward to. After last weekends fun sapping heat race I've lost my fondness for racing for a little bit. I didn't melt down completely on the run but it was close. I did screw myself up bad enough that my training has been much less this week. This was going to be the intent to taper but now it's more for recovery purposes. My heart still doesn't feel like it's clicking in the right rhythm and my legs just don't seem to have the normal pep at this point in the week.

When I signed up for this one it seemed to be a three deep field. The pro Devon Palmer, Patrick Parish and myself. Since I have little to no hope of beating either of them I was looking forward to pushing hard for a respectable third place finish. Since then the field has grown. Matt Payne has thrown his hat in and wil bump me off the podium. Although Brett Lovass and David Holden will push me hard and make me work for fourth. Brett is not at his best this year but never count him out. David is super fast and has beaten me at least once before. I will admit I do like having a deeper field to push the pace. It will make for a much more exciting race.

The one draw back is that the swim is 1.2 miles long. It may be with the current of the Mississippi but I still think the course will be long giving the advantage to the swimmers. The bike course on the other hand has a huge hill to start it off. This will hopefully be my advantage. I love hills and as long as I don't wear out my legs I should see a big advantage on the bike. It should all come down to the run. If I can find my legs like I did at Graniteman I will be good. But that is the only time this season that I felt like my run was strong all year. Bottom line I may need to take a tinge off my bike to help save my legs a little for the run. Hopefully I don't get carried away on the bike course like usual.

This Is Going to Hurt

The obvious buzz leading up to the race was how hot it was going to be. Temps could be near 90 on the run with the heat index near 105. I will admit I didn't pay that much attention to this as there is not much I can do about it and everyone has to deal with it. This both helped me and hurt me in the end.

My dad decided to make the trip up for this race and next weeks Twin Cities Tri. Because of this we decided to get a hotel room in Annandale to make the trip short in the morning. We enjoyed the drive up listening to the Twins and discussing politics and the world debt crisis. I somehow managed to fit in some tri talk as well. As we pulled into the hotel I noticed a familiar face in the parking lot. It was Rhett Bonner. I then noticed another familiar face with him by the name of Brian Bich. Rhett and I share a special bond after our little dual in the sun at Square Lake a few years ago. Brian and I have only been able to chat once last year after Waconia. You will be hard pressed to meet two nicer guys. It was awesome to be able to introduce them to my dad and shoot the breeze for a while. We then got settled in and I managed to get a good nights sleep minus a passing train a few times.

As soon as I stepped outside I know it was going to be interesting. It was 80 degrees and the dew point was through the roof. As I started setting up I started noticing the usual suspects as they came in. I went for a quick bike and run to warm up and found myself drenched in sweat. Never the less I had a hydration plan and figured I would be set for the race. I went with my Aero Bottle with Heed in it and a regular water bottle on the frame. I hoped this would be enough.

The water was a different story. Because of all the recent rain the water temp couldn't have been over 78 degrees. This felt even cooler due to the air temp and I found myself using this as a way to cool down prior to the race.

I lined up around Kevin O'Conner, Brian Bich, Rhett Bonner and fe other fast swimmers. Because it was crowded I figured I would just stick to their feet as long as I could instead of going to the middle to fight it out with the dash and crashers. The strategy worked pretty well as I hung on longer than I thought I would. In fact the only reason I fell off was because they went a little to the left to get around everyone else. I found myself in no mans land and had to fight to get back near the regular pack to draft. I then made a steady increase in intensity and new I was in good position around the second corner. Somehow I knew Patrick Parish was on my feet and I even managed to drop him by a few seconds towards the end. Patrick then blew by me on our way to the bikes.

T1 did not go as well as I would hope but wasn't a disaster either. I put my shoes on in transition so I could get right to pedaling and started to hit it. I again changed my seat position slightly this week and immediately felt the power. The heat was bearable on the bike but it was still uncomfortable. I started picking people off and found myself gaining on Patrick fairly quickly. When I got to him I was moving pretty good. I made the pass and gave him a the usual nice work. Patrick gave me a look like. What are you doing here? I haven't been biking at his level yet this year. He managed to pass me back after a minute or so but I quickly returned the favor and left him behind.

I then noticed a pack of three riders up ahead. They almost looked like a draft pack but as I got closer realized they were legal distance from each other but it looked like no one wanted to push the pace. As I started passing them I noticed it was Kevin O'Conner, Brian Bich and Rhett Bonner. I was hoping they wouldn't be able to match my pace so I could gain some ground on them. Unfortunately I looked back a few miles down the road and saw that I was leading the pack and they weren't going to let me go. with a couple of miles left Rhett made a pass followed by Kevin and Brian and I was content to follow them into T2. I knew I had put up a monster bike split since I knew i put 30 seconds or more on Patrick. When I went to rack my bike I realized I was at the wrong rack. I found my rack only to have trouble racking my bike. On top of that I had to put some body gluide on my heals to keep from blistering. It was not a pretty T2. As I left I realized I didn't know where the exit was. When I turned around Patrick had already gained back what I he had lost to me and was running out of T2. What sucked was the exit was where the bike entrance was. This meant I lost time due to my transition being positioned farther inside the area than most of the other top guys. That's a dig on me as I need to know that prior to the race.

The run started good. I felt good and my legs were working pretty well. It didn't even look like the four guys in front of me were gaining much. Then I made a nutritional mistake. My stomach was a little sloshy so I opted against any fluids. As I got to mile two I knew this was going to hurt. I knew Josh Blankenheim, Brooks Gossinger and possibly Chad Millner were going to be coming from behind. I was running scared at that point which can be very dangerous. I just had to keep going though and hope I could hold them off. I started noticing Josh at about 2 miles in although I had almost a half mile on him. I knew that this may not be enough though.

The run just kept getting hotter and harder. Small hills were starting to feel like mountains and I knew my heart rate was maxed out. With about a mile and a half left I saw Josh was definitely closing in on me. I decided to keep pushing and hope I could just out will him. At about a half mile I looked back and only had about 5-10 seconds on him and knew the pass was inevitable. I made another decision that when he passed I would not try to keep up with him unless he didn't decided to match my pace. Unfortunately he had just a touch more in the tank and made the pass with a little less than a half mile left.

At this point it was more about survival than anything else. I was expecting Brooks to catch me more than Josh but I expected both of them to catch me. In fact I was stoked I held Josh off as long as I did. I looked behind but no one was in sight. My legs felt like bricks as I crossed the line in sixth place and I could hardly stand. I grabbed a bottle of water and headed to the beach. The water was possibly the greatest refreshing feeling I have ever felt. I noticed that Kevin and Dan Hedgecock also had the same idea and we talked about how brutal the heat was.

In the end I am extremely happy with how I did. With as much trouble as I was in on the run I outran several guys that typically dust me to include both Brooks and Chad. I talked with Brooks about it after the race and he said he was completely toasted off the bike. All he could do was worry about finishing and was not worrying about passing anyone or being passed. Tony Schiller even had troubles with the heat and he is as seasoned as anyone you will ever meet.

Thanks to my mom and dad for braving the heat to watch me race. Minus the heat it was a ton of fun and I loved the race and enjoyed talking with tons of people I don't get to see very often. Next up is the Twin Cities Tri. I pray the heat wave is over by then.

Heart of Lakes Preview

This is a race that I have passed up for a number of years. Not that I have never wanted to do it but that it just never fell quite right in my schedule. This year it fell perfectly though and I have planned on it being one of my A races. However, things change and I've added a few races which threw my training schedule into a tizzy. Which basically means all my races have essentially become A races. Although I'm a little more focused on next weeks Twin Cities. On top of that I'm fighting off my 2nd cold in three weeks. Like before it hasn't held back my training and I should be 100% on Sunday. To be honest other than being slightly more tired than normal and have a runny nose and scratchy throat I haven't been affected.

The fun thing about this race is I have little to know idea how I could place. I know Patrick and Dan will blow my doors off but after that there could be hope. When I say hope I mean I need people to have bad days and I need to have a good day but anything is possible. Especially because last Sunday after Granitman I had a monster bike ride on my training bike where I found my bike position. I avg 22.6 mph over 48.6 miles which included stopping for stop signs and stop lights. Keep in mind that this was also done at about 80 degrees with high humidity and on my training bike and training wheels. This was one of the fastest rides I've ever had on my P2 at any distance much less my long ride. So I am super stoked. Now I just had to simulate this on my P3. I tried and think I'm close but may not be their entirely yet. But I did feel like once again I'm fresher off the bike. I think I'm close to if not feeling as good as I did at the end of my epic '09 season when I finished with three 1st place and two 2nd place finishes. But more importantly was putting up stupid fast times.

Here's how I see the race. The only hope is that Kevin again is not at his best and I have improved since Waconia. Brian Bich is an icon and an awesome guy but has not raced much this year and is not as fast as he was. Even so if he is at his best I still have little chance. The big wild card is Brooks Gossinger. Brooks was only 9 or so seconds behind me at Waconia and closing fast. He will have an extra mile to catch me on Sunday so I will have to have improved my run and bike to stay ahead of him. That could be a tall order as Brooks is stupid fast and been quietly improving over the last few years. I hate to say it but I give an edge to Brooks on this one.

The bottom line is I need to have improved since Waconia to show that I can bark with the big dogs. Will my extra work and new bike fit make the difference. We'll wait and see.

Graniteman Recap

I was really looking forward to this race. The point to point swim intrigued me and the distance suites me very well this year. I stayed at my coworkers place in Monticello again to save some drive time/sleep. It worked well and I got one of my better nights sleep before a race. As I got into my car I noticed some ominous looking clouds on the horizon. I prayed that the weather would either hold off or just let go before the race. Luckily it let go on my drive to the race making for a wet but manageable course.

As I set up I noticed a rather interesting transition. You biked in and out from the same place. I thought this could pose a problem. The run out was also hidden a little on the side which made transition fare for nearly everyone depending on where you racked your bike. Luckily I asked the race director how transition worked prior to the race and new how everything worked.

The swim was a straight point to point and was with the wind. This made for an awesome swim and I rocked it in 9:48 and came out in around fifth place among the Elites. I had a good T1 and started hitting the pedals. It was windy and I never seemed to get any rhythm. I found myself in 2nd around mile two and just a half to quater mile back from the leader. I was hitting it pretty hard and was making up time but not as fast as usual. This had my a bit worried as I don't usually have to much competition on the bike unless it's a higher profile race. At about mile 6 I started closing the gap much quicker and took the lead at mile 9ish. It was a long straight stretch back to transition with a nasty cross/head wind but I managed to muscle through it pretty well.

As I came into T2 there were people still coming out of T1 making for an interesting mix. The volunteers were all over it though and made sure everyone stayed to the right. I cruised in and made a safe dismount. My transition was good and I saw the guy in second coming into T2 as I was leaving. At this point I though it was Nate Hoffman who was picked by Tri MN News to be in 2nd overall. If this was the case I was in trouble as Nate is a serious runner and I figured I only had about 30-45 seconds on him. The good news was I had moved my seat position up a little after Waconia in an attempt to feel better on the run. It worked as I immediately felt my legs and they were fresh. I ran hard but held back a little in case I needed some gas at the end. I figured if it was Nate he would catch me at the turn around and there would be nothing I could do. If not I would have a little to sprint at the end.

The run had a couple of pretty good hills on it and a stretch of soft sand/gravel that made for a slightly slower run. At the turn I saw 2nd coming behind me but it didn't look like he was gaining much. I asked my buddy Ross how far back he was when I passed him and he told me about 35-40 seconds. I thought man, he may not be gaining but I haven't put any distance on him either. I started to push a little harder and new I had it in the bag with about a half mile left. I must admit it is always an exhilarating feeling to come across the line first.

The guy behind me came across about a minute later. We congratulated each other and I introduced myself and asked who he was. I was a little surprised to hear it was Marcus Stromberg. A name I have seen but am not too familiar with. Marcus then asked where I came from on the bike. I guess at first I thought, from behind. He told me he didn't see me at the out and back. My reaction was, "what out and back?" I don't know if Marcus realized that an out and back means you go out on the same road you came in on making for a turn around point with a hair pin turn. This course did not have that. I then sensed that Marcus thought I had cut the course somehow. I told him that I had gone everywhere the volunteers had told me to go and had marked him since mile 2. I'm not sure if Marcus fully believed me but I can assure you I missed no turns and actually felt like my bike was a little weak. I know the feeling though, when you think, "how did that guy do that." I was puzzled when a then no name Sam Janicki blew my doors off at Chain of Lakes last year. I'm sure we all now know who Sam is now.

For awards Bill (the race director) handed out sweet pieces of Granite for trophies. I have to admit the granite plaque is right up there with Minnetonka's stupid huge trophies in coolness. I was also super impressed with the overall race. Bill did an awesome job and the volunteers seemed to be very well briefed in how t o avoid any incidents with any of the issues I saw that could pose a problem. I was also impressed with how well the course was marked. I never once questioned if I was off course, which I usually do and sometimes am.

Shot out to my ever supportive mom and my buddy Ross who raced with me. Ross did not have a stellar race due to dropping his chain and some difficulties locating the run out in T2 but he handled it like a veteran. Some races just don't go your way. When they don't you just have to remember, there will be more.

The Great Debate

For the first time since I started doing triathlons I will not be attending Lifetime Fitness. It was a deep debate that got even deeper as my training didn't suffer from the increased time needed with my 6 month old. As much as I want to through my name in the hat I have no chance of beating Dan or Patrick and the only chance to beat Sam would be if he doesn't race at 100% to save himself for Racine the following weekend. I think he's going to race fast though so I'm out for top 3 for sure. I also always seem to have a poor race at LTF and don't see that changing this year.

Since Lifetime was out I opted for Granitman. It is not as competitive since all the talent gets sucked up by Lifetime and Timberman but I know the race director and will admit am interested to see what all the hype is about. I love smaller races with more of a small town feel. Not only that I love the feeling of having the opportunity to win. I felt fantastic after Minnetonka and hope I can repeat the feeling.

My stiffest competition that I know of will be from my friend and off season training partner Ross Weinzierl. Ross started strong this year but has not been able to put it together in a few races. On the other hand I seem to be getting faster with every race. I'm hoping that I can finally get my run to come around so I can start competing at the level I was in 2009 and the beginning of 2010.

This morning I did make one last adjustment to my seat position. After Minnetonka and Waconia I have not been able to run like I believe I can and think my seat was a touch low and forward wearing out my hip flexors for the run. I rode on it this morning and feel like it may be better dialed in. What may hurt me is I put in a serious brick workout on Saturday that consisted of a 48 mile bike ride with a 9 mile run. Both at near race pace intensity. I really hope this was not too much as I felt it Sunday and still felt a little fatigued yesterday. To compensate I took it easy on the bike this morning and will also take it easy on the runs today and tomorrow.

Waconia Recap

I woke up a few minutes before my alarm on Sunday. Normally I can't sleep for crap, wake up at 4am and roll around until five and then just give up. This time was different though. Without the normal nerves I brushed my teeth and got everything ready, gave Kelly a kiss goodbye and made it to transition with plenty of time to spare.

The warm up was nothing special. I talked with my buddy Ross and said high to the usual suspects. I knew in order to grab 5th I would have to hope Kevin was out of shape. He told me he was but even if Kevin is out of shape it will still take a great race to beat him. I also noticed my freind Dana from work showed up. Dana is big into home movie production and was delivering a video of a play his daughter did to another parent and thought he would stop by to record the action this week with a better camera. Sweet!

The swim warm up was better than normal. I felt smooth and found my stroke right away. This rarely happens so I was hoping for a huge swim. As I got out of the water I looked around for Kelly and my mom but did not see them. I had seen my mother earlier but I had not got a glimpse of Kelly, Avery or my sister in law Jenny who also came out to see the race.

The Elite field seemed smaller than most years. Which is nice because then you don't have many 100 yard dash and crashers in the water. As the gun went off I got a good start and felt strong. I noticed I was staying with the pack swimmers and doing pretty well. Then all of a sudden I noticed that there weren't any bubbles in front of me anymore. When I picked up my head to sight I was at least 20-30 yards off course. Then I over corrected and went 20 yards to the inside of the course. I finally go my bearings straight and got back into it. I didn't panic but I definitely started to push a little harder to make up the lost time.

At about half way I finally felt comfortable and seemed to be swimming in a straighter line. On the back stretch I caught up with who I later found out was Tony Schiller. Just like Minnetonka I followed him out of the water. There was someone who had been on my heels for the last half of the swim. I was surprised to see it was Patrick Parish. Normally he has 20-30 seconds on me in the water. This meant either he was not doing well or I was doing great. I later found out that Patrick took it easy on the swim so he could hammer the bike.

I came out of T1 a little behind Patrick and thought I would stay with him for the bike. Patrick had a different idea and put the hammer down and quickly put distance between us. The bike felt much better than last year yet I didn't have as good of a split. I would chalk that up to how good of shape I was in at this point last year, while this year I'm still improving. About 14 miles in I came up on Sean Cooly and then Kevin Oconner. I've never been ahead of Kevin in a race. I must admit I felt a small sense of accomplishment and a little bit of hope that I could beat him if I could put enough time on him before T2.

I came into T2 with about a 20 second lead on Kevin. That quickly went down to 10 seconds as we left T2 and Kevin erased that within the first quarter mile. I kept up with him till a little after half mile in and then he seemed to just accelerate away. Kevin then proceeded to put a minute and a half on me by the end of the race.

In the back of my head I knew Brooks Gossinger would be coming for me though. At the turn around I seemed to have over a minute cushion. What I didn't know was Brooks was out splitting me by almost 30 seconds every mile. The math added up to a much closer finish than I hoped. I kept checking my rear and noticed Brooks with a little over a mile left. I tried to keep going hard but my legs just didn't seem to respond very much. With about a quarter mile left I had about 20 seconds on him. I knew I had to push hard as Brooks would give it all he had. I forced my legs to go as hard as they could go for the last 400 yards and came in 9 seconds in front of Brooks.

I am puzzled by my slow run splits. I haven't changed my taper routine and I'm running faster than ever in training. I'm hoping I just need to tweek my seat position a tad to save the legs. That or not kick so hard in the water. Whatever it is I would like to get back to my sub 6 min splits from 2009.

As usual I had a blast talking with people after the race. Every year I get to meet more and more people. Racing is becoming as much of a social event as it is a competition. Next up is Graniteman. I am really looking forward to this race. Bill Corcoran is the race director and does a great job.

The great news is Kelly and I have decided to add 3 races to my schedule. I was hoping to do the 1k, 100k, 10k Maple Grove tri. Unfortunately that is $175 and not in my budget. So I'm leaning toward Twin Cities Tri, Maple Grove Olympic and Square lake. Although nothing is set in stone yet and I may look into St. Croix Olympic, Graniteman Big Lake and Treadman.

Waconia Preview

This is the only race that I have done every year since I started triathlons. The first time I did it I was something like 90th overall. Since then I've been 13th, 8th, and 5th in 2009. I love the competition here and the course really plays to my strengths.

MN Tri News has posted that I should do well Sunday. I believe this to be true. I believe I am in near top shape and the only thing that is holding me back is a few tweaks to my form. The one wild card is I came down with a slight cold yesterday that I seem to be holding off pretty well. I should be at 100% Sunday as long as there are no setbacks.

Now the question is where do I fit in when I cross the finish line. Looking at the competitors I'm shooting for 6th. Although this is one of those races that I could do better or worse depending on how I race and how others race. That's typically true but usually there is a buffer zone. I don't see much of that on Sunday.

In order to move up I have to hope either someone flats or that Kevin O'conner is not at his best. This is a tall order as Kevin is always tough and even in decent shape he should still take me. On the flip side I will have to hold off Ross Weinzierl and Brooks Gossinger. Ross had success earlier in the season but has slumped a bit lately. I'm looking for him to have a comeback on Sunday. Brooks is a super fast runner, a great triathlete but more of a duathlete. I have come in ahead of him in previous years but he has been improving the lately and has had a couple of great duathlons earlier this year that lead me to believe he will be chasing me hard on the run.

This race will have three of the best triathletes in the country in it. Matt Payne, Patrick Parish and Dan Hedgecock are in another solar system and Alex Hooke is right in there with them. If I can somehow nab 5th I will be ecstatic. To be honest if I can make Kevin run me down and stay within a minute of him I will be stoked.

After Minnetonka last weekend I believe I have my bike dialed in. The only question is can I put together a good run off the bike and a good swim to set up the bike. If I can put together a good race I believe I can make a statement that I can hang with the big dogs.

Don't Panic!

Minnetonka is one if not my favorite races. It's fan friendly because it's close to home, short and a great venue. Unfortunately I had far less friends and family this year but it didn't make the experience any less fun.

I got there a touch earlier than usual because I was not able to pick up my packet on Friday evening. Having to wake up earlier did not help the fact that I got terrible sleep the night before due to the thunderstorm, my wife getting home 45 mins after I went to bed and a waking up at 3:30 to a fussy baby. Although crappy sleep the night before a race is more common than not and I have never felt like it effected my performance. Thus was the case again. Nerves always seem to overcome lack of sleep and keep you going.

Just like Gear West I happened to pick a spot next to my male pattern baldness rival Brett Lovaas when I racked my bike. Brett is a great guy and I have enjoyed getting to know him better the last couple of seasons. As we talked before the race he was telling me how he was fighting a muscle pull and his running was not up to par. This sparked a conversation with Heidi Keller Miller and how it seems like keeping from being injured is tougher than racing. I know the feeling as I was battling one injury or another all last season. Non were debilitating until after WI IM but they are a pain in the ass non the less.

As Ross was giving his pre race safety brief I saw my friend and coworker. He mentioned coming out to see it but I didn't know if he would show. Dana is my sanity at work and we have become great friends. It was great to see him there. Dana was like "man, this is intense". Wait till you race. It's intensity in ten cities.

Before you know it we were off to the swim start. I started warming up and felt pretty good but didn't feel like I found my form yet. As the horn blew I stayed to the outside the may lay of thrashing non swimmers that do the 100 yard dash and crash. The strategy worked as usual and I found myself near the front of the pack. I ended up drafting off of Tony Schiller for most of the swim and felt much better coming out of the water than usual.

My transitions have been historically a problem in this race. Saturday was different though. I had been practicing and since I came out of the water fresher I was able to zip through T1 in great time. I had a little trouble getting my first shoe on but not much of an issue. Tony passed me as I was slipping number two foot in and as soon as I got going I returned the pass.
I did notice the pace vehicle up ahead and thought "wow, I'm not that far back." At this point I was in third behind Tom Camp with Brett in the lead. Not long after I moved into 2nd it happened again.

As I came up to a right turn no one was giving clear directions where to go. They all looked like they were stopping traffic. Not to mention no one was blocking the road. It was partially my own dumb ass fault as I should know better. I ride this part of the course every weekend and have run this race for the past two years. But for some reason things were going so smooth and easy I thought I figured I had to go farther. I remember thinking "this can't be the turn already." On top of that as I went through the intersection, no one yelled that I was going the wrong way. If it wasn't for one guy who made a minor arm motion similar to the mellow tomahawk chop I would not have even known I was supposed to turn. Luckily it felt like I was going the wrong way so I started to slow down and looked back. No one at the intersection even seemed interested that I went the wrong way so I almost kept going. But the gut said turn around, so I slowly went up around the median and turned around. When I started going back I kept yelling, where am I going?" Still no one would give me any direction so I went back. As I got to the corner Tony Schiller was making the right so I knew I needed to make up some time.

I kept thinking "don't panic." Yet I knew I had to make up time so I hate pounded the pedals and passed Tony and Tom again. I wish just once someone would pass me twice so I could know what it feels like. They must be like "WTF happened to that guy?"

I started doing math in my head to see how far back I had to be at the turn in order to catch Brett on the run. As I started coming up to the turn around I noticed the pace vehicle hadn't even turned around yet. In fact I wasn't that far back. As Brett went around the turn around point I started roughly counting seconds in my head. I counted to 15 so I knew I was about 30 seconds back. Well within striking distance on the run if not even the bike.

After the turn around my panic feeling started to go away and I got back in the groove. I started closing the gap with Brett pretty fast and just before the left turn off Galpin I passed Brett for the lead. I figured I would have a stronger run than Brett but I wanted to push the bike hard just in case there I wasn't able to run well or there was someone like Sam A Janicki that I didn't know about in the mix.

When I got off the bike I knew I had about a minute to a minute and a half lead over Brett. As long as I didn't screw up T2 or bonk on the run I would be good. I made a safe dismount and had a fast, efficient T2. Now it was on to the run.

I never felt quite comfortable on the run but I knew that as long as I worked hard I could hold Brett and Tony off. At the turn around there was a good minute to minute and a half gap. Tony was closing the gap on Brett but I knew I could almost cruise to the finish. I'm not one to go easy even when things are in hand so I pushed through to the end and took my 5th ever win.

At the finish my buddy Dana was there to grab some photos and then my wife, daughter and mother joined him. I don't know why but I enjoyed this win as much as any win I've had. It was a slower time than I was hoping but I was ecstatic with being able to overcome missing the turn and more importantly that my bike power was back. My swim and run need a little work but I feel like there both form and not fitness issues.

Up next is Waconia and the competition is thick again this year. My only hope is that Kevin O'conner isn't in top shape and somehow I pull a miracle together to grab 5th. Otherwise I will have to hold off Brooks Gossinger and Ross Weinzierl for sixth. It will be a good battle and should prove to be a fun race.

Bike Power?

This Saturday is the Minnetonka Triathlon. This was my only win last year and I'm looking forward to another battle with Brett Lovaas. Brett had issues last year mounting his bike and with a rogue water bottle that may have made the difference in the outcome. While racing is racing and all of it counts I would rather have had an epic race to the finish line like I had with Josh Blankenheim the year before, rather than winning due to technical difficulties.

This will be my first triathlon of the year so I'm a bit nervous as usual. I have done a couple of road races and duathlons to tune things up a little. One thing that has concerned me is my lack of bike power. This could be attributed to two things. Lack of road riding and seat position. I moved my seat back last year for IM Wisconsin. Since then my power has gone downhill. Since the Apple Duathlon I've put quite a bit of time in finding a better seat position. Since I'm no expert I'm doing a lot of guess work. However I believe I have found a better position on both my training and racing bike. Do to increased avg mph on the road I believe I'm nearly dialed in.

The bonus is I've been swimming with a masters program since last fall and am seeing huge improvements in efficiency. Hopefully that will translate into faster swim times or at least more energy for the bike. Having said all that my running is what is really come a long way in the past few months. I've really found a good stride and am averaging around 5:50 one mile splits whine I do 6 x 1mile repeats on 1 min rest. That's the fastest I've ever been able to run that workout.
Transitions however, have made the difference for both Brett and me in the last two years. For me it was sloppy T1 and T2 and for Brett was mounting the bike last year. Being a sprint transition times make a huge difference in the outcome of the race. They must be fluid but fast. Easier said than done.

I am looking forward to my new daughter seeing her first tri and second race. I'm planning on mom coming as well and I usually have a few other friends and family check this one out as well. I just hope for a fun race and to gauge where I am at this point.

Apple Recap

I showed up on Saturday morning hoping for a 5th place finish. With Patrick P, Dan H, Brooks G, and Chad M on the registrant list that is the best I could hope for. As we all toed the line we all noticed that Patrick wasn't there. I thought... Super!! I'm one flat tire away from a little payday. I was lucky enough for this to actually happen to me last year at Buffalo when I went from a probable 4th to 2nd when Sam Janacki and Matt Payne flatted out.

As the race began I knew I just had to let the runners go. Kyle Serreyn and I quickly fell back as the lead pack gained on us with every stride. I stuck with Kyle for a bit but Kyle just seemed to have this long slow stride that kept putting distance between us. As we came into T1 Kyle had about 20 seconds on me.

Last week my transitions were sloppy at best so I was hoping for them to go a little more smoothly. I put on my helmet grabbed my bike and took off thinking boy that was quick. As I went to mount my bike I realized why it was so quick. I forgot to take off me shoes. I went to go back into transition but realized I would go back over the mat and screw up my time. I then looked around for an official and asked if I could go back in. No one could give me a definitive answer so I tossed my shoes back over the fence in the hopes that they would miraculously fall into my transition area. One shoe did but the other was just far enough away for me to think that I would get an abandonment penalty. So again, I asked if I could go back in at which time a gentleman (and I mean that literally) sad he had it and put my shoes in my spot. Crisis over...for now.

I also left my shoes clipped in this week unlike Gear West. My plan was to go up the hill and put my feet in towards the top and hammer down. Problem was I haven't practiced this at all this year and almost came to a complete stop getting my first shoe on. The second went on better but still not good. I have no idea how much time this all cost me but there's no way it would have made up for 3rd so no harm done.

I was puzzled last week at my week (for me) bike split. It's partly because I haven't been on the road much but my seat position just didn't feel right. I made what is typically the biggest party fowl imaginable. I adjusted my seat a few days before the race. I tested it on my trainer and it felt ok but I didn't get to ride it on the road so I was left guessing if it was dialed in. The ride felt much stronger but the seat is now a little high. I didn't run that well off the bike because of this but again not so much that it effected anything. I will have it dialed by Minnetonka.

On the bike I caught Kyle about 6 or 7 miles in and then caught Kevin Smith, a runner from Canada at about mile 9. Kyle was on a road bike with aero clipons. If he had a TT bike he would be stupid fast. He posted the 2nd fastest first and second runs behind Dan.

I knew I had a big lead for fourth off the bike so I felt comfortable. I just hoped that Kevin didn't have some sort of monster run split. Sure enough with about a mile left I noticed people cheering someone on behind me. I was guessing he was about a minute back. I didn't panic but kept going. Luckily I held on for fourth but 5th ended up going to Sean Cooley out of the age divisions. I only ended up with an 8 second cushion.

Sean introduced himself after the race. He is in his second year of tris and has been bit by the bug. Sean had a great bike split that was even faster than mine. There are so many up and comers it's hard to believe. I remember when it was just Matt, Patrick and myself a few years ago. Now it seems like there is a couple at every race.

The best part of the race was that my cheering section was one bigger than normal. As always mom was there with Kelly but the weather was good enough for my baby daughter Avery to make an appearance at the race. She was so excited she slept right threw it. I can't wait till she is waiting for me at the finish line cheering Daddy! Daddy Daddy!

Apple Duathlon Preview

Apple Duathlon has been a favorite local race for a lot of people which is why I choose it this year. I'm not sure it will be as competitive as in years past which will play to my favor being that there are typically a few pros and lots of faster guys. Like last week I'm looking to have more fun than anything but this is more than a tune up race, which last week was more of.

After grobbling about what to do about my loss of bike power I decided to play around with my seat position a little. This is a strategy that has never played out well for me but I feel like it needs to be done. I also feel like I know more about where my seat position should be and feel comfortable (at least on the trainer) with the new position.

As of now th weather looks decent and I should get a better gauge of my splits this week. Hopefully I can at least keep the damage to a minimum with a better bike split.

Gear West Duathlon

This was a race that I have never done. In fact I have only done one other duathlon... ever. I wasn't expecting much more than a good gauge on where I'm at in the running and biking department. What I got was a great race and tons of fun.

I was somewhat horrified to find out that most of the running would be done on extremely wet trails. At some spots the course resembled more of a mud pit/obstacle course. A number of people lost shoes in the mud while others simply did face plants. It was a blood bath.

I started that race easier than normal so I didn't wear myself out to much for the bike. I was probably at about 40th after the first 100 yards but worked my way up towards the front after the first half mile. I was following another runner when he lead me off course a little. Too be honest I would have done the same thing. It cost me 10-15 seconds but I shook it off and ended up with a very respectable 11th overall run split.

My transition was sloppy but that was expected as I hadn't had any time to practice my transitions yet this year. My friend Ross Weinzierl was also racing. We'd done some trainer rides this winter so I know why Ross has improved so much. He's put in the work. I was a little surprised to see him so early on the bike course. Ross's water bottle had gone rogue and he was going to have to go the course without it. About the same time Devon Palmer blew by me. I was wondering who it was as I typically hold my own with anyone on the bike.

The bike felt ok but I was not gaining on anyone. Typically I would have made up some time on the runners but today it was not to be. I came off the bike in 8th and had another sloppy transition. I heard Ross getting off his bike and I saw him heading out of T2 right behind me. I knew this was going to be exciting.

I knew Ross was in great shape and his run times were not in my favor so I started to strategize. I knew he wanted to beat me and would work as hard as he could to pass me. So I took the first quarter mile easy and baited him into pushing a little out his comfort zone. I then let him pass me just before we headed into the wind. I then took a seat in his back pocket and took a little break. I then felt pretty good and decided to test him by making a pass. He responded with another good push and even surprised me by putting 10-20 yards on me. Ross was breathing hard though and I knew he couldn't keep the pace. I just held my ground and didn't let him get to far ahead. We then went down into the lower parts where it was really muddy and nasty. We were coming up on the worst of the course when Ross got caught in the mud and took a digger into the mud. He recovered well though and I made sure to be careful where he biffed it.

As I came up to the spot I had two choices. Go left where it look like thick mud soup or stay right (where Ross went). The right side looked better with a drier spot then a puddle. I decided to be careful but stay right. I soon discovered what Ross hit. The puddle wasn't a puddle at all. While the puddle was only a foot or so wide it was 18-24" deep. I almost biffed it too but managed to catch myself and recover. It did slow me down though and I didn't gain much on Ross.

We then moved up to the gravel road when Ross made a similar mistake that I did on the first loop. Ross took an early right and went off course. As I came up to him I told him I didn't think that was the way. I followed my instincts for once and kept going. I expected Ross to only be a few steps behind but the wrong turn seemed to take a toll on him. I then put on a little pressure and picked up the pace a bit to make sure Ross didn't feel like he could close the gap.

After a short but steep hill you had to do one loop around a soft gravel track. I had a good 10-15 seconds on Ross and he wasn't gaining. On top of that I found a great stride and felt fantastic. I turned about 150 yrds from the finish to see Ross making on last push but it was a little too late and I picked up the pace just to make sure and beat my friend by 4 seconds.

Ross and I have talked since the race about what happened. Ross was saying how he needs to work on his mental toughness. He didn't think he could beat me. This in turn caused him to panic and loose focus. The fall really took it's toll and the wrong turn was the nail in the coffin. Ross was saying he had nothing left and made his move too late. In the end it just wasn't Ross's day. It's alright, it happens. I've had those days. Ross will learn more from this race than by winning 4 races. It's apart of getting to the next level, which I have no doubt he will get to. Saturday may have been my day but Ross will have his soon enough.

To Be or Not to Be

This weekend will be my first multisport of the year and my second ever duathlon. My first was in 2009 possibly near the peak of career so far where I set a course record at Cannon Wells. This is a record that may never be broken considering the race may never be run again. Kinda cool to hold a record that will never be broken. Regardless this weekend will be under very different circumstances.

This is a race that could put me back to where I was in 2009 or just be another race where I have to realize the reality that it will be difficult to reach the next level now that I am married with a beautiful wife and daughter. I sacrifice that I am willing to make but I want to have both.

Looking at the field it is not going to be easy to get noticed this weekend either. This field is almost as deep as Waconia last year and it does not play to my strengths. All be it I'm hoping to crack the top ten as a realistic goal. If lady luck is on my side looking at the participants list I could, big could, crack the top five. For this to happen I'm going to have to have a Baxter type race where my legs just seem to turn over with ease and never feel fatigued.

The good news is that my running is progressing nicely. I ran 6 one mile repeats the other day on one minute rest and they were all between 5:47 and 5:52. The catch is the weather was perfect and I'm not 100% sure of the exact mileage on it. The bad news is I've only been on the road three times so far this year. Tomorrow being number four. The power still seems good but I haven't been out enough to gauge where I'm at. Plus the computer on my bike skips in and out so my avg speed and mileage are way off. Otherwise I am really slow.

I do have motivation to do well though. My daughter is being baptized this weekend. This is not normally a big reason to go fast. However, the duathlon starts at 8am and her baptism starts at 10:45. Being that I will finish up around 9:17 if all goes well I then have to pack up my crap, drive home, get showered, dressed and drive to the church. If everything goes as planned I should make it but I have no time to dilli dalli.

Minnetonka Half Marathon

Last fall one of my friends got a group of us to register for the Minnetonka Half Marathon. At the time I was coming off my knee/hip reoccurring injury and was expecting a baby. I believed at the time that a half marathon that early in the season may be a bit to chew if I wanted to be competitive but thought I would have fun with my friends if nothing else.

I started getting serious about training in February this year which is about a month later than usual. On top of that my fall base training was almost non existent. The only thing I had going for me was I'd done a better job this year of getting in the weight room from time to time for some lifting. Problem was I was stronger but my legs felt like bricks and I was heavier than I would like.

The good news was that with all that happened in the off season my body responded pretty well. I'm not where I was at this time last year but I feel good about where I'm at. I also started taking my asthma inhaler again last month and it's helped significantly. I now know why people stop taking medication only to laps back into where they were when they needed it. I thought I was fine until I started hitting the inhalers again. My lungs started coughing up phlegm, yummy, and I was able to breath much easier.

The other problem this year has been the weather. I have yet to ride my bike outside and have only been running outside for a few weeks. Last year I hit it too hard when I got outside and injured myself and never seemed to get back on track the rest of the year. This year I was careful about hitting it too hard but that meant a decrease in mileage. So far it has paid off both in avoiding injury and being able to spend more time with my family.

As race day drew closer I was not as excited as I usually am. I set my goal at somewhere between 1:25 and 1:30. The race is a relatively flat course with a bigger hill to start with rolling hills after that. The plan was to start strong but not go out too hard and hope to find a good rhythm.

Before the race I ran into Erik Hendrickson and local legend Tony Schiller. Both great guys and we got in a few words before the race to see what everyone was up to in the off season. Erik has his second baby on the way and is working on grad school. I hate to say I'm glad because he is a serious triathlete and it means one less guy to worry about. At the same time I know it sucks for him to give up his passion. Hats off to him though and I hope to see him around the races as a spectator or volunteer.

The gun went off and I got caught behind some people who pulled the old 100 meter dash then crash. I had to do some evasive maneuvers to get in a good position and then just let my legs get into it. It was ridiculously windy and since this was a point to point race it meant I knew I had an unrelenting head wind for the next 8-9 miles of the race. I got in a small draft pack that disintegrated fast leaving me in no mans land. A couple of guys passed me who looked like they were serious runners who were almost taking it easy. I decided to let them go and the decision paid off as they were soon out of sight.

Two guys then caught me from behind so I made a tactical decision and picked it up a little to get a draft. It worked for a bit but then one of them took off leaving it to me and another guy. I let him take the lead for a couple of miles and then took over on a hill and gave him a break. Then he took it back and started putting a gap between us leaving me in no mans land again. This time it was for good.

As the race went on I was feeling good but a little cold yet warm. I wore leggings and arm warmers. My face was taking the brunt of the cold though. At mile 8.5 I was in 14th and feeling good. Unfortunately I started hearing foot steps behind me. One guy passed me, then another. I started thinking I was bonking or something was going wrong. Did I start too fast? Was I in trouble? I kept checking my rear from time to time to see if my friend Scott was coming up on me. Luckily I did not see him.

With about two miles left we made a turn and got the benefit of the wind at our backs. I started to turn it on as best I could but two guys turned it on just a little faster. With about a half mile left I knew I had one guy behind me. I again turned it up a notch and was able to put a little gap between us.

As I crossed I saw 1:25 something. I was ecstatic as I thought that a 1:27 was more of a realistic goal given 34 degrees and 20-30 mph head winds for most of the race. Scottie then came in right behind me at 1:29 and change. Scottie also turned in a fantastic race. We then went up to see our other three friends cross the line. Our friend Tim came in at about 1:40 and Brent and Wu at about 1:58. Problem was I was not prepared for the cold wind and standing around after the race.

I started getting hypothermia waiting but thought I was ok. After that we went to Park Tavern to celebrate. Unfortunately my freind forgot his wallet at his house and needed his ID so I had to drive all the way to his place then back to Park Tav. I thought I was fine until I took off my Under Armor in the parking lot and put on a dry t shirt. It was like I jumped in 33 degree water. I instantly started shivering like hooker in church. I then spent the better part of an hour walking in circles around our table, drinking tea and holding a warm glass of water to warm up. A poor showing to say the least but my body just didn't know what was going on. I'll remember not to sit for so long after a race next time and bring better clothes for the finish line. That is if I ever do another race in crappy conditions like that again.

Work To Be Done

While I was not disappointed with my race on Saturday I need to make rather drastic improvements if I want to be competitive this season. I was hoping for a sub 37 before doing some outdoor track work last Wednesday where I realized that a sub 38 was a better goal to shoot for. I was a little optimistic that I was in nearly as good of shape as I was at the end of my season in 09. In the end I had to settle for a 38:43 and fourth place. I was not disappointed but not overjoyed either.

Before the race I saw fellow Elite Triathlete Kortney Haag. She also had a baby last year and is in the process of getting back into top form. We both talked about how we were both not as excited as usual for this race. It could have been that it did not play to either of our strengths or the fact that is was about 32 degrees. Either way neither of us was anxious to get out of bed for this one.

I made one big mistake before the race even started by putting on my leggings. It was cold on my warm up run but the sun was rising fast and I knew it could get warm in a hurry. In the end I decided to leave them on.

Then the horn sounded and off we were. Two guys took off and I knew I would not see them again until the finish. A few other guys got out ahead of me and I figured they went out a little hard. I ended up passing them at about a half mile but they did not drop back. One of them looked like a serious runner but wasn't working very hard. The other looked like I looked in 2005. No technical gear and not savvy to race strategy yet. As we hit the mile and a half mark there was a pretty good hill and I felt good going up it. Problem was the runner felt better and passed me towards the top. I stayed with him for a bit but he started pulling away and I didn't want to gas myself too early so I laid back and let him go.

After getting passed for third I got into a little groove and found a good rhythm. I knew the other guy was not far behind but not close enough to draft. Every now and again I'd feel him moving up but he couldn't sustain it and would fall back to about 10 yards behind me. On the second loop I started to get a little warm and pulled off my thin gloves. It helped a little but the leggings were what needed to come off. Oh well. That is why you do these races. To gain experience and fitness.

With about a half mile to go I knew that if the guy behind me was inexperienced and fatigued he would make his move to early and sure enough I felt him make a small push to get on my heels but again couldn't sustain it. I had plenty in the tank though and got a good finishing push to take fourth by 8 seconds.

I saw Jon Achey, the runner who took third at the finish and chatted with him for a minute. I wasn't trying to be arrogant but I talked about my excuses for him beating me. I was "too heavy" and it was "early in the season" were some of my lame excuses. In reality Jon just flat out destroyed me by a minute. I wasn't trying to be that guy but I'm sure that's how I came off. To Jon's credit he is in serious shape and seemed to toy with me out there. He ran a 6:2oish first mile and then went sub 37. That is impressive. Jon told me he is going to try some triathlons this season. I hope to see Jon on the course and wish him luck.

Kortney and I planned on getting in a cool down run but we missed each other at the finish line. I got to talking with Nate, a buddy I knew from college and Iraq. Nate is the brother of one of my soldiers in Iraq. They are both super studs. Nate is doing his first Marathon in a few months. It was great talking with him and hearing about what him and his brother are up to.

As much as I love having Kelly at races and can't wait until Avery yells Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! when I come across the finish line it was too cold for Kelly to bring an infant out. My mother once again braved the cold to watch me race. As always she was very supportive and reminded me how fantastic it is to have someone cheering for you.

Moral of the story is I learned a lot from this race. One was that I need to figure out how to increase my training without taking time away from Kelly and Avery. Second was to never give excuses at the end of the race. Concentrate on the positives and congratulate those who were graciously victorious.

Not So Fast

Last night was my first outdoor distance sprint workout. All be it it was only a one mile sprint, 2 x 800s and 4 x 400. I was hoping to be able to go around 5:40 at a fast pace for the mile. Unfortunately I ran a 5:54 and nearly needed an ambulance when it was over. The good news is I'm not sore this morning and felt like my form was pretty on for the practice.

It was great to get outside though and I felt good overall. I remember last year we were blessed with an incredible March and April and I had been running and biking for almost a month at this same time last year. It will take me a couple of weeks to get my road legs under me.

I was hoping to go sub 36 min this weekend, happy with sub 37 and disappointed with a 38. I'm now thinking that a sub 38 may be more realistic and be satisfied with a 38-39. I started getting back into it about a month later than normal and it's showing more than I thought on the track. Most importantly is remembering two things. This is tune up race for Minnetonka Half and most of all to have fun.

Open 10k

This Saturday will be my first open 10K since 2005. I'm hoping to set a new PR which shouldn't be a problem since it is 40:12 set nearly six years ago. Since then I've gone from being a good recreational runner to being a competitive amateur triathlete. But don't count your chickens till they hatch. I've been working on form this off season and this will be a good test to see how that has improved my efficiency.

In reality my PR is 36:55 set at the Young Life Olympic distance triathlon 2 years ago. I'm hoping to go sub 36 but that maybe tough to do this early in the season to go along with an off season that included the birth of our first baby and recovery from IM Wisconsin. I got started a little later than normal when it comes to ramping up the training due to those factors. New PR or not I'm looking forward to having some fun and getting out on the road (path) again.

A brother of one of my soldiers, who is a soldier himself, went to Iraq in a different unit and whom I knew at college will be there as well. I'm looking forward to catching up with him after the race and seeing how things are going on his end. Nate is a beast and while he may not have blazing speed because he used to be more of a weight lifter he is still fast and is in serious shape. This year he is doing his first marathon and using this for a tune up race.

My mom will be at the race as usual and we'll see if the wife and new baby make it. I think weather will dictate that more than anything. It maybe a little early in the season to have a baby out there. Regardless the goal is to tune up for Minnetonka Half marathon and keep from getting injured.