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.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, August 15, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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.
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.
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