Devil Challenge Recap

Sunday was the last tri of the 2013 season and it ended with a bang!  I came through with back to back wins in the WI Tri series!

My plan going into this race was to lay it out on the bike.  The more I race, one thing becomes very apparent...if you can't ride towards the front you'll most likely not be in the hunt for a podium, regardless of how small/big the field is.  This is more or less true across all distances.  So yeah, after talking with Will, the ride was going to be a calculated hammerfest.

Race morning we were greeted with miserable weather.  I don't know what it is about this race, but every time I race Devil's Lake, it seems to be cold and rainy.  My apologies go out to all racers, volunteers and spectators ; )

I made sure to get a solid warm up prior to race start, this was especially important with the cold conditions.  Everything went off without a hitch and I headed to the beach.  When the horn blew I dolphin dove as far out as I possibly could because of the shallow water.  This is much faster than swimming (at least at my swimming level) but really tore my feet up.  The rocky bottom combined with the run to T1 left the bottoms of my feet battered and bruised.  But when the adrenaline is flowing, that doesn't matter!  With one of the faster swim times and the fastest T1 I was out on the bike with the lead.  As exciting as that was it was short lived.  While trying to get my left shoe strapped, it came completely loose, so I had to spend some time going slow trying to fix that.  However, once I was done with that dumb mistake it was game time.  From that point on my head was down.  I quickly took over the lead and didn't look back.

The bike course was slightly different this year due to construction, but it wasn't much easier.  The last 3.5 miles before the turnaround involve a lot of climbing.  When I hit the half way point I knew my best chance at making up time was on the descent.  The roads were wet, but I'm fairly confident with my descending abilities in the rain.  This was no time to let off the gas.  I think I came into T2 with nearly 2 minutes on 2nd place!

Getting my legs loose was my biggest priority at this point, so when my calves were cramped up at the run start I was slightly worried.  Luckily, I had an awesome cheering section at the end of the parking lot and my legs loosened shortly after.  I was running solid until the turn around, at which point I was able to see how big of a lead I had.  2nd-4th place were a decent ways back so I was able to cruise it in the rest of the way.  Rounding the final corner was a ton of fun!  This was my 4th time racing Devil's Challenge, so to take the win was a really nice surprise.  Its amazing how far consistency and dedication can take you.  Big shout out to everyone who raced, the conditions were far from ideal.  Also a big thanks to everyone who stuck it out and cheered.  It was great seeing some close friends at the finish, and my girlfriend Ali!  She made post race much more bearable, even though I was freezing and my clothes were completely soaked.  A BIG thank you : ) It was also great to see Scott, Bobby, Jay and Jordan rock the relay teams division!

Racine 70.3 RR

I had an entire draft written up for this race and absolutely hated it.  Everything sounded so robotic...maybe I just had some weird mental block because I'm focusing on Rev Dells?  I don't know.  Instead of writing up another standard race report I am going to try something slightly new by getting some more pics in here with quick tidbits of race day fun.  I might end up leaving out some stuff but that's ok!

This was my 2nd time doing Racine 70.3.  Last time was in 2011 and was my first half distance and can be summarized with 2 words: HOT and CRAMPS.  That is all.

I was no fan of the rough road conditions last time around, so I was not looking forward to the bike this year.  My goal for this race was sweet, sweet redemption.  I can say with confidence I achieved that goal : )
Since the race was Sunday, I arrived in Racine on Saturday morning.  Paul Eicher and his family were gracious enough to let me throw a tent on their camp site.  We had a blast!

Stuck inside Sunday post race.  Pouring rain for hours is no match for having fun!

On Saturday, Paul and I headed to the race site to get registered and do bike check in...we also got a nice swim in.  After getting my bike checked, I headed back to camp while Paul attended his pro meeting (he's sort of a big deal :P).

Race Highlights

Since I had such a late start I was very relaxed race morning.  After taking care of everything in transition and double checking my set up, I wandered towards the big hill overlooking the finish where I met Wattie Ink teammates Scott, Travis, Andrew Kohl, and Patrick.  I had also seen Cate and Jen earlier.  Since all the guys (including friend Mike T.) had roughly the same swim start we made our way down the beach together to get in a swim warm up.

Travis, Scott and I before warming up

Long walk down the beach

The swim was rough!  The wind was coming right into shore which made for less than ideal conditions.  During the swim I focused on keeping a high turnover, not taking in water and just going from buoy to buoy.  Very happy with how this turned out!  I came out of the water feeling great.  Time was 33:xx and I think 19th in the AG.  That's a big improvement for my weakest of the 3 disciplines.

Very happy to be done running on the beach!

Biking in Racine (as I mentioned before) is not very fun.  The roads are beat up and very congested for the later waves.  My best option was to just bike hard and keep passing people.  I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but felt really good throughout.  The back half of the bike had a lot of headwind, so I was really happy to see my pace didn't slow down as much as others.  Total time riding was 2:25:xx.

Bike start...biggest hill on the entire course

Done biking and eager to get off of those roads!

Heading onto the run was a slightly different story.  I just felt kind of bleh...stomach was in a knot and I could tell I would be dealing with leg cramps at some point.  Within the first few miles my stomach settled and I found my stride.  However, after I hit the first turnaround, I had some sort of leg cramp going on for the remainder of the race.  If it wasn't both quads feeling like they were being stabbed, one of my hamstrings was completely seized up.  Luckily, I am no stranger to this.  Experience has taught me cramps eventually go away so I kept downing liquids, taking salt tabs and just kept running.  I had no idea on my pace, my only focus was moving my legs and keeping a high cadence.  Total run time of 1:32:xx.

Finishing up lap 1

Finishing!  Still feeling pretty good at this point.

It was so much fun seeing teammates and friends out there and having people cheering on the course.  That is what keeps me going when I'm really hurting and ultimately keeps me in the sport.  Whenever my mind goes south I remind myself how fortunate I am to be able to take part in triathlon and any sport for that matter.  So a big thanks to everyone who was out there cheering and racing, whether I knew you or not.  As always, thanks to my coach Will (I love seeing the constant improvement), all of the awesome Wattie Ink team sponsors, and  BIG shout out to Nick G and Andrew Kohl's crew.  You got some great action shots out there!

How do we rock the dub again??

There it is!  haha...

Lake Mills RR and Some Product Review

First tri of the season has FINALLY happened!  It has been a long winter/spring and the itch to get out and race was greater than ever before.  And it seems the crappy weather is not quite done with WI yet.  Last Sunday morning we were met with strong sustained winds and cold temps.  Race morning felt more appropriate for a St. Patty's day dash than the first summer sprint triathlon.

Race Morning

Early roll call...oof.  As you know most of my weekends are spent helping time/do set up for the many local races Race Day Events is involved with.  We had to be on site early to complete course set up so I was up at 3:15.  Having had an early wake up the previous day for another race and not getting to bed until past 11, I was a bit concerned about not having rested enough.  To preface that, Saturday night before the race I had a slight panic attack.  My tri shorts were no where to be found!  I knew I had packed them, I specifically remembered putting them right next to my Wattie tri top.  After a frantic phone to my roommate Sean, he said he would drive another pair of shorts my way.  Talk about a good friend...thankfully, I found the shorts and he didn't have to make the drive.  They were stuck to a blanket I used to protect my bike for the drive to Lake Mills.

Once on site, I helped my coworker Sam set the run course.  Not that I don't mind the work/race/work that goes along with working and racing the same event, but this was a learning experience for me.  Very stressful to say the least.  Even though I was the first bike racked, I was one of the last people out of transition.  I need to be more effective with my time for future events I'm working/racing.  I got to the swim start with barely enough time to get wet before the gun.

Swim & T1 (5:58 & 1:08)

This was a rough swim.  I don't think it was so much the chop alone, it was the combination that goes along with the thrashing in the elite wave.  Everyone was gunning for the front, which made for another moment of panic.  I took a swift kick to the face which completely knocked my goggles off (a first for me).  That combined with having to swim tarzan style into some really choppy waves made for an unpleasant experience.  I had gulped probably close to a pint of nasty lake water at this point.  Yuck.  I have worked a lot on my swim and its coming along, but I felt like a novice all over again.  Once I got past the first buoy I was able to get into a good rhythm and settle down.  Although this felt like an eternity I managed to swim 12 seconds faster than last yr...an improvement.  I'll take that.  T1 went flawlessly.  I sprinted past a few guys on the way to my bike and my Blueseventy Helix popped off with ease.  I think I had the 3rd fastest T1!  This wetsuit is incredibly comfy and super easy to remove.  So glad they are supporting the W this year! 

Running to T1

Bike & T2 (40:23 & 0:42)

Right off the bat I was feeling strong.  I closed the gap to about 5 riders in front of me by mile 1.  Normally, I would use my adrenaline to ride past them, which is a mistake.  This always ends in me not being to sustain a strong effort throughout.  Instead, I hung back once I caught the group and decided to make a move past the group after I was able to get warmed up.  Once again, I got caught by Mike Wolfgram about half way through the ride.  However, this time I told myself I was going to keep him in my sights.  The wind was howling the entire ride and I started to really hurt after about 25 minutes, but I was able to keep him within eyesight.  I ended up riding the same exact time as last year but in much harder conditions.  Another improvement!  I must say, the Adamo Racing II saddle has made for more comfortable training and racing.  Definitely makes a noticeable difference.  I clocked the 7th fastest ride of the day.  I'm still training/racing without power but have decided I really need to start.  If you or anyone you know is selling a used hub please let me know!

T2 was somewhat quick.  My feet were so numb I had a hard time getting my Kswiss K-Ruuz on because I kept losing balance.  Once I was able to focus, they slipped right on and I was off!  Man these shoes are light, comfortable, and FAST!  I really wanted a good run today, one I could be proud of...so I was bustin it.

Run (17:45)

Finally!  I say that because I knew I had this in my legs.  Last year I kept finding myself getting complacent with my run effort.  I would end up having a decent run, but always ended feeling like I hadn't pushed enough.  Today I completely surpassed the 18's and cracked it by 15 seconds (6th fastest run)!  And the funny thing was I felt fairly comfortable doing it.  My legs never really hurt and my breathing was controlled, so I know I can push more here.  This might be a stretch but I'm publicly stating my goal is to break 17 min in a 5k by the end of the year, hopefully off the bike.  Got to aim high...

Anyway, running up towards the front was a new experience for me and was really fun.  Heading towards mile 1 I caught up with Mike W. and made a quick pass.  I knew he was running strong as well because I could hear him for the rest of the run.  Fellow Wattie Ink teammate Pat Brady caught me shortly after and eventually moved up to 2nd with a monster bike/run.  Also, friend and winner Mark Hering came into view shortly after that.  He had a crazy fast bike/run and also threw down a great swim.  Look out for him!  Unofficially, I ran my way into 4th but ended up 5th because the swim/T1 times were scrapped due to the swim conditions.  After 4 waves everyone was sent out TT style onto the bike.  A little unfair but what else were we to do?  It is what it is.  Fellow friend/athlete Bill Martin also had a great race but got even more screwed because he's a great swimmer.  Still 3rd overall in my book.  Congrats Bill and to everyone else who raced (too many to name).  Many solid races on the day with lots of PR's.

Finish, feeling strong

UPDATE:  bah!  I always mean to include this at the end and then space.  HUGE thanks to coach Will.  Ever since I have started with him I have seen nothing but steady improvement.  He seems to know just what I need to keep improving while keeping it fun.  Thanks Will!  Looking forward to what's still to come : )

Just a couple more shout outs to Wattie Ink Elite Team sponsors:

Powerbar - great training/racing nutrition products!  Had a double caffeinated latte gel beforehand with one of the new energy blends.  Never had a drop in energy from start/finish.

Speedfil A2 - have not raced with this yet but looking forward to it.  Awesome product.  I can rehydrate climbing, descending, whenever I'm on the aero bars.

Fuelbelt Revenge - love this for my long runs.  Fits just enough water/fuel for 2+ hours of running.  And I forget its there, which is the most important thing for me.

Check out the side of my blog for the other great team sponsors!  Next up is Pleasant Prairie oly.  Finally going to meet some other Wattie's!

Winter Training in the Midwest and Looking Ahead

Today marks the first day of Spring! ...at least on the calendar.  Wisconsin, and much of the Midwest/Northeast is continuing to get mid-winter like conditions.  Last year at this time, we were seeing temps in the 70's and even 80's, and are now well below normal temps.  But if memory serves me correctly, April and May had some pretty awful weather.  Maybe this year will be different?

Recently, I had gotten close to the point of a mental breakdown (not really).  Extended periods of time spent running on treadmills and riding on trainers is not my cup of tea (I prefer green).  However, this extended cold weather has allowed me to focus my energy on some positives:

1.  I'm really starting to nail harder efforts on the trainer.  Really excited to see how this translates to my outdoor fitness.
2. As much as I dislike running on treadmills, the controlled environment is making it much easier to focus on specific zone work prescribed by my coach.
3. I love hot tubs even more now.
4. Last year at this time I was dealing with some nagging foot/lower leg injuries.  Since I'm forced inside because of the cold (mainly right after training sessions), I've been spending A LOT more time foam rolling and getting quality stretching in.  This is key to remaining injury free.

LOOKING AHEAD!

My first "real" race of the season is coming up in about 2.5 weeks.  Its a small 13.1 in Milwaukee called the South Shore half-marathon.  I haven't been putting in a ton of mileage to really perform to my potential for this distance.  My hope is that my overall fitness (and lots of hill running) will translate to some decent speed.  I'm in my 3rd week of picking back up with my coach Will Smith.  I have 100% percent faith that he will get me to the start in a good place physically and mentally.  This will also (hopefully) be my first race rocking some awesome Wattie Ink Team Elite gear and K-Swiss kicks.  Now I just need to pray to the weather Gods that I'm not running on ice!

Think warm thoughts : )

Ironman Wisconsin Part 2 - Race Day!

2000+ athletes taking their positions.  Start to a gorgeous day!

4 AM WAKE UP CALL!!!

Quite honestly, I don't remember what time I woke up.  My alarms (all 4 of them) were set for 4, but I'm pretty sure I was up before then, calmly laying in bed.  By some stroke of luck, I was asleep by 10:30 the night before, which is ridiculous!  I am always a nervous wreck the night before a race, even sprints!  I had my typical pre-race breakfast: steel cut oats w/ PB, banana, honey and some almonds.  I also had some tea to get some caffeine in me.  After one final gear check and grabbing my bottles from the fridge I was out the door and off to the square.

Since it had rained the night before I made sure to double check everything on my bike...brakes, gears, bar tape, shifters.  I did not want a preventable mechanical to ruin my day, so I spent more time than usual on my bike by triple checking everything.  After I taped some gels to my bike and got the tires pumped, the remaining 90 minutes before the start was relaxation time.  This was also the time to take care of pre-race business.  Any triathlete will know what I'm referring to ; )

THE SWIM

Once I knew everything was in order I made my way to the top of the helix for last minute goodbyes and meeting up with fellow athletes.  After getting my wetsuit on halfway, I decided to just get in the water because the wait was killing me.  The plan was to get to the front of the pack halfway between the inside buoy line and the ramp.  I happened to run into Jason Landretti and Mark Werwie out there, which was awesome.

The start of the IMWI swim is unlike anything I have ever been a part of.  Watching it is one thing, being right in the mix is exactly what you expect.   Chaotic.  Exhilarating.  Loud.  Holy crap was it loud!  I couldn't hear myself think...but at this point I don't think you have to.  Your body goes into autopilot as you're practically swimming on top of people.  I've turned into a fairly decent swimmer so holding my own wasn't too much of a problem.  Sighting was good.  I took a fair amount of elbow and foot beatings, but all in all, it wasn't too bad.  I managed to stay with a group for most of the swim which helped on the back end of the  course because it got a little choppy.  I came out of the water right where I wanted to be.  As you get your bearings and run towards the wetsuit strippers, the crowd is deafening!  Wetsuit came off without a hitch and was starting cruising up the helix!  Probably one of the most fun parts of the course : )

Giving Jodi a high five!  She was one of the few people I actually picked out in the crowd.

T1 went without a hitch.  My roommate Sean waited back so he could help out.  I got my socks, glasses, helmet and race number on, and was off!

THE BIKE

My plan was to just stay chill for the first 40 miles of the bike ride.  This was extremely difficult to do because I was getting passed by so many people!  But, I stuck to my plan and told myself I would be seeing most of them around mile 80-100, or on the marathon.  I could write for hours about the bike ride so I'm choosing to go with the notables:  

• The first loop was INSANELY crowded
• I had to pee the entire bike ride; also managed to use the restroom on the move for the first time (wasn't the last either...)
• I had a terrible stomach ache for most of the ride, but my legs felt great!
• The hills had so much energy from the crowds that they felt easy the entire way through
• Riding through Verona festival was a blast!
• Aid stations were awesome
• By mile 110 I was ready to run and get off of my bike  

T2 went smoothly.  I was in and out in a flash, but made a quick pit-stop for sun screen and a much longer pit-stop to urinate once again.  I didn't feel like I was hydrating too much, but maybe I was with the cooler temps on the day.

Headed back downtown on Syene...feeling great!  Also had an amazing group of friends at this point!

MARATHON TIME!

The run.  I cannot say enough about how much I loved this part of the race.  The crowds were amazing, I had friends and family everywhere, and I felt good for nearly the entire 26.2 miles!!!  Part of that is because I seriously busted my ass for this race.  But, I know there was some luck also.  I made a last minute decision to hit the Coke from the very first aid station.  I probably drank about 4-5 oz. of soda every 2 miles, and alternated that with IM Perform and water.  Whenever I felt a cramp I took another salt pill and hit my Powerbar gels every 45 minutes or so.  I think the key is to just go out steady and not overdo it for the first half of the run.  This strategy may not work for everyone, but it sure worked for me this past September.  Also, another Powerbar Team Elite member, Craig, had passed me in the first miles of the run.  He was running strong and I caught a glimpse of him every turn around.  It was awesome motivation to see a fellow teammate out there also having a great day.

I didn't get through that marathon without my fair share of issues.  The bottoms of my feet felt like they were on fire!  Still not sure why, but I wasn't blistering and I knew I could put up with that pain considering everything I had sacrificed to get to that point.  My hamstrings also decided to start cramping up in the final miles which caused me to take a couple stretch breaks, but nothing too terrible.

Running towards Camp Randall on the 2nd loop...starting to feel it at this point.

 I don't want to babble on too much, time to wrap this up.  The highlight of the entire day was obviously crossing that finish line.  But, the build up to that...running around the Capital...not only knowing that I was about to finish a long time goal of mine but that I was well under my goal time, made for a very emotional finish.  I wish I had a split for my last mile because I was flying.  Based on feel alone I know I was running a sub 6:30 pace.  I felt that good!

Headed towards the finish! 

Feeling very exhausted and satisfied post IM!

After crossing I had a bunch of friends there, which was awesome.  Although I felt relatively good, I soon became very cold.  Putting those thermal blankets on is a must!  Once my body calmed down, I devoured everything in sight, got changed and got a massage.  Highly recommend all of those things.  

What better way to finish off my first IM experience?  I got access to the VIP tent at the finish, had food and drink, hung out with good friends and got to watch everyone else finish.  Amazing way to finish the day.   

Here are the numbers:

Swim: 1:04:46
Bike: 5:34:30
Run: 3:38:14
Total: 10:27:51

Very happy with this time, especially considering it was my first attempt at the 140.6 distance.  Next time you see me on the IMWI course will be in September of 2014.  Look out AG 25-29.  I'm coming back with a vengeance!  #Konaorbust!

I also need to add that I couldn't have done this without my coach, Will Smith.  We worked closely throughout the year to make sure everything was on track for this day, I couldn't have asked for a better outcome.  Thanks Will!  Check him out at www.triwillsmith.com