Friday, November 7, 2008
Sponsor Update
Just wanted to take a second to thank my latest sponsor SKINS for taking me on board. SKINS will be my official compression wear sponsor. I have experienced the benefits of compression wear first hand and know that SKINS' products will help me reach my goals in 09 and beyond. Check out their stuff at www.skins.net.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Elite Nationals & Pinehurst Race Reports
For some reason, I can never remember to post my race reports. So, I'm just going to kill two birds with this one.
First off, nationals. What a trip. This was my first time to the west coast. I flew in on Thursday to a raw and overcast Portland. Quite the shock from the still summer like heat in Wilmington. The next day, I went up to the Hagg lake to do some recon and go to the pre race meeting. Riding and running in this area is absolutely amazing. Beautiful forests and crisp, clean air. We had been told a week before the race that the water was around 73 degrees, however upon jumping in for a quick swim, I realized this was no longer the case. The temp had dropped to 68 in the past week due to below average temps. The ITU wetsuit cutoff is 68 degrees. Just days before, I was swimming in the 82 degree water of the Atlantic, so this was quite the shock. Our race started at 2 o'clock the next day, and I think all of us were hoping that the temp would either drop a half degree or warm up five over night. It did neither. The water temp at race start was a crisp 68.5 degrees under cloudy skies and 60 degree air temps. Needless to say, warming up and then having to get out and wait around for the start was none to pleasant.
Anyways, on to the race. It got off to a fast and furious start (as usual) with everyone jockeying for position. I was tucked nicely in the upper quarter of the group for the first half of the swim. However, it was clear after we hit the half way mark that I was not on good form as I let the lead swim group slip away from me. Still, I led the chase group out of the water which still had some very strong guys in it ( Victor Plata, Jarrod Shoemaker, etc...). Again though, once I hit the bike, I realized that my legs were just not there. I ended up getting dropped from my chase group on the second lap of this very hilly course. I regrouped with on e other guy who came up behind me, and we worked together for the majority of the race just trying not to get lapped by hard charging leaders Reed and Chrabot. We managed to stay away with the help of two other riders who came flying up on us on lap 6. I scrambled to stick there wheels for the last two laps. Once I made it to the run, I was completely exhausted and quickly reverted to a survival pace. I ended up finishing 29th out of 38 on the day. All in all, a very disappointing performance for me. I really wanted this to be a break through race for me. However, there are some positives to take away from this. Firstly, I finished! There were a bunch of guys that had to drop all along the course either because they got lapped or just pulled out. Second, I was racing against the top short course triathletes in the country and world and managed a somewhat respectable result. And third, I have a better understanding of exactly where my fitness needs to be when I compete at
these events.
In retrospect, the months leading up to this race were not very good for me as far as training is concerned. I had a couple of rough weeks with work and training where I got extremely exhausted, and instead of taking rest when I needed it, I tried to push through and ended up overtraining. Not a very good situation.
Ok, on to Pinehurst. This is one of my favorite races in the NCTS. Beautiful scenery, a clean lake, and usually some of the best competition of any series race. Ironically though, the course does not suit me at all. The bike very rolling, making it hard for a flat lander like myself to get a rhythm. The run is also very rolling. To top it all off, the swim is wetsuit legal. However, I really enjoy the entire event. Going into this year, I was a little unsure of exactly where my fitness would be on race day. After my race at nationals, there was some doubt as to what I could do. However, the 2 weeks leading up to this race were much different than nationals. I was starting to feel some strength on the bike and my swim was really starting to come around. Figures this would happen after the big race, but you live and learn. So, I had a little more confidence heading into race day.
The Swim: Could hardly see a damn thing. There was a thick layer of fog settling right on the lake surface due to the 50 degree air temps at race start. It was impossible to see any of the buoys. Essentially we just had to swim blind in the direction of the first buoy, and hope for the best. Fortunately, I was able to navigate the course quite well, and opened up a lead of about 45 seconds over my nearest rivals.
The Bike: Like I said earlier the air temp was roughly 55 at race start, so the breeze had a little extra nip to it. My feet quickly went numb, however it really did not bother me that much. I was feeling relatively strong on the bike. Not quite at the form I was in back in April, but still not terrible. I was caught a bit off guard though when Dave Sokolofsky passed me at around mile ten. I had hoped to lead the entire way, but it was clear when he passed me so soon that I was having just a mediocre bike. But, I kept my cool and just tried to keep him in striking distance for the run. Unfortunatley, towards the end of the bike I was passed by two more guys riding the exact same pace (miraculous) and one other about 30 second later.
The run: I came off the bike in fifth place about a minute down from Dave. I had a quick transition and was out on course. I could see all four guys ahead of me on the first straight away. This gave me a ton of confidence as my legs were feeling strong and I had plenty off time to bridge those gaps. I quickly passed Lance Leo for 4th, and set my sights of the next two. I then passed Dave, who was clearly not having a good run. I was inching closer and closer to the two leaders, but I was surprised that I was not bringing them back faster. I finally bumped up to second around mile 3 and maintained my distance for roughly a mile. At mile four, I decided to make my move. I was only 20 meters from first, and figured I could bridge the gap real fast and sit on his hip. Unfortunately, he was watching me the whole time, and surged every time I made an attack. Much to my disappointment, he managed to hold me off to the finish and I ended up second rough 15 seconds back. Later I found out the guy I was chasing was Richard Armstrong, a neo pro at the half distance. This made me feel a little better about losing to him, but I was still very unhappy with the fact that I blew the huge lead I had on him after the swim.
After the dust settled, my finish at Pinehurst was enough to put me into 2nd pace overall in the the Open Division for the NCTS improving on my 3rd overall from last year. All in all, not bad considering I missed the entire middle part of my season due to injury and had to miss some of my best races. Next year I'll just have to move up one more to claim the top spot.
So I know what your thinking, yay Matt, your done for the season, take a break you crazy fool! Oh if only it were that easy. There is one more race on my calender. It is the final race in the Haul to the Great Wall ITU series, the San Francisco ITU Pan Am Cup. Essentially it is the last race on the pro calendar and my last chance to meet the elite re-qualification standards for next year. I needed to place within 8% of the winners time at a pro race in order to re-qualify for an elite card for the next two years. I have was within seconds of making this at St. Anthony's and Musselman, but was unable to pull it out. So, with the money I won from the NCTS I going to buy a ticket to San Francisco. I'm going to stay with my good friend Kevin while I'm out there which will be fun. I guess you could say this is an all in situation. Time to put up or shut up and get the job done. This is not to say that I could not just qualify again next year, but it would make things a lot easier to get it done now.
So that is where I stand as of right now. I'm feeling very strong right now, and I'm getting in some great workouts. Now I just need to keep this momentum up for one more month and try not to go broke with this last trip. Working all the time and trying to do this pro thing is not always easy. Work is definitely a conflict of interest when it comes to be a top athlete, but you have to believe it what you are doing and know that one day it will all pay off.
First off, nationals. What a trip. This was my first time to the west coast. I flew in on Thursday to a raw and overcast Portland. Quite the shock from the still summer like heat in Wilmington. The next day, I went up to the Hagg lake to do some recon and go to the pre race meeting. Riding and running in this area is absolutely amazing. Beautiful forests and crisp, clean air. We had been told a week before the race that the water was around 73 degrees, however upon jumping in for a quick swim, I realized this was no longer the case. The temp had dropped to 68 in the past week due to below average temps. The ITU wetsuit cutoff is 68 degrees. Just days before, I was swimming in the 82 degree water of the Atlantic, so this was quite the shock. Our race started at 2 o'clock the next day, and I think all of us were hoping that the temp would either drop a half degree or warm up five over night. It did neither. The water temp at race start was a crisp 68.5 degrees under cloudy skies and 60 degree air temps. Needless to say, warming up and then having to get out and wait around for the start was none to pleasant.
Anyways, on to the race. It got off to a fast and furious start (as usual) with everyone jockeying for position. I was tucked nicely in the upper quarter of the group for the first half of the swim. However, it was clear after we hit the half way mark that I was not on good form as I let the lead swim group slip away from me. Still, I led the chase group out of the water which still had some very strong guys in it ( Victor Plata, Jarrod Shoemaker, etc...). Again though, once I hit the bike, I realized that my legs were just not there. I ended up getting dropped from my chase group on the second lap of this very hilly course. I regrouped with on e other guy who came up behind me, and we worked together for the majority of the race just trying not to get lapped by hard charging leaders Reed and Chrabot. We managed to stay away with the help of two other riders who came flying up on us on lap 6. I scrambled to stick there wheels for the last two laps. Once I made it to the run, I was completely exhausted and quickly reverted to a survival pace. I ended up finishing 29th out of 38 on the day. All in all, a very disappointing performance for me. I really wanted this to be a break through race for me. However, there are some positives to take away from this. Firstly, I finished! There were a bunch of guys that had to drop all along the course either because they got lapped or just pulled out. Second, I was racing against the top short course triathletes in the country and world and managed a somewhat respectable result. And third, I have a better understanding of exactly where my fitness needs to be when I compete at
these events.In retrospect, the months leading up to this race were not very good for me as far as training is concerned. I had a couple of rough weeks with work and training where I got extremely exhausted, and instead of taking rest when I needed it, I tried to push through and ended up overtraining. Not a very good situation.
Ok, on to Pinehurst. This is one of my favorite races in the NCTS. Beautiful scenery, a clean lake, and usually some of the best competition of any series race. Ironically though, the course does not suit me at all. The bike very rolling, making it hard for a flat lander like myself to get a rhythm. The run is also very rolling. To top it all off, the swim is wetsuit legal. However, I really enjoy the entire event. Going into this year, I was a little unsure of exactly where my fitness would be on race day. After my race at nationals, there was some doubt as to what I could do. However, the 2 weeks leading up to this race were much different than nationals. I was starting to feel some strength on the bike and my swim was really starting to come around. Figures this would happen after the big race, but you live and learn. So, I had a little more confidence heading into race day.
The Swim: Could hardly see a damn thing. There was a thick layer of fog settling right on the lake surface due to the 50 degree air temps at race start. It was impossible to see any of the buoys. Essentially we just had to swim blind in the direction of the first buoy, and hope for the best. Fortunately, I was able to navigate the course quite well, and opened up a lead of about 45 seconds over my nearest rivals.
The Bike: Like I said earlier the air temp was roughly 55 at race start, so the breeze had a little extra nip to it. My feet quickly went numb, however it really did not bother me that much. I was feeling relatively strong on the bike. Not quite at the form I was in back in April, but still not terrible. I was caught a bit off guard though when Dave Sokolofsky passed me at around mile ten. I had hoped to lead the entire way, but it was clear when he passed me so soon that I was having just a mediocre bike. But, I kept my cool and just tried to keep him in striking distance for the run. Unfortunatley, towards the end of the bike I was passed by two more guys riding the exact same pace (miraculous) and one other about 30 second later.
The run: I came off the bike in fifth place about a minute down from Dave. I had a quick transition and was out on course. I could see all four guys ahead of me on the first straight away. This gave me a ton of confidence as my legs were feeling strong and I had plenty off time to bridge those gaps. I quickly passed Lance Leo for 4th, and set my sights of the next two. I then passed Dave, who was clearly not having a good run. I was inching closer and closer to the two leaders, but I was surprised that I was not bringing them back faster. I finally bumped up to second around mile 3 and maintained my distance for roughly a mile. At mile four, I decided to make my move. I was only 20 meters from first, and figured I could bridge the gap real fast and sit on his hip. Unfortunately, he was watching me the whole time, and surged every time I made an attack. Much to my disappointment, he managed to hold me off to the finish and I ended up second rough 15 seconds back. Later I found out the guy I was chasing was Richard Armstrong, a neo pro at the half distance. This made me feel a little better about losing to him, but I was still very unhappy with the fact that I blew the huge lead I had on him after the swim.
After the dust settled, my finish at Pinehurst was enough to put me into 2nd pace overall in the the Open Division for the NCTS improving on my 3rd overall from last year. All in all, not bad considering I missed the entire middle part of my season due to injury and had to miss some of my best races. Next year I'll just have to move up one more to claim the top spot.
So I know what your thinking, yay Matt, your done for the season, take a break you crazy fool! Oh if only it were that easy. There is one more race on my calender. It is the final race in the Haul to the Great Wall ITU series, the San Francisco ITU Pan Am Cup. Essentially it is the last race on the pro calendar and my last chance to meet the elite re-qualification standards for next year. I needed to place within 8% of the winners time at a pro race in order to re-qualify for an elite card for the next two years. I have was within seconds of making this at St. Anthony's and Musselman, but was unable to pull it out. So, with the money I won from the NCTS I going to buy a ticket to San Francisco. I'm going to stay with my good friend Kevin while I'm out there which will be fun. I guess you could say this is an all in situation. Time to put up or shut up and get the job done. This is not to say that I could not just qualify again next year, but it would make things a lot easier to get it done now.
So that is where I stand as of right now. I'm feeling very strong right now, and I'm getting in some great workouts. Now I just need to keep this momentum up for one more month and try not to go broke with this last trip. Working all the time and trying to do this pro thing is not always easy. Work is definitely a conflict of interest when it comes to be a top athlete, but you have to believe it what you are doing and know that one day it will all pay off.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Bandits Challenge
It's been quite a hectic past few weeks. Never really got to put up my Bandits report. Long story short, I came in second and had a strong race. I did not warm up for the swim (or anything for that matter), so it was a little slow going at first. I had a decent bike, but was feeling the fatigue from a week of intense heat and training. Came in off the bike in third and worked my way into second place after a mile or so. I felt strong on the run but was definitely holding back a bit so as to not relive my horrendous breakdown of three years ago.
All in all, a great training race. wish I could have taken first, but I think I was just a little to broken down to pull it out. I'll be racing Lake Norman tomorrow, in my fourth of five races in the NCTS. I am hoping for a solid result to help give me a boost in the overall standings. However, this will still pretty much just be a training race.
All in all, a great training race. wish I could have taken first, but I think I was just a little to broken down to pull it out. I'll be racing Lake Norman tomorrow, in my fourth of five races in the NCTS. I am hoping for a solid result to help give me a boost in the overall standings. However, this will still pretty much just be a training race.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Kure Beach Race Report
Well, its been a while since I have posted anything, so let me bring you all up to speed. My leg is feeling great. I have already been back running for 3 weeks and have built back up to doing hour long training runs. My form has come back fairly quick, and spirits are high.
On to Kure Beach. A few weeks out I while a little worried about trying to race at Kure beach, but in the week leading up to the race, my leg felt great. I ended up having a great race and taking the overall win by 2 minutes. So lets break it down. My first swim was probably the best part of the whole race. There was a very long run-out in shallow water until you were able to swim, so I started dolphin diving in about knee deep water while everyone else was still trying to high step it. This is where years of surfing and lifeguarding experience pays dividends. I ended up putting about a minute on everyone in only 375 meters. Then, the moment of truth: the first run. I settled into a comfortable pace, making sure not to push myself to hard early on and pull something. I soon realized that I was feeling pretty darn good, so I decided to pick it up a bit. For the second run I thought why not see what my leg can do. So, along the straight-away, I really opened up my stride to full race pace and nothing broke! I shut it down a bit towards the end of the run, figuring that there was no sense in pushing it to the point where something would break. I got in for the final swim with a healthy lead, but I still pushed it as hard as I could since there is no substitute for race pace training. Oh yeah, and the bike was good too. I ended up having the fastest bike split on the day. The conditions were challenging, with a tail wind going out and a head wind coming back on the two loop straight out and back course.
So that was my race. This was a great ice breaker, considering I have not done a full tri since April. I'm so stoked that my leg is feeling better and I can finally train again. Looking forward, this was a great tune up race for the Geneva ITU Continental Cup this weekend. This will be my second draft legal race, and my first pro draft legal. I've got my Kestrel RT-800 all dialed in and ready to go. I've already done a few criteriums on it and love the way in handles. For a while I was kind of anti-carbon frames, but I can honestly say I am a believer now. The carbon really does soak up road vibration and keeps you feeling fresher on longer rides.
Well thats it for now. I should have a report posted from my ITU race posted sometime next week.
On to Kure Beach. A few weeks out I while a little worried about trying to race at Kure beach, but in the week leading up to the race, my leg felt great. I ended up having a great race and taking the overall win by 2 minutes. So lets break it down. My first swim was probably the best part of the whole race. There was a very long run-out in shallow water until you were able to swim, so I started dolphin diving in about knee deep water while everyone else was still trying to high step it. This is where years of surfing and lifeguarding experience pays dividends. I ended up putting about a minute on everyone in only 375 meters. Then, the moment of truth: the first run. I settled into a comfortable pace, making sure not to push myself to hard early on and pull something. I soon realized that I was feeling pretty darn good, so I decided to pick it up a bit. For the second run I thought why not see what my leg can do. So, along the straight-away, I really opened up my stride to full race pace and nothing broke! I shut it down a bit towards the end of the run, figuring that there was no sense in pushing it to the point where something would break. I got in for the final swim with a healthy lead, but I still pushed it as hard as I could since there is no substitute for race pace training. Oh yeah, and the bike was good too. I ended up having the fastest bike split on the day. The conditions were challenging, with a tail wind going out and a head wind coming back on the two loop straight out and back course.
So that was my race. This was a great ice breaker, considering I have not done a full tri since April. I'm so stoked that my leg is feeling better and I can finally train again. Looking forward, this was a great tune up race for the Geneva ITU Continental Cup this weekend. This will be my second draft legal race, and my first pro draft legal. I've got my Kestrel RT-800 all dialed in and ready to go. I've already done a few criteriums on it and love the way in handles. For a while I was kind of anti-carbon frames, but I can honestly say I am a believer now. The carbon really does soak up road vibration and keeps you feeling fresher on longer rides.
Well thats it for now. I should have a report posted from my ITU race posted sometime next week.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
St. Anthony's Report
Just got back from Florida last night. I think I have had enough of driving to races already this year. Alabama and Florida were both 10 hour drives.
But anyways, the race. This was hands down the biggest race of my life. It was really something else. There I was, lining up with Greg Bennett to my left and Craig Alexander to my right. Other notable racers were Matt Reed (Beijing bound after last week), Andy Potts, Faris Al-Sultan, Stephen Hackett, Massimo Cignana, Richie Cunningham, and the list goes on.
The swim got off in a hurry, with Reed and Potts not wasting any time and gapping the field before I knew what was going on. I was feeling strong and in control throughout the whole swim, just hanging in the main pack. However, I tried to pick it up a bit to try and bridge up, but I was unable to pick up the pace. I eventually came out of the water with a chase pack of about 11 or 12 guys. Interesting enough, Bennett and I came out of the water side by side, the same as we had entered. I had a solid transition onto the bike and I was off and running. My new Kestrel Talon felt great. My positioning is far far better than my previous setup. I was also borrowing a Zipp disc and Zipp 808 front wheel (thanks Kate) for the race. The combination of the two was phenomenal. I don't think I droped below 25 mph the entire time except for turns. I ended up having hands down the best bike leg of my entire career, averaging 25.3 mph for the 40k. Again, I had a solid transition from bike to run. I took it out strong but conservative, slowly catching two guys by about mile 2. Unfortunately, I have been having some leg issues as of late. I have been stuck on elliptical machines for the past month and a half. I was still in some pain from last weekends effort going into Sunday. Consequently, the second half of the run was a bit rough. I could feel some straining in my lower right leg, and was afraid to over extend myself lest I do something really bad. I still managed to pull off a 35:55 ruin split, but was a little disappointed knowing that, had I been injury free the past month, I could have really busted some heads. Little did I know at the time, but one of the guys I was chasing down on the run was 2005 Ironman World Champion Faris Al-Sultan. Unfortunately I was unable to catch him, but I still feel good knowing I was right there with some of the best in the world. My final time was 1:56.26, a pr for the international distance and good enough for 17th in a VERY stacked pro division.
As I mentioned above, my leg is not exactly in tip-top shape. However, its nothing that I am to worried about. I just need to keep my mind on the big picture. Therefore, my race schedule might be slightly altered over the next month to ensure proper healing. This will gurantee that I am in peak physical condition for my first ITU races.
But anyways, the race. This was hands down the biggest race of my life. It was really something else. There I was, lining up with Greg Bennett to my left and Craig Alexander to my right. Other notable racers were Matt Reed (Beijing bound after last week), Andy Potts, Faris Al-Sultan, Stephen Hackett, Massimo Cignana, Richie Cunningham, and the list goes on.
The swim got off in a hurry, with Reed and Potts not wasting any time and gapping the field before I knew what was going on. I was feeling strong and in control throughout the whole swim, just hanging in the main pack. However, I tried to pick it up a bit to try and bridge up, but I was unable to pick up the pace. I eventually came out of the water with a chase pack of about 11 or 12 guys. Interesting enough, Bennett and I came out of the water side by side, the same as we had entered. I had a solid transition onto the bike and I was off and running. My new Kestrel Talon felt great. My positioning is far far better than my previous setup. I was also borrowing a Zipp disc and Zipp 808 front wheel (thanks Kate) for the race. The combination of the two was phenomenal. I don't think I droped below 25 mph the entire time except for turns. I ended up having hands down the best bike leg of my entire career, averaging 25.3 mph for the 40k. Again, I had a solid transition from bike to run. I took it out strong but conservative, slowly catching two guys by about mile 2. Unfortunately, I have been having some leg issues as of late. I have been stuck on elliptical machines for the past month and a half. I was still in some pain from last weekends effort going into Sunday. Consequently, the second half of the run was a bit rough. I could feel some straining in my lower right leg, and was afraid to over extend myself lest I do something really bad. I still managed to pull off a 35:55 ruin split, but was a little disappointed knowing that, had I been injury free the past month, I could have really busted some heads. Little did I know at the time, but one of the guys I was chasing down on the run was 2005 Ironman World Champion Faris Al-Sultan. Unfortunately I was unable to catch him, but I still feel good knowing I was right there with some of the best in the world. My final time was 1:56.26, a pr for the international distance and good enough for 17th in a VERY stacked pro division.
As I mentioned above, my leg is not exactly in tip-top shape. However, its nothing that I am to worried about. I just need to keep my mind on the big picture. Therefore, my race schedule might be slightly altered over the next month to ensure proper healing. This will gurantee that I am in peak physical condition for my first ITU races.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
2012 Talent ID Invite Report
Victory! And 600 bucks to boot. After hanging around Tuscaloosa for what seemed like forever, I finally got the chance to race. I felt great on the swim despite the chilly water temps. I came out of the water in third position and felt really comfortable. After the the first lap myself and three other riders formed the lead group. However, one guy from navy took a spill at the turnaround on the first lap. This caused us to lose our rhythm a bit, but we quickly formed a strong group when one other rider bridged up and a very sketchy rider dropped off the back. The three of us got a good rotation going and held the first chase group of 9 riders to about one minute. Coming off the bike Nick Vandamme(sp) and myself stayed together for the first half of the first lap of the run. After taking it the first quarter at a comfortable pace, I made my move on Vandamme and never looked back. I ended up running a 16:51 for the 5k. A solid performance, but I would have liked to have gone under 16:30. Vandamme was able to hold off a hard charger from the first chase group who must have had the fastest run split on the day. Crossing the line in first was a great experience with a whole slew of photographers poised at the finish.
So things are going pretty good. I think I impressed some people today, and I am very pleased with that. It was very satisfying to beat all of the so called "pipeline athletes". In the end, it doesn't matter who USAT thinks is going to succeed and who to support. You just have to go out there and let your racing do the talking. They'll come around eventually.
Click HERE for the story on the USAT website!
So things are going pretty good. I think I impressed some people today, and I am very pleased with that. It was very satisfying to beat all of the so called "pipeline athletes". In the end, it doesn't matter who USAT thinks is going to succeed and who to support. You just have to go out there and let your racing do the talking. They'll come around eventually.
Click HERE for the story on the USAT website!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Seahawk Invite / Lo Tide 10k
Wow, what a crazy 24 hours. So basically, at the last minute, I decided to run in a collegiate track meet this past Saturday. I found out, from Tom Clifford, that you could enter and race even if your not a college student. I saw this as an opportunity to PR in the 5k, since I have never ran one on a track.
Leading up to the race, I was not really nervous, but was definitely a bit tired from a tough week of training following Azalea. The race started at 6:30pm, which also made things a little awkward. But once I got racing I felt great. I took the first mile out in 5:03 just cruising along. My 2 mile split was 10:10. At this point I thought, "holy crap, I'm gonna break 16:00!". As the coaches kept on reading off splits, it became clear that I was going to crush my best time. I ended up finishing 7th with a time of 15:51. Unbelievable. This just gives me so much confidence going into this season. I have not even been able to get in any speed work lately, so to run this fast this early in the season is further affirmation that I am going to dominate this year.
Oh yeah, the next morning me and a group of tri geeks woke up and biked down to Carolina Beach at 8am. We then ran in the St. Patrick's Day Lo Tide Run (10K). I ended up finishing second with a personal best time of 34:23. We then hung around for a beer or two and crushed the 20 mile bike ride home.
All in all, a great weekend of racing and training.
Leading up to the race, I was not really nervous, but was definitely a bit tired from a tough week of training following Azalea. The race started at 6:30pm, which also made things a little awkward. But once I got racing I felt great. I took the first mile out in 5:03 just cruising along. My 2 mile split was 10:10. At this point I thought, "holy crap, I'm gonna break 16:00!". As the coaches kept on reading off splits, it became clear that I was going to crush my best time. I ended up finishing 7th with a time of 15:51. Unbelievable. This just gives me so much confidence going into this season. I have not even been able to get in any speed work lately, so to run this fast this early in the season is further affirmation that I am going to dominate this year.
Oh yeah, the next morning me and a group of tri geeks woke up and biked down to Carolina Beach at 8am. We then ran in the St. Patrick's Day Lo Tide Run (10K). I ended up finishing second with a personal best time of 34:23. We then hung around for a beer or two and crushed the 20 mile bike ride home.
All in all, a great weekend of racing and training.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Azalea Triathlon
The first tri of the season is in the books and I am very satisfied with the results. I finished first overall, though only by six seconds. However, with Azalea being a pool swim with a staggered start, there was no exciting neck in neck battle for the line. In fact, we finished about 3 hours apart due to a flat tire that caused Paul to have to start over at a later time. I would have liked to win by a little more, but its hard to be dissatisfied with a win.
Leading up to the race, I was getting flash backs from three years ago when the event was a total washout. Fortunately, the rains that had soaked the roads all day Friday and Saturday morning held off for the entire race. The sun even came out later in the day which made breaking down a little more tolerable. However, the weather still played a major role, as racers had to battle sustained 20-25 mph winds with gusts of 30-40 mph all the way up Wrightsville Ave.
Breaking down the race, I accomplished exactly what I set out to do. I had a strong swim to lead things out, fading a bit towards the end, but still my fastest split in this race to date. Being out of competitive swimming for more than a year now, I was very pleased with this result. I have been working hard to get back into swim shape for the ITU races I will do this season, and it has clearly payed off. T1 went very well, as I was using my new Lake tri shoes. This was the first time I had ever left my shoes clipped in for T1, so I was a bit nervous. However, I had practiced this many times in the weeks leading up to the race and had no trouble at all. Even though I was a bit slower getting in then I had practiced, I had one of the fastest T1 splits. It is amazing to think that if I had used my old shoes, and put them on in transition, I may very well have gotten second. On the bike, I felt very strong even when we hit the vicious headwind on Wrightsville. I was pushing it pretty hard on the bike, so I think that may have cost me a little bit of speed on the run. I really wanted to split under 17 minutes, but was 4 seconds shy. I have not done much speed work at all lately due to some nagging pains, so once I get back on the track, I should be in good shape.
So, in all a very successful day, and a great way to kick off the season. My confidence is high, and I'm ready rip it up this year.
Leading up to the race, I was getting flash backs from three years ago when the event was a total washout. Fortunately, the rains that had soaked the roads all day Friday and Saturday morning held off for the entire race. The sun even came out later in the day which made breaking down a little more tolerable. However, the weather still played a major role, as racers had to battle sustained 20-25 mph winds with gusts of 30-40 mph all the way up Wrightsville Ave.
Breaking down the race, I accomplished exactly what I set out to do. I had a strong swim to lead things out, fading a bit towards the end, but still my fastest split in this race to date. Being out of competitive swimming for more than a year now, I was very pleased with this result. I have been working hard to get back into swim shape for the ITU races I will do this season, and it has clearly payed off. T1 went very well, as I was using my new Lake tri shoes. This was the first time I had ever left my shoes clipped in for T1, so I was a bit nervous. However, I had practiced this many times in the weeks leading up to the race and had no trouble at all. Even though I was a bit slower getting in then I had practiced, I had one of the fastest T1 splits. It is amazing to think that if I had used my old shoes, and put them on in transition, I may very well have gotten second. On the bike, I felt very strong even when we hit the vicious headwind on Wrightsville. I was pushing it pretty hard on the bike, so I think that may have cost me a little bit of speed on the run. I really wanted to split under 17 minutes, but was 4 seconds shy. I have not done much speed work at all lately due to some nagging pains, so once I get back on the track, I should be in good shape.
So, in all a very successful day, and a great way to kick off the season. My confidence is high, and I'm ready rip it up this year.
Friday, March 7, 2008
And they're off...
Welcome to my personal triathlon blog. I never thought I would see the day that I made one of these silly things. I always thought they were a waste of space, and wondered who would bother reading some of the crap people come up with. But here I am, doing the same thing.
However, this is a bit different. My main goal with this blog is to further enhance my triathlon career by creating a place for sponsors, potential sponsors, friends, family etc... to track my training and racing schedules. Throughout the season, I will post pre and post race reports, training logs, goals, schedules, and any other information that will help you follow my progression. In addition, I will probably add some posts from Set Up Events and Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue (my current employers) to keep you up-to-date on that side of my life.
I should be posting my first race report some time this weekend following the Azalea Festival Triathlon. This will be my first tri of the season, and hopefully my first win as well.
That's it for now. Thanks for coming by and keep checking back as the site builds.
However, this is a bit different. My main goal with this blog is to further enhance my triathlon career by creating a place for sponsors, potential sponsors, friends, family etc... to track my training and racing schedules. Throughout the season, I will post pre and post race reports, training logs, goals, schedules, and any other information that will help you follow my progression. In addition, I will probably add some posts from Set Up Events and Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue (my current employers) to keep you up-to-date on that side of my life.
I should be posting my first race report some time this weekend following the Azalea Festival Triathlon. This will be my first tri of the season, and hopefully my first win as well.
That's it for now. Thanks for coming by and keep checking back as the site builds.
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