St Jude Memphis Marathon Report

What a day it was. As I am sitting here typing this post, I am thinking back over that day and trying to determine how I want this to read. I want to be positive even though I was so close to my goal time. I did in fact improve my time over last year by 1 hour and 6 minutes, which I am stoked about, but I know I should have been a sub 5 hour marathoner pretty easily. This will be a rather long post, so sit back and ready yourself!

EXPO: The expo is always cool. I love seeing everyone milling around looking at the sponsors, buying St Jude apparel. This year, as you know, I signed up to be a St Jude Hero! That meant that I promised to raise money for St Jude and it gave me the opportunity to wear a special singlet stating that I had raised a certain amount, so again I want to thank each of the that donated money to this race. I went to the expo alone this year due to my family being involved in a church program, so this actually made me be a little more focused on my race and what I wanted to do. So I picked up my packet and strolled around, spent some time talking with Dane Rauschenberg. This guy ran 52 marathons in 52 weekends while holding down a full time job! Amazing accomplishment! It was good to talk with him for a bit and discuss strategy! I really did not stay very long at the expo, I bought nothing, did not even really look for anything, i just went with the flow of the crowd and headed back home to try and get a good nights sleep.

RACE DAY:
I woke up a little before 5 Am and took a quick shower, ate my bagel and then met up with Buck and Steve to head down to the race. Once down to the site, we just walked around, met up with other runners, took pictures with my fellow Warriors and headed to the start line.  I lined up in corral 7 and waited. Last year I was corral 11!  So I had higher expectations!

Mile 1-3:
These miles always go by pretty fast because of the crowds of runners and the crowds of spectators. I really was paying attention to my pace because I knew I did not want to start off to fast. I felt comfortable running but once I looked at my Garmin, I knew I needed to back it down some if I wanted maintain.I was running with a friend at that point and several times we both had to slow each other down to stay within our paces. We had already gone down Beale Street, down Riverside Dr, which goes along the Mississippi River, which is one of my favorite parts of the race. My 5K split was 31:16, which was a 10:06 pace. I was feeling good and on my pace.

Mile 4-9.5:
I was still feeling good as we passed the Pyramid, a Memphis landmark and as we turned in to the St Jude campus. The campus last year was a very emotional spot of the race for me. All the families and children of St Jude outside cheering on the runners was something I will never forget. This year it was different. I had the St Jude singlet on , so I think more people were yelling at the singlets than I noticed last year, so that gave me an extra boost. The whole section was different than last year. Once we got out of the campus, I knew we were at the 10K mark. Mile 6 was my planned stop to eat something and get water for 1 minute, and then go again until mile 10, just like I did in training! I had to add a bathroom stop in at this mile marker though, which I do not think hurt my time that bad. I did end up splitting away form running with Steve at this point, which allowed me to focus on my race a little bit more. My 9.3 mile split 1:36:54 with a pace of 10:26, still on track!!

Mid way, 13.1:
After you hit the 9.3 mat, you start heading back towards downtown and I always remember seeing the heart on the top floors of LeBonheur Children's hospital. It sort of guides you back to where you finish. I was hitting the water stops as I planned, eating what I brought and overall feeling pretty good. I was starting to get passed by a lot more people that were trying to kick it in to finish the half marathon, but I did not let them phase me cause I knew I had a ways to go still. One thing that stood out to me was that I did not feel so alone once the "Halfers" turned to go to their finish line and the marathoners continued on. Last year, it was like a ghost town, but I was further along this year than last, which helped me mentally. I knew I was coming up on the section of the route that I hated, so I just tried to prepare my self mentally to get through the next few miles until we turned on to East Parkway. My 13.1 mile split was 2:18:49, a 10:36 pace. I felt good about this cause I was using a 2:25 mark for the half, so that would get me under 5 hours. Still on track.

Mile 13-20
This is basically through the midtown area of Memphis, and I hate this part. I am not sure why, but I dreaded it the most. The route along Peabody seems to last forever and a day. Another bathroom stop, more nutrition and water at every stop was my game-plan. I hit a wall at 16 last year, but I knew I was going to make it through that marker. I was at mile 17 when I hit the 3 hour mark, which was good. I was still on my pace I wanted to be, I knew I would soon be making one of the final turns, heading down East Parkway soon. Last year at this point I was so out of it mentally that if I could have found a cell phone I would have called my wife to come pick me up, but I was still feeling strong. I think having a better idea of the course helped me a lot as well. I had hooked up with the 4:40 pace group at this point and ran with them through mile 20, which was helpful because it allowed me to gauge my pace better.My 19.6 mile split was 3:34 with a 10:54 pace. I knew I was on my way to a sub 5 hour race.

 Mile 20-26
Mile 21 was when I saw some familiar faces! My wife and youngest son Jesse were there cheering me on. I was not expecting them to be so that made it even nicer to see them and their sign. I had thought my wife had said they would be around mile 20 and when I did not see them I figured something just didn't work out, so I was really happy to see them at 21. I stopped and got a kiss and a high five and kept on going, determined to keep running. Mile 22 came up on me and that's when I felt the dreaded twinge of calf cramps! I slowed down a bit, walked a little and even stopped to stretch out my calf, and it seemed to help for a minute, but it got to where I could only run for about 2 minutes before they locked up again. So I would run and walk, run and walk. I drank 2 waters at every stop, emptied out all my nutrition I had left and tried to force myself to run just a little bit further. I knew I needed to keep going to hit a sub 5 and I tried. The 2 minute runs soon became one minute runs, then 30 second runs, then it was light pole to light pole through mile 25. Once I hit 25, I knew I was on the cusp of a 5 hour finish and I just gritted my teeth and tried to push through the cramps, hoping I could run them away,but it didn't happen.

Mile 26
Once you hit 26, there is a slight uphill you make before turning into the stadium and I had just turned on the back road leading into the stadium when my watch hit 5 hours. I wanted to finish strong though, so I tried to wipe the pain off my face and run through the finish line, but of course, I got another cramp right there about 20 feet from the finish line and I was running like a hobbled old man. I made it through at 5:01:46, with a pace of 11:32. This was an improvement of 1:06 over last year!  That's a 1 hour improvement, not a 1 minute improvement! BOOM!

184/245 in AG

1669/2624 OA

I got my finisher's medal (which is seriously blinged out) and then tried to climb the steps out of the infield of the stadium. BAD IDEA!  Climbing steps was not good for me. I only made it halfway before I had to sit down and then fight off serious cramping. Eventually I made it to the food tent where I grabbed some pizza, cokes and some other goodies, including a box of Krispy Kreme donuts!

Saturday night I spent basically on the couch fighting off calf cramps eating donuts and a huge steak my wife cooked for me. Sunday morning was tough for me to get around, but I felt amazingly better than I walked. On Sunday afternoon, I got a chance to go back downtown and hang out with blogger Jeff Irvin from Dangle the carrot fame! Jeff, his wife Annie and friends were super cool as we got to hang out at the hotel lobby and talk about the marathon and future races.

While I was running, I really questioned myself about whether or not I wanted to try to do an Ironman. If you had asked me Saturday or even Sunday, I am not sure what I would have said. Right now I am only about 40% sure I want to go on and try Redman next year after this race. It was tough, but I know I have a sub 5 in me. I know it! So we will see. Right now I am going to enjoy the holidays, I am going to reintroduce myself to Stella (my bike) and get back into the pool. Even as I am writing this, thinking about 2013, I have some lofty goals. I had at least 8 PR's this year and swam/biked/ran more than ever, and I feel good.

As soon as I get all the pictures, I will have a post with nothing but photos of the race. Thanks for reading!

5 Flats in 1 Race?? I Should Get Some Kind of Award!

Well, my first HIM is in the books and I hope to keep that book closed after I write this. It was a truly disappointing day. The last thing I thought about is what did me in. It wasn’t the sore tooth that bothered me until Friday morning, or the sore back I got from loading heavy suitcases in the van, it was wheel tape. Let me explain and it is long, but I need to vent/write this out.

Branson 70.3 was my A race. This was the race I planned for, trained and was looking forward to all year. I was confident. I was calm. I was taking it all in. The concert kickoff was great, packet pickup was great, getting everything to the right area the day before went great, and even waking up at 4AM went rather smoothly. I was expecting a great day.

I got to the race site before 6 AM on Sunday. I was a little concerned about my back, but a night of “the stick” and Icy Hot had me feeling OK about it. Once I got into transition and got my stuff spread out, I was talking to Chris B when for some reason I reached over and grabbed my back tire, only to find it was flat. PANIC!! Immediately I took my bike over to the bike support guys and they quickly changed out my tube, which was a huge relief. They did it much faster than I would have been able to, plus it was still dark and hard to see. Those guys were great and I really felt like I dodged a bullet. Everything was OK!

The announcer came over the intercom and said they would open the swim up for warm-up swims at 6:40, once the daylight broke. This was also a relief to hear because it gave me a chance to get in a swim and see how my back would feel. Once in the water (wetsuit legal) I was able to swim comfortably. Again, things were going well.

SWIM:

The waves started with the pros going first and then the AG started. My AG was scheduled to go off at 7:21 AM, and I was really at peace before the start. I was not nervous or anxious at all. As the horn sounded and all 200+ 35-39 males moved into the water, I waded in about thigh deep, found some empty space and started swimming. There were a few instances of pushing and shoving, but nothing out of the ordinary. I remember having all sorts of random thoughts while swimming, I had songs going through my head, and I wondered if my wife made it and what she was doing… I was basically having the best swim. I did not expect it to be short, I knew it was going to be long and I was OK with that, I just kept swimming. Before I knew it, we were turning to the right and I remember thinking, “Are we already at the turn?” That has never happened to me before. So I went with it. Kept my pace, avoided people as best I could and only stopped for a second to sight (it was tough to see that far out). Before I knew it, I was up out of the water running up the ramp. I heard my wife screaming for me before I saw her! She was excited, so I knew I had a good swim and looking at my watch, I was out of the water in 39:16!

T1

T1 was a long ways away! We had to run up a steep hill and then around the back of the transition area to get to our bikes. I had a slow transition, but I wanted to make sure I got everything. I had gloves, socks, Garmin to put on and I had to stuff all my swim gear in a bag so they would bring it to T2 for me. It must have been over 5 minutes, but that didn’t matter much to me. As I was exiting T1, I again saw my family there cheering for me, which was awesome!

BIKE:

The first 6 or 7 miles of the bike were uphill, so immediately you start climbing slowly. The fog was also very thick which made it hard to see riders 50 feet ahead of you. This first part was something I was concerned about after driving it the day before with my Dad, but I finished that part in around 25 minutes and the best part was that my back gave me no trouble, so I was feeling confident. I hit speeds of 45 mph on the downhill and speeds of 7 mph on the uphill. Uphill it burned your quads and downhill you just had to pucker up and hold on. It was a beautiful ride once the fog broke. I was on pace to hit my goal time.

Mile 17 is when I heard it, that indescribable noise of a flat tire. The rear tire AGAIN. I pulled over and there was a volunteer working the area. He asked if I needed help. I said I was out of tubes (who carries more than one tube at a race?) He said he would call the pickup van for me. My heart sank, I asked him if it was over and he said he did not know what they could do. Luckily, when the van got there, they were able to provide me with a tube and get me going again, until mile 25 or so. Another rear flat tire. I was about to throw my bike into the woods when a guy named Steven stopped and asked if I needed help. I explained my situation and he graciously gave me a new tube and CO2 to help me get back riding. I got the tube changed, thanked Steven as he rode off and was about to hop back on my bike when I noticed my chain was off. I had a heck of a time getting it back on and doubt I would have if another racer named Mary stopped to hold my bike for me while I fixed it. Thank you Mary and Steven! So, then I was off and riding again.

Mile 32 or so, I had the same rear tire go flat, a 4th time. I had passed Steven prior to the flat and he stopped again as he passed me. I knew that there was something going on inside the rim/tire and that popping a tube in would only lead to the same result. I asked Steven if he would ask the volunteer ahead of us to call the support team for me, and I started walking. Numerous triathletes asked if I was OK and tried to encourage me, but it wasn’t an issue of fitness or any kind of physical ailment I was battling. That was frustrating as well. After about 30 minutes of walking, pushing my crippled bike, the support van finally pulled up to assist me.

What was the problem you ask? My wheel tape was not doing its job. It was not protecting my tubes from any sharp edges created by the spokes coming into the rim (sorry, best way I know to describe it). The guy changing my tire actually brought out a wheel from his van and gave me the wheel tape from his bike tire to get me going again. By this time, he said there were about 5 other road bikes and some mountain bikes still on the course besides me. I knew it was over after he said that, but I kept going. I had already been on the bike course over 4 hours and still had about 20 miles left to ride.

There is not a more lonely feeling than to be out on a closed race course with no other bikes or people around for miles, and there is nothing you can do about it. It sucked hard!

However, I was still determined, until mile 42.5 when the front tire went flat. I assume it was also the wheel tape, but I have not checked it out yet, nor will I for a few days. After another 25 minutes waiting for assistance, the sweeper got me. It was over. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to puke and I wanted to throw my bike off the nearest bridge.

It was a long ride back to T2 in the truck. I have never in my life felt more defeated than I was in that truck. I called my wife to tell her where to meet me, in a way, I am glad I was able to leave a message because I think I might have lost it if I spoke with her. I knew she would be just as disappointed for me as I was. I needed her hug as I arrived to T2.

The toughest part was throwing my timing chip on the table with the rest of DNF’s, the ultimate admission of it being over. It stung and I suppose it will for a few days.

Ironman Branson was a great race to do. A great venue for the swim, a challenging bike course and the run course looked flat. It was nothing that was too hard for me. I know I could have finished it. I can’t say the experience was all bad.
I have appreciated the support of my family and friends who know how much I was looking forward to this race. I am going to take a few weeks off from any kind of training and then see what is on the plate for next year. I am not sure about taking a second shot at Branson 70.3 yet, and I am not sure what to do with the shirt either!

To my friends Chris B, John H, and Ted H. all who finished it, congrats, you guys rock! Ted even won the M35-39 AG! He is a stud! You all should be proud!

MightyMite Race Report

Mighty Mite
Total Time = 1h 20m 52s
Overall Rank = 104/362
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 14/27

Swimming
00:10:42 580 yards 01m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 10/27
I felt really good on this swim. The course was a U shaped course with two right turns. Since it was a time trial start, we started every three seconds. There was not a lot of bumping during the swim. The only time I felt people was when I rounded the buoys. I felt like I was passing a lot of people; however, I was disappointed with my swim time. Later, I learned that the 500 yd swim was almost 600 yds, so it was not as bad as I originally thought.

T1
Time: 01:44
SLOW, SLOW, SLOW! I had trouble getting one of my shoes on. I finally had to sit down and get the shoe on right before I could leave. Other than that, it went fine.

Biking
00:41:32 13 miles 18.78 mile/hr
Age Group: 15/27
My bike computer was not registering on this segment, it must have gotten hit during transport or something. I thought about stopping and fixing it, but decided against that and would just go by effort. I pushed it on the bike and passed a lot of people. What a difference a year makes. I was able to get in aero a good portion of the race and I was in the right gear when I needed to. I really felt like I had a good bike, but I would have liked to have the information handy to tell me distance and speed.

T2
Time: 01:12
Again, another slow T2. I had trouble getting my shoe on, except this time it was the other foot. So again, I dropped to the ground and got my shoe on, grabbed my race belt and left.

Running
00:25:44 03.1 miles 08m 18s min/mile
Age Group: 19/27
After my last tri, I was determined to have a good run. Coming off the 5K on July 4, let me know I was capable. I was not going to walk, and I was going to push it. I am usually not a strong runner coming off the bike. I knew this course was uphill for the first 1.5 miles and I was prepared to make it through that portion. The back half of the run was either flat or slight inclines. Each mile got faster and I was able to pick people off one at a time. I was still passed by quite a few people, but this time I was also the passer.

Overall I was happy with my placing int he race, but not with my time. I was honestly expecting to be in the 1:17 range. I had a slightly faster bike an run this year but an overall slower time ( by 9 seconds). Also with a slower time this year, I moved up 10 spots in my AG, so it is true, you can't control who shows up for race days. This is my first top 15 AG finish, so I will take that win!

I also want to give high fives to Stephanie and Wendy for completing their first triathlons. Stef even placed 3rd in the female beginners category.

High Five goes to out to Allen for also having a great race!

High Five also goes out to my pal Greg H for finishing 3rd OA in the TN State Championships in Knoxville!

Total Time = 1h 58m 10s
Overall Rank = 115/322
Age Group Rank = 24/43
Age Group = 35-39

Pre-race routine:
I read previous race reports from me and other racers on BT.com. I packed my bag the night before and double and triple checked it that morning. Got up early around 4 AM and took a hot shower, ate a half of a PB&J sandwich and went to the restroom while waiting for my ride. I rode to the race with Greg and we just talked about different topics while driving.

Greg and I pre race, making our race plans!

Event warmup:
We got to the race in plenty of time to setup our transition area, get body marked and go to the restroom again. I picked a pretty decent spot I felt and had time to get in the water early. My wife and kids came to the race later, and once they got there I was ready to race.

Swim (800 yds in 15:34 8th in AG)
I really felt like I had one of the better swims I have ever had. At the start, the majority of the wave got to the left of the beach area, so I went further right than normal. The wave group was a lot larger than I expected (all males AG over 35). There was some bumping the first 200 yds or so, but it did not throw me off any. I was able to sight fairly well, although the first buoy was very hard to see. My plan was to cut the swims into segments and just focus on getting to the buoys. I had good lines to swim 90% of the time. By the time I hit the last buoy, I was already going through my transition in my head. I felt great at this point.

I was thrilled to be 8th out of the water in my AG!

T1 :55
T1 went smoothly, no complaints. Last time I did this race T1 was 2:31, so major improvements!

Bike (18 miles 56:35 Average 19.3 mph)
I was on bike and rolling fairly quickly. I felt good on the bike, I wanted to stay around 20 mph for the ride and I got close. I felt like I was in the right gearing the entire ride. I was able to stay in aero for a lot of the ride, which helped remind me to drink regularly. My lower back ached about 15 miles into the ride, but other than that, I really felt good coming off the bike! My top speed was 35 mph coming down the one hill of the course. I felt like I went fairly hard on the bike, but I think there is still a lot of room for improvement and more speed.

T2 :46
I was able to get my shoes off with about a half mile left on the bike. I made a good dismount and ran the bike back to my transition area, grabbed shoes and race number, then threw my helmet off and headed out. I was feeling really good coming out of T2

Feeling Strong out of T2!

Run (4 miles 44:22)
This is where it all fell apart. As you can see, I was really feeling good as I started it the run. I had realistic expectations and was on pace to meet my goals. The run started out with a one mile road segment, followed by a two mile trail run, which lead you back down the original first mile.

The sun was out in full force and it was very hot on the road section. The heat was draining. The heat got to me quickly and it was draining. It really zapped me hard. Once in the trail, it got worse due to no air circulation and it was humid. I did alot of walking, which disappointed me. I hit every water station to try and get back into it, but I was out of it, mentally. As I told my wife, it wasn't that I was hurting or even tired, I was just mentally checked out about 2 miles into the run. I just didn't want to do it anymore. I really wanted a better run, but mentally I was drained. I was able to walk/run the rest of the way, but I was really disappointed in my run. I know the heat effected a lot of people and I still made improvements over the last time I did this race, but my goal time was within reach, I just missed it!




Post race
As I crossed the finish line, the volunteers jumped in front of me to get my timing chip, which cause me to stumble a bit, so a separate volunteer grabbed me, gave me an ice cold wet and shuffled me over to the sprinkler tent. I admit, I was burning up hot and the cold water felt so good on me. The towels were a God-send also! I guess I needed a few minutes after finishing to restore myself, but I was so glad that race was over. The heat was that brutal.

After I was able to pull myself together, they had fajitas and watermelon for us to eat. I ate some watermelon, and hung out with the family for awhile. I got some of my friends together and we all took some group pictures, before loading up and driving home. It was still hot while loading up the van, took me forever to stop sweating!


Greg, Dave, JF, Tim, Eric,Freddie, Phillip, Chris, and not sure who she is!

Greg and Me (Greg finished in the Top 20!)

Event comments:
This is one of my favorite races of the summer. The family likes coming to this race and playing at the beach after all the swimmers are gone. Great race, great course. My wife really got some good pictures for me to share! Thanks Baby! While I was disappointed in one segment of this race, overall I was very happy, and I can see improvements with my racing.

Valentine's Day 10K

Well first off, and let me get this out of the way, I DID NOT hit my 48 minute goal. My time was 50:29, which was good enough to grab 8th in my Age Group. I am happy with it. Here it my race report:

Mile 1- 7:27
I started off way to fast. The first .3 mile of it my GPS said I was at a 6:20 mile, which I knew was way to fast for me and decided to slow it down and run at a pace I could continue to run at. A buddy of mine, Daniel, also ran the race with me and we knew better than trying to run in the 6 minute pace. The first mile is always the hardest for me, but once I got through it, I was feeling good. We had a big hill to get up in the first mile, but it was not that bad.

Mile 2- 7:44
Right on schedule. I was happy with this pace and was planning on maintaining this pace for the rest of the race. I was not really tired or struggling, but still feeling good and running relaxed.

Mile 3- 8:48
This was a really hilly portion of the run, which I was not prepared for. The reason I was not prepared for it is because when I was out driving the course, I drove it backwards, so all the downhills I expected were actually uphills! I was still feeling good at mile 3 and was at 24 minutes, so I still had hope. My buddy had dropped back a bit and I was pacing off anyone I could.

Mile 4- 7:57
I knew I needed to get back on track, so I pushed it on mile 4 and was surprised I was under 8 minutes. I still had a shot at the 48 minute mark and wanted to stay sub 8:00 the rest of the way.

Mile 5- 8:34
More hills. I was at 40:32 at this point and still had my shot, but I was struggling on the hills. I had to start picking out mini points on the route as my goal. "just get to the mailbox, or the next light" trying to trick myself into maintaining a pace. It didn't work, but I tried.

Mile 6- 8:25
Another disappointing mile for me, but again it was uphill for the most part. I met up with a guy with about .5 miles left and asked if I could pace off him. It was nice to have him in front of me, so thanks guy, whoever you are. As I hit the marker for mile 6, my older boys were standing there. Jake was taking pictures and Jared was yelling for me. Nothing fires you up more than to have your sons cheering you on. Jared yelled he was going to race me to the finish line with about 100 yds to go. That was all I needed and started to empty out the tank. The guy I was pacing with started cheering me on, which helped, and I beat Jared to line! LOL




Overall, I was OK with my time. I still have a goal to shoot for and I will get under 48 minutes. Some things I learned from this race:
1. I need to run more hills.
2. It was an iPod legal race, and was happy to learn that I do not need my iPod to run a race, but I did kinda miss it.
3. I learned that I have grown as a runner and did not get sucked into running the fastest I could right out of the gate, guess I am maturing a bit. (as a runner only)
4. This is my first top 10 placing in a race. I have finished as high as 11th, but never int he top 10.
5. I appreciate everyone in blogland that cheered me on with the comments on here, you guys that post are one of the reasons I was able to push it at the end. Accountability is sometimes overrated, but it is nice.
6. I have a great family. My boys are awesome and my wife is super. Last thing she said to me was "You are going to do great, you have trained for this and are ready", then she said she wanted a sub 7 mile at the end! LOL

Sorry Baby, I tried, but it is nice to see her at the finish line.

Sharpshooter Sprint Triathlon

August 15, 2009 I did the Sharpshooter Sprint Triathlon at Herb Parsons Lake. This was a shorter race so I really wanted to rev it up and go hard, the only problem was that the vacation took me away from the bike for about 3 weeks and I paid for it. here is the race report:

Showman Shooter Triathlon
Total Time = 1h 05m 29s
Overall Rank = 34/108
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 11/17

Pre-race routine:
Got up around 4:30, ate a banana and had a Dr. Pepper. Gathered my stuff, used the bathroom and headed out about 5:15 to race site.

Event warm-up:
Unloaded my gear and got my transition area set up, met up with a few guys I met from BT.com and some that I train with. I got in the water two different times, once for a longer warm-up swim and once to practice getting up the ramp. (Second time was really to pee, lines were really long at the bathrooms)

Swim
400 Meters-8 minutes 21 seconds

Comments:
The swim went smoothly. It started on a pier and I was worried about the diving in and almost went for the cannonball leap, but the boat with the photographer was sitting out there and thought I might have a cool picture, so I dove. The goggles stayed up and I felt like I was in a good pace. I made the first turn easily and then when I got to the 2nd buoy, I felt oddly alone out there, so much that I wondered if I had taken a wrong turn or something. It was weird.
Exiting the water, we had to go up a ramp which was something new for me, but they had people lending you a hand, so it actually went well.

What would you do differently?
Continue to work on speed in the water. It seems like more races are going to time trials nowadays.

T1
1 minute 5 seconds

Comments:
T1 was fine, except I dropped my goggles while running to the bike, and yes I stopped to pick them up (They were new goggles!) Got to the bike and got shoes on easily. I wanted to try and hop on my bike and then get into shoes, but it was up hill out of the park and did not want to risk falling over in front of everyone. Once I got clipped in, I was fine.

What would you do differently?
Not drop stuff!

Bike
12 Miles-35 Minutes 43 seconds- 18.5 miles per hour average

Comments:
Anyone mention there were a few hills on this course? It seemed to me that you were either going up a hill or getting ready to go up a hill on the bike. I had driven the course the day before and knew it was hilly, but my leggs were burning my mile
7. I had not been on my bike much in the last 3 weeks due to vacation and I could tell.

Was very frustrating to get passed on the bike and to see how easily they were working compared to me, I need a new bike.

What would you do differently?
more time on the bike and get a new bike.

T2
1 Minute

Comments:
T2 went ok. I got my shoes off and rode the right distance with feet on top of shoes, but had a hard time stopping the bike barefooted. The road was rough and my tenderfeet had a tough time stopping! Everything else went smooth, was happy with T2.
I was able to get my running shoes on and grab my racebelt, putting it on as I ran out of the transition area.

What would you do differently?
Toughen bottom of my feet up somehow!

Run
2 Mile Trail Run- 19 Minutes 22 seconds- 9 minute 41 second mile average

Comments:
At the time, I hated the trail run. I was glad when someone passed me so I knew I was heading the right direction. It was funny cause I could hear the music, then I turned and couldn't hear it anymore. It seemed like the first mile marker was really far away.

I am not used to running trails, so this made it tougher for me, as I am usually the guy that steps on a rock and twists an ankle. Thankfully I heard of no one doing that!

I was disappointed with my time and thought I was faster than my time showed.

What would you do differently?:
Push it harder. Think a new bike would also help my legs on the run.

Post race
Overall Time 1:05

Warm down:
Grabbed a Gatorade, walked around and cheered other runners on. I was able to get my stuff packed before the Showman racers came into to T2, so I cheered them on.

What limited your ability to perform faster?
Not biking for 3 weeks really hurt me bad on the bike.

Event comments:
I will definitely be back to do this race again.

MightyMite Triathlon 2009

Mighty Mite Sprint Triathlon
07-18-2009
Forrest City, Arkansas
Overall Rank = 116/368
Age Group Rank = 24/32

Pre-race routine:
Woke up around 4:30, got ready with a short shower, went to the bathroom and ate a little something, then packed up the van and headed out to Forest City.

Event warm up:
Got transitions setup and then went to the water to get in a little swim. The water was very nice.

Swim (528 yds-10:17):
The swim was fine, they changed the race to a time trial race instead of a wave start, which wold have been nice but they did not seen anyone by their swim time, just their numbers. So that meant the start was nice but it got bottled up at the finish. It was nice to be able to find a line to swim right off the bat, but the sun was shining right in front plus the reflection off the water made sighting difficult on the first buoy. I really thought I was swimming faster than my time reflected, was actually slower than last year!

What would you do differently?:
work on sighting, maybe try and speed it up some more.


T1 (1:50):
I realized just how much of a tenderfoot I really am! Running up from the swim on the concrete killed my feet! Oh Well!. T1 went a hell of a lot better than last year, as I have really simplified what is in T1. The actual transition would have been faster if I had not had to run so far to get to my bike.


Bike (13 miles- 41:50):
The bike went fairly well as I was prepared for it this year, still got passed by too many people, but then I am passing people this year. The hills on this race were tougher than I imagined. Again, I was able to get shoes off and pedal to the dismount line, which helps. I had a gel on the bike cause I could feel a twinge in the calf, so I did try to drink, but I know it was not enough.

T2 (1:02):
Felt good, was able to get shoes off and running shoes on easily.

Run (3.1 miles-25:47):
The first mile was a bitch! Not sure why but it literally defeated me so much that I had to start picking little goals ( make it to the corner, just to the ridge, etc...) After the first mile though I finally got my running leggs and it started getting easier to run, just had to break through that first 8 minutes. The locals sat out on their yards and would spray the Whitehorse over the road, which helped jar you back into race mentality!

What would you do differently?:
Still need to work on running after biking, get those running legs back quicker and I want to speed up! I would like to get under 8 minutes miles on a triathlon sometime! But, I am still happy with my time.

Overall, I feel really good about his race. I cut 15 minutes off my time from last year and I met my goal I set pre race.

CATS Sprint Tri- AR State Championships

I always do a race report of my races so I can go back and review them for next time. Here is my report from the CATS Sprint in Conway, AR. My goal was to finish in 1:25 to 1:27.June 7, 2009.

I got up around 5:45 AM. We stayed at my parents house the night before, so I wanted to be and ready, I took a hot shower to get loose, and then ate a bagel and drank some Gatorade. My dad and I had driven the bike and run course the day before, so I felt ready physically. I packed my bag up and loaded up the van.

My dad and I got to the event early so I could get body-marked, get my timing chip and set-up my transition area. I also took the time to get in a little swim to see how the water felt and if I needed my wetsuit or not. No wetsuit needed.This was the first Tri my family had seen me run this year and first one my folks have ever been too. My mom was shocked at the number of guys with shaved leggs! LOL She thought it was exciting watching the start of the race.

500 yd Swim 10:01
The swim was frustrating. It was a beach start, which meant it was a typical run into the water type of start. I hate those. They started in waves, ages 39 and under went first. I usually like to get to the outside so I can have a line to swim in, but it was impossible this day. I think alot of people got to close to the front that were not good swimmers and wore out before the first buoy. Alot of people also stopped to get a breath or to sight the turn, which caused a pile up for everyone else. I got hit, slapped, kicked, pushed and shoved all the way to the first buoy. Finally I got to the point of saying "screw it" and lowered my head and started swimming through and over people. After the first turn, I finally got a line to swim and got into my pace. It went alot better afte the first turn.

T1 - 1:05
This is the area where you go from the swim to the bike. Coming out of the water, they had it lined with carpet about 70 feet uphill. I was able to come out of the water running, tearing off goggles and swim cap and then raun up the hill, trying to make up for lost time swimming. I stepped in the wading pools, to clear my feet and headed straight for the bike, on with the shoes, snap the helmet, grabbed glasses and was gone. This was one of my fastest transitions ever!

15 mile Bike- 46:34 19.3 mph average
Thankfully, we drove the bike course the day before and I was able to mark spots so I know where I was on the course and knew where the hills and inclines were. I was able to hit speeds of 40 mph and sometimes my top speed was 8 mph on hills. The leggs were buring towards the end of the route. The hills were such gradual inclines and this is what made it tough. My gearing went well , so I was able to not totally bonk. I also hit a gel during the bike when I felt the calve twitching alittle. I did not want to battle cramps on the run. Coming back to the transition area, I was able to get out of my shoes and pedal on top of the shoes to the dismount line.

T2- :58
Another fast transition for me. Having the shoes already off and clipped to the bike helped. I racked my bike, threw on my running shoes. Off with the helmet and grabbed my racing belt and headed off. I was able to get my race number on as I was running, which helped. Almost ran over the boy scout handing out water, I think he misunderstood me and tried to give me water when I said no! I was really not feeling to good about this race on the bike, I thought I had blown my goal time coming into T2.

3.1 mile run- 27:04- 8:28 minute mile
Again, driving the course helped me out alot. I knew where the turns were and where the hills would be also. The run took off on some fields and then hit the road. I did stop to stretch out the left calve that was twitiching, it usually takes me about a 1/2 mile to get my running leggs back. I kept looking for the 1 mile marker that was on the side of the road Sat, and it never came, I thought i was running slower than I was when I noticed I was already at the turn-around point. I grabbed some water, sloshed it around and headed to the finish ine. The second wind hit. I felt pretty good at this point. Coming back into the park, I saw the wife and kids there, then my parents, and you never want to look tired then, so I sped it up alittle thinking the finish line was at the next turn. Wrong! It was another 1/4 mile around everything before you crossed the line! That was a pisser to find out.

All in all, I finished in 1:25:39. 117 out of 283. Best finish yet at this distance! Next year I will d this race unless I step it up to the Half Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.2 mile run)

Dragonfly Race Report

Well my 3rd triathlon of the season is in the books and I feel really good about it. I really enjoyed the swim part of it the most, how weird is that? All the bumping and shoving, slapping, grabbing and just powering through everyone was great! I was able to swim the entire 800 yards freestyle with no backstroking, so it was a major win for me.

I really wanted to finish in 2 hours and I accomplished that goal. I finished 23rd out of 26 in my age group (139 overall); however there were 4 other people within a second of my time! So that one little let up cost me about 4 spots! Also I am finding that I am in a very competitive age group. There were only a time difference of 32 minutes from the first place to the last place. So I know I need to average more speed on my bike and work on my transition to the run, cause that is an area I need to focus more on. So I know I am looking at more brick workouts.


My next triathlon is July 19. The Mighty Mite, which consists of a 1/3 mile swim , 13 mile bike and a 3 mile run. I am looking to kill the swim and the bike!

Memphis in May 08: Race Report

Well, the Memphis in May Triathlon is over and in the books! I finished, and I tell you this, it was the hardest thing I have ever done. It was my first Olympic size triathlon, and I learned a lot from it. I did not meet any of my goals, but now I realize that I set some pretty lofty goals for this race. Next year, I have a time goal to go against and Lord willing, I will do it again. So here is my blog race report:

Swim (1 mile in Orgill Lake)
What can I say about this? It sucked. It was cold. I got beat and I beat people. I watched the pros go into the water and take off, they were fast, super fast! Then we all gathered in line by number and entered the water at 3 second intervals, so it took awhile to get into the water. Once I hit the water, it totally took my breath from me, the water was that cold! Even with a wetsuit on! I had the hardest time catching my breath that I thought I was not going to be able to finish or I thought they would pull me out due to all the failing I was doing. It is really hard to explain this, but if I ever wondered what having a heart attack felt like, I imagine that it feels a lot like I did in the water. It took me over half of the swim to get into some kind of rhythm, and then I could not swim a straight line to save my life. I finished the swim in 38 minutes, which is a lot better than I thought.

T1 (out of water, prepare for bike)
I was so happy to be out of the water. There was no running to my bike, but more of a stumble. I was spent already. When I got to my bike, got my wetsuit off and started to put on my cycling shoes, I got very lightheaded and dizzy and stumbled while putting on the shoes. So I sat down, ate something and worried about crashing the bike, as I watched the pros come in from the bike and make their way towards the run! Total time in transition: 5: 52

Bike Portion (25.2 miles)
This was actually the easiest part of the race for me, except for all the wind that is. Don't get me wrong, it was hard, but it was manageable. I was amazed though, at times I was riding 20 to 21 mph and I was getting passed like nothing. Some of these bikes these guys rode were awesome, and I am sure they paid for them, but man, they were fast. Only problem I had was that my but and lower back ached at about mile 19. Total bike time: 1:28

T2 (bike to run)
This went pretty easy. Nothing to really report here, except that I was spent, the gas tank was empty and still had 6.2 miles to go. I got my bike racked, changed my shoes and ate a banana, drank some Gatorade and grabbed some Hammer Gel on the way out. Total time in transition: 4:43

Run (6.2 miles)
As I said, my tank was empty and the course was loaded with rolling hills. It was tough. I did a lot of walking up the hills and running down them. The turnaround point was a beautiful site and it seemed so much easier after that point. I saw the guy I was doing the Tri with just after the turn around point and we both stopped dead in the middle of the road and talked, kinda funny now that I think of it. Anyways, he caught up to me and we finished the race together. Total run time 1:27.


Finish line (Finally)
I cannot tell you the feeling I had crossing over the line. The one thing I remember is the guy announcing my name over the PA system, then hearing Mrs. Memphis yelling. I was not sure where she was, but I knew it was her. And that was a big moment for me, because I was not sure if she would be able to make it. So seeing her and the boys lifted my spirits more than she'll know (until she reads this I guess). Just knowing that I was so close to calling it quits at the swim, yet finishing it, was an awesome feeling.

At first I was disappointed in my race, but now after looking back, I now have a benchmark to against next year. This was my biggest (longest) race this season, so hopefully I can take what I learned here and apply to my next races. It took a power nap on Sunday, and I slept from 9PM to 10:30AM on Monday, but I feel pretty good, and ready to look froward to the DragonFly Triathlon.

Total Race Time: 3:44