Kick Start to the Season.

20min: 60 laps=1500m

Earlier this month Mesa State College put together an indoor triathlon that consisted of a 20min swim, 20min bike and a 20min run. This was the 1st Annual Indoor Triathlon, so it was exciting to see some interest in the sport of triathlons coming from the school. This was a great way to test the fitness level and also a great excuse to train indoors.

20min: 11.1 miles

20min: 3.1miles

 Also this month I was jumped into my first official 1/2 marathon in Gateway, CO. Only about an hour drive from Grand Junction, Gateway is a beautiful resort that lies only miles from the Utah border surrounded by the Uncompahgre Plateau, Pinon Mesa and the La Sal Mountains of Utah. Its hard to escape the beauty of the soft-red sandstone that make up this hidden gem of Western Colorado.

For this being my first 1/2 marathon (without a 1.2mile swim and a 56 mile bike before hand) I was curious to see how much I could push the body on fresh legs. Not much training went into this race specifically as I've been plugging away at my base miles and preparing for next months 1/2 Ironman distance in Las Vegas, NV.

Overall the race went well, in the first 5k I ran a 18:28 which is my fastest 5k to date. I knew I was flying and going at a pace that was a little out of reach for me, but I was able to maintain the pace till about mile 10. The next 3.1 miles were a struggle as my pace faded.  I held on and kept pushing hard, I ended up 4th Overall and 1st in age group with a time of 1:28:38. I was pleased with the results, my goal was to beat 1:30, so with that I couldn't complain to much.

From here I move forward in training and work on making that time from 1:28 to 1:20 while preparing for the RAGE Triathlon in Las Vegas, NV.  Safe training and as always Chase Your Dreams.

48hrs

I don't spend much time blogging, usually because of the fact that I am rushing from a training session to work or vice versa at multiple times a day. Even between that I'm scarfing down fuel for my next training bout or finding a comfy spot on the couch for a quick nap, while trying to find time for a somewhat normal social life. But right now I find myself with plenty of time: 48hrs to be exact, why the sudden change??? Well in between all those hours of training (12-15hrs a week) and work I didn't make enough time for the most important aspect of training; Recovery.

Too many hard long days and too little rest and recovery have put me on the sidelines for now. Not due to an injury( Thank God)  but to having an extreme change in mood, fatigue, sleeping pattern, eating habits...etc. After a quick phone call to my coach: Tony DeBoom, he quickly replied with "its as simple as this, chill for the next 48hrs....go see a movie, take a nap....."  So in part of my down-time I thought I would share a quick overview Overtraining and how to avoid it, keeping you on track of training and away from possible injury.

Without adequate recovery from a days or weeks training an athlete can find himself pushing his body to the limit, past the ability to allow the body to recover. Overtraining usually occurs when an athlete is training specifically for an event or competition and they train past the body's ability to recover or adapt. Very often athletes train longer and harder so they can improve, but this can backfire on you if you don't allow adequate rest and recovery between training sessions. Too much overload/training and too little rest can actually decrease your performance in both physical and psychological.

Warning signs and symptoms of Overtraining:

• Loss of enthusiasm for sport, training, exercise..
• Decrease in appetite
• Increase Heart Rate (both resting and during activity)
• Lack of Sleep (insomnia) 
• Washed-out feeling, tired, irritable, lack of energy.
• Depression
• Increase in Injury's

                                                                                        How to Treat Overtaining:

• Rest and recovery: reduce the volume of intensity and training. Allow your self a few days of rest whether that be 48hrs off or easy easy training days.
• Sleep: get adequate rest by taking frequent naps or going to bed an hour earlier.
• Sports massage: if you can afford a professional massage; great. If not use a foam roller, The Stick or a tennis ball and rub down those muscles.
• Nutrition: be sure your getting the proper nutrients for your training, and drink plenty of fluids.
• Cross-Train: in your down time choose another activity/sport to get your mind off of just swimming, biking and running.

 Now these are a few but important signs to look for, but take each warning sign with a grain of salt. Athletes like myself who train daily usually up to 3-6 hrs a day will more then likely feel the effects of training on multiple occasions. As my coach has stressed to me, the most important thing to take home today is to listen to your body. You know your body more then anyone else. But in many occasions as well its not that you may be overtrained but that your lacking motivation or your making up pitty excuses. In this case I suggest you dig deep and lite a fire under your A$$ and HTFU (Harden The F*#% Up).

A New Gig!!

Its been awhile and for good reason, its been a busy couple weeks with training, moving a new job!!! More and more I'm realizing that the season will be here sooner then I think...which makes me very excited. Ive been logging in some good miles especially in the swim. Grand Junction has had a fairly mild winter for the most part, unlike Denver which is seeing temperatures in the 60s.we haven't been that lucky but lucky enough to stay off the trainer for a bit.
Besides training I've acquired a pretty sweet job at The Bicycle Studio  You can check it out here  http://www.thresholdsport.com/. At the studio we work with Retul, What is Retul you ask??

Well Retul is a state-of-the-art 3-D motion capture system that is designed to specifically collect the most accurate and realistic data off of a cyclists riding position. With this tool you are as the rider are able to maximize your power and comfort. How we find your "ideal" riding position is by placing 8 inferred motion sensor dots on 8 anatomical points in the cyclist current riding position. We collect the data and repeat on the opposite side. Once we collect the data we look at the results and decide from what the date tells us where we should address the issue of changing your position.

I will go into further detail in a later blog of why Retul is and would be a great investment for any enthusiast cyclist. For now here are a few photos of the shop. We also carry a line of Wilier-Tristina, an Itialian based company as well as Seven cycles; a custom bike manufacture.

                                                                                    

Sweat Fest....

I've always resisted the idea or thought of riding on a trainer. But week after week temperatures in the teens, it makes it a lot easier to stay indoors. For me when the temps drop below freezing I like to set up in font of the tube to a good ol' western movie and/or Sports Center.... I'm in the process of trying to convince the girl to move to Hawaii...we'll see how that one goes. =)

2011

Another year is upon us and so are the New Year Resolutions. Many people set out resolutions for the year, whether its to lose weight, eat better, or to get out of debt...etc. Most are made just for the sake of making them and are doomed from the beginning. For me I have never made a New Years resolution and I don't plan to start now. I find that everyday is an opportunity to explore new ideas, goals and dreams. Why limit yourself to one day out of the year.

For 2011 I'm excited for another season of racing. I have put together some great races that I look to compete in. My big goal is to return to the 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas, NV. My first race will be in Las Vegas at the RAGE Long Course. After that I look to do Boise 70.3 and Boulder 70.3 with a few races mixed in between. For those few readers out there (if any) stay tuned as I think 2011 will be an awesome season. I feel more and more passionate about this sport and more determined to chase that goal/dream of becoming a pro triathlete.

Here are a few shots I took from my run today to bring in the new year!!!

VO2 Max Test

70.3 World Championship

My season is finally over, but I was very thrilled to have the opportunity to race in Clearwater, Fl for the 70.3 World Championship in only my second year of racing, I came into this race with few expectations, the main goal for me was to enjoy the experience and race hard.

Swim:
The weather was throughout the week with temps in the low 80s...perfect!!! We were the last age group (19-29) to go off for the day, 8am. There were about 200 in our wave which made for a very chaotic swim start. I figured since it was the world champs I would start in the second row to allow the faster swimmers to go and to avoid bumps and kicks of usual races....I was completely wrong. The first 300m of the swim was a like a cage match, a true swim start that so many experience. Next time ill take my chances up front.

Once I found open water I knew I had a lot of ground to make, it was pretty much smooth sailing from here as I pushed hard to get back into the race. I also quickly got over my fear of swimming in ocean water after the mayhem of the swim start.

Swim:  30:36 (343 OA, 50 AG)

T1: 3:39

Into T1 I went, I found my bag pretty smoothly, headed into the tent and had very little problems getting ready for the bike.

Bike:
I've heard nothing good about this bike course like how flat, fast and the drafting that ensues. I didn't take long for me to realize this problem among age groupers. Coming out of T1 I hopped onto my bike but had to soon get off when my chain fell off....yikes!!! At about mile 7 I was stuck in a small peleton that was difficult or to dangerous to get around  What made my day was when a rider (in my age group) rolled up to our group and informed us how "well we were doing for a peleton"...as he tried to break away from our group I quickly chased him down to put him and his mouth back in line where he belongs. What made my day is that I would soon pass him again as he waited ever so patiently in the penalty box.....LOL!!!
Once we reached the highway, our Sunday cruise quickly thinned out especially when the race officials rode by from here I backed off the group not taking the chance of a penalty. I rode back the rest of the ride solo, I was passed by many more groups that were literally wheel to wheel. But I tried hard to stay true to the sport and myself. It was also too much of a risk to ride in a group in that triathletes are not the best riders in groups. This was very real when I saw over a dozen athletes either being carried off on a stretcher, being attended to by medics or road rash from head to toe.

Bike:  2:24:29
T2: 2:16

T2 my legs felt really good coming off the bike. I handed my bike of to the volunteers, found my bag and was quickly out the tent off to the run.

Run:

The course was a two loop out and back course. The toughest part of the run was going over the causeway bridge 4 times. On my first loop my legs were feeling great, I was making up some lost time on the other athletes. This race I was able to role through the aid-stations without walking. My main source of calories on the run was the new Ironman Perform, not to sure about this new form or "Gatorade" like drink , but it had to do. As on the bike I was able to make up more ground on athletes as I ran up the bridge.

The first lap felt like it flew by but it was the second lap in which "all hell broke loose". By about mile 8 I wasn't sure if my legs were still attached. From here it was survival mode. Coming into the race I backed off my running due to an injury on my foot. Not only am I a weak runner to begin with, this injury made me really worried on how I would do or even survive the most important part of the race.

I kept chugging with two goals in mind.
1) Don't walk
2) get to the finish
I reminding myself that he fastest way to the finish was running. Once I came to the roundabout just before the finish I smiled and painfully cruised in. FINISH!!!!!

Run: 1:37:21  (547 OA, 75 AG)

I was happy with the how the race went and my effort. I couldn't expect too much, with this being my 2nd half-Ironman so far and it being worlds.  There were a lot things I took away from this race that I know will make me a better athlete. I head into the off season pumped and eager for new challenges that await for me next season as I step up my game and training. For now its 2 weeks of R&R....and I'm loving it.

2nd at Goldman

On September 18th was the Goldman Olympic Triathlon. The race was put on my Chris and Amy Reed of Ascent Productions. This is only the 2nd year of the race and next year their is talk of a Half-Ironman Distance along with the Olympic distance. Good things are in store for the Grand Valley and the triathlon scene.



With a respectable 3rd place finish at the Highiline hustle sprint triathlon, I entered this race with a lot of expectations that I would win. Only because the two studs of the Valley (Kevin Koch and Marty Wacker) were not attending the race due to injury and travel. So about 3 weeks out I started hearing this talk of winning. I was flattered by the comments but I knew it wouldn't come that easy. Last year I was hurt all year but I was just getting back to health around this time. I finished 27 OA in a time 2:33:56. So I was just ready to tackle this time and improve.

****On an Important side note, in this race I was just not going up against the rest of the field but I was competing against a relay team. That's right, a relay team by the name of "We killed Kenny". This team was made up of Corey Riedel (Swimmer), Conor Mullervy (Bike), Kevin Mullervy (Run). I guess you could call them my friends...good enough friends to make a team against me. These guys have never done triathlons but do have a back round in endurance sports.Corey was collegiate cyclist for CSU as well as a high school varsity swimmer and diver. The Gingers (Kevin and Conor) are Division II  Time Trial Collegiate National Champions...so ya....there good athletes!!!******

The swim was a two lap counter-clockwise loop. What was unique about this swim was after the first lap you exited the water and had a 30 yard beach run before entering for your 2nd lap. At the swim start I planted myself right in the middle of the circus, many people avoid the middle but I knew I could get out front before all hell breaks loose. The gun fired and we were off, I hammered it for the first 300m then found a good rhythm out front about 75m behind the 2 leaders. For most of the swim I was breaking my own water which I didn't mind.....entering T1

Swim: 27:24
"We Killed Kenny" Swim: 36:49


Out of T1 I exited with eventual winner Brendan Claflin, At this time I wasn't worried about "we killed Kenny", I knew in order to compete at this race I had to stick with Brendan, which didn't last long. Onto the bike my legs felt like they were in 4th gear the whole ride, I knew in order to shake them out I would have to slow down, something I couldn't afford. At around mile 5 I could see I was losing more and more ground to Brendan. I then shifted gears to just hang on as much as possible and give everything I got for today, and try to keep my lead on Conor who was making ground on me FAST!!!!

Coming into T2 I was sitting in 3rd place.

Bike:1:03:13
"We Killed Kenny" Bike: 56:17

Into the first 200m of the run I knew I was in for a battle...the famous side stitch. Something I still am trying to figure out why I get. I know it has to do with breathing but give me a break, this sucks!!! I was in so much pain I was grunting on the run course, I'm sure the first aid station I went by might of thought I was a water buffalo stumbling through bushes. I slowed my pace down until I saw the "WKK" team coming and looking fresh.... as he should be. With disbelief and frustration I pushed on, by mile 3 I had made a pass into 2nd place, but very close behind was Kevin. He did shout a few encouraging words for me, but I couldn't return the favor for that I was a suffer-fest.

About .5 mile from the finish, Kevin caught me and was looking very strong. Not giving in I pushed the pace with him. Coming into the finish I knew it would be a close one, but not this close. We crossed the finish line in a full sprint as well as a photo finish. I crossed the line first but Kevin's timing chip crossed before mine which is what counts....On paper I lost by .3 of a second. Nice work WKK

Run:46:55
"We Killed Kenny" Run: 44:25
Overall I was happy with the race, everything worked out besides one of the toughest runs of the year. After every race I am always eager to get back to training to improve on all three disciplines. Right now I am gearing up for Clearwater 70.3 World championship,  I qualified for this race at Boulder 70.3...thanks to roll-down. But I am looking forward to the opportunity and experience that this will bring.

Finish: 2:17:33.3
"We Killed Kenny" Finish: 2:17:33.0