The Year in Review: 2010

2010: What a great year!

I've been able to complete a few things this last year that I've been working towards for a while.  Over the course of the year I exceeded each of the goals I set for myself.  2 of my biggest race goals were to run a marathon and complete a Half Ironman.  Both went very well and were a big step up in 'The Plan'

Annual Swim/Bike/Run goals were met, though my run totals could have been much higher if I would have kept running through the end of the year.  But again, my foot needed the rest and I think my mind needed it too - thus, the Off Season.

2010 totals
Bike:	2098 Miles
Run:	702 Miles
Swim:	31 Hours
Strength:	16 Hours
Other Exercise/Stretching:	55 Hours

In 2011 my biking mileage will probably be about the same but I plan to do a bit more work on speed.  My average race speeds are currently about 21mph and I'd like to be about 24mph for Racine.  For my run goal I would like to shoot for 1000 miles in 2011.  It's a huge step up, but based on my peaking from last year, I think it would be a good goal.  I always need to improve my swimming so I'm not setting a specific goal for swimming.  Yes, it is my biggest limiter and needs the most work, so if I could swim even 10-20 seconds faster (per 100m) I would consider that a pretty big success. 

Strength training will need to be increased quite a bit.  I've been fairly consistent the last 2-3 years in total volume for strength training, but in order to improve my overall speeds, I'll need to gain more power early this year.  I've been on a kettlebell routine that will surely help me improve all around.  I'll be working on basic calisthenics (like push ups, sit ups, pull ups and squats - body weight stuff).  I've always liked the basics and enjoy the Navy SEALs workout programs.  I've also looked at the newer things from books like "Convict Conditioning" - all body weight things... you know, everything you'll need to be able to do to prove yourself strong in the prison system!

I did learn quite a bit of valuable information from the MSU study that I was a part of.  A big key is the total volume of aerobic activity that I need to be doing.  A LOT!  And along with that I am learning the importance of more frequent high intensity drills and circuit style training.

Lot's of things to incorporate in this years training program.  I'm excited to start the new plan.  My Racine plan will start in mid-February.  While I haven't pinned down the exact race plans for the year, here's the list of events that I'd like to consider:


     4/02 Martian Marathon
     5/01 Steelcase Du
     6/05 Hawk Island Tri                    
     6/12 Motor City Tri Oly               
     7/17 IM Racine 70.3                                         
     7/30 Warrior Dash MI
     8/07 Lansing Legislator Oly                           
     9/11 Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3
     9/24 DWD 50k                          
     10/15  GR or Detroit Marathon      

As always, THANK YOU to my family and friends for your support over this past year.  My girls are my biggest supporters.  

Fluid continues to be a huge part of my training and racing as a sponsor!  Thank you Rich and Dave and to the whole rest of the Fluid crew.  Give Fluid a try sometime and you'll find the best available recovery drink mix of electrolytes, protein and glutamine!  For those who like the typical post workout protein shake, try the new Fluid flavor: Chocolate!

Team Motiv8 is underway.  If you'd like see how you can get on board with our team, send me an email at JHag@Team-Motiv8.com  We continue to look for sponsors who want to come on board and help us take the message of the importance of making fitness part of a child's everyday life!  As part of that, adults need to be proactive WITH their children.   If you are interested in completing your first triathlon - let me know.  We will be putting on a First Time Tri training program that will lead up to the Hawk Island Triathlon in Lansing, MI.  We will cover all of the basics that a "Noob" will need to know in order to successfully complete a sprint distance triathlon.


Bring on 2011!!!

Ironman Racine 70.3

Ironman Racine 70.3
2010-07-18
Racine,Wisconsin Temps - 95F / 35C and Overcast
Total Time = 5h 35m16s
Overall Rank =502/~2000
Age Group Rank =68/384 (?)

Event warmup:
Early morning stretching and breathing exercises. A very brief swim just to get the cold water in my wetsuit.

Swim: 00:45:26 | 2112 yards | 02m 09s / 100yards
I liked that this was a straight swim vs a triangle course or other odd shapes. I started out great, my wave didn't seem too aggressive. I stayed outside so that I wouldn't get all screwed up fighting for a position at the first red buoy. I did veer out a bit too far after the first buoy but got back on track quickly. Tried to draft off a few different people, but I'm just not that good of a swimmer yet, better, but not good.

I counted the buoys before the swim start. So I knew that at about 5 yellow buoys I would be half way done and then the buoys turned to orange, so it was a countdown from there!  By far, my best swim - since I've only done that distance OWS in calm/clear ponds. But I feel like I could be much better with more specific practice!!

What would you do differently?:
I was happy with how I felt coming out of the water, but I wish my time was at least 5 minutes less. I was hoping to be a lot more close to a 35 minute swim. The wind/waves picked up toward the end of my swim and the swells were noticeably larger at the last red buoy.

T1: 03:37
I got my cap/goggles off and pulled them into my suit sleeve planned. The run to T1 was a long haul up the beach to the sidewalk. I stopped to wash off my feet in the pools, got in to T1 and got my suit off. I took my time purposely. Everything else went smooth. Out of T1 and eased on to my bike so that I didn't get stuck while going up the hill.

My bike seat wouldn't fit under the bike rack bar, so I had to place my bike with the handle bars on the rack (reverse).  I've never had to do that before.

What would you do differently?:
I probably should have gone a bit more quickly and saved a minute, but I'm satisfied.

Bike: 02:40:54 | 56 miles | 20.88 mile/hr
Avg HR 153. Tried to stay about 155-160.
I pushed hard. I felt it. I wanted to be a touch faster, but this pace seemed right at the time. I had a high speed of 32.  There were more hills than I expected, so they slowed me down; while they weren't hard hills, they were very frequent compared to the 3 or 4 hills that I typically train on.  Took Fluid and water and nutrition at every aid station. Ate 2 bananas. That was the first time I'd every hit an aid station rolling through on my bike - AWESOME!

What would you do differently?:
Include more hill repeats in training.

T2: 01:54
Given the overall size of the transition area and where I was racked, I think my T2 time was good.

What would you do differently?:
Did pretty well. Didn't miss my rack or bike, in and out quick.
 
Run: 02:03:07 | 13.1 miles | 09m 24s min/mile
Avg HR 156. Fastest pace 6:51 with my first mile at 7:48.
Just after I got out on the run course - before the first hill - the downpour of rain started! I'm thinking "Perfect, I'll stay cool and I enjoy the rain" But the rain was very short lived and as soon as it quit, the sun came out and made things terribly HOT and humid. Heat index over 100F.  My first 3 miles were right on track for pacing. but then I dropped to almost a 9min/mi pace.

I slowed and walked through the nutrition stations. My second loop I slowed to 9:30's. I walked through every aid station. At the turn around I noticed that I was no longer sweating - my arms and forehead were dry and the only reason my chest was wet was because I had been pouring water on myself. I knew that could mean disaster. I was so hot that I started dumped ice down my tri suit. I ran through every sprinkler
and dumped water on myself at every opportunity (Thank you residents of Racine!!) At mile 10 my quads were so cramped up I couldn't help but slow down significantly. At mile 11 I had to take a few 30 second walk breaks. Just past mile 12 I could hear the loud speaker at the finish, I could hear the people yelling and cheering. I told myself that I wouldn't stop running for anything short of passing out. I finished some where near a 9:40 pace.

What would you do differently?:
I'm thinking that I should have had more solid nutrition on the bike. I think that I could have taken it in and maybe the extra little bit of sodium would have helped my water retention during the run.

What limited your ability to perform faster:
Heat!

Event comments:
Carnage everywhere on the run course! People were passing out and puking due to the heat. I saw 3 ambulances transporting people out.

I had a great first half! I truly feel like I left everything on the course, I finished empty - nothing left. I gave this race everything I had at every opportunity. I've never been so painfully sore during or after a race as I was/am post this race. I love it! I'll take this experience with me for life and I cannot wait to race another half!

I'm now into my 3rd year of triathlon. A full Ironman was part of my 5 year goal; I'm halfway there.

On a final note: 

A huge THANK YOU to my wife and family for their support over the last 26 weeks that I trained for this event.  Becky was absolutely the best - she made a sign for me at the race and endured some crazy weather while waiting for me to finish - I love you!  A few others have helped in some significant ways to make sure that my race experience was everything I wanted and needed - You know who you are, Thank you!!

To those who I've had the honor to train with: Thank you!  Craig , Lisa and Tom - you've both helped push me beyond where I imagined that I could go.  I look forward to these next few weeks to see where we go next!  Craig - Coming with me to Rev3 Cedar Point?  Lisa - going to the World Duathlon Championships!  Tom - time to try this triathlon thing out now that you've got a bike!

To my Wrenches:  Al and Ray - thank you for picking up the dirty pieces and cleaning them.  Lola loves you and I wouldn't have had the experience that I did this weekend without your help!

FLUID Nutrition - Thank you for making a saweet recovery drink and for sponsoring me while I trained and raced this race!

And Finally - The one big reason that I chose Racine as my first half was due to the race being on my mother's birthday.  She passed away from brain cancer two and a half years ago.  She never got to see me race a tri, but knew that I would be doing my first sprint tri that same year. I miss her so very much! I thought about her a lot during this race; and a big part of me knew that the pain I felt while racing was nothing compared to what she went through.

I love you, Mom - Happy Birthday!!

The Last Couple of Months

Wow, time has flown by since my last post!  Ironman Racine 70.3 is less than a month away and next week I reach the Critical Volume stage of training.  This will be the test of mental and physical endurance as this plan calls for "9/3 of the event distance per week"  That means swimming 3.6 miles, biking 168 miles and running 40 miles each week for 2 consecutive weeks. 

So over the past 2 months I've ramped up my running and biking, though my swimming has been lingering.  I've chosen to do a little better than 'just finish' my swim, but I hope to rock the bike/run at Racine.

I raced the sprint distance Hawk Island Triathlon and finished 3rd in my AG with an OA time of 1h01m and some change.  My swim felt good, but I averaged over 2min/100yds.  My bike avg speed was 21mph and my run avg pace was 7:11.  I expected to be a bit faster on the swim and definitely hoped to be much faster on the bike, based on previous trials of the bike course.  My legs were very tight on the bike and my calves were sore on the run, but loosened up after the first mile or so.  I had been a little sleep deprived at work for my previous 2 shifts worked the night before the race.  Perhaps that contributed to the tight legs, maybe not.  Nutrition was good and water intake was good.

The following week I went to Motor City Triathlon and competed with the RACING GREYHOUNDS on a relay team.  We raced the Oly distance and I completed the swim leg... yippers - you read that right.  I even did well.  I finished up the 1.5k swim in just under 30 minutes, pacing me at sub 2 min per 100 meters... in the past I've been at or just over 2 min per 100 yds.  I felt strong and didn't give up placement to those who chose to hit and kick me, I may have shoved back.  So that was a huge boost to my swim ego!  It was a good thing I didn't bring my bike along or I would have seriously been tempted to ride and run the Oly course.

All in all, training has been going well.  I have been shy on my volume for the last 3 consecutive weeks, but I'll concede that time for my family time.  These next two weeks will be brutal and recovery plans will need to be tailored specifically to each day's workout.  Then I'll be taking 2 weeks easy as a Taper for Racine.  I'm pretty excited!

I have been very blessed with my family for supporting me in these plans.  This past weekend was Father's Day.  I took some much needed time to spend with my beautiful girls (all 3 of them) and just relax.

I have also been honored to be part of the Fluid team as a sponsored athlete.  They provide a great tasting recovery drink that provides electrolyte replacement with added protein and l-glutamine - EVERYTHING you need after a long training session!

May Totals:
Bike - 10 hours - 172 miles
Run -13.5 hours - 83 miles
Swim - 4 hours - 11260 yds

June Totals (to date - I'll have 1 week of CV to add to these):
Bike - 10 hours - 171 miles
Run - 12 hours - 78 miles
Swim - 1.5 hours - 4k yds

Bring on the Blue Skies

March seems to have flown by. I awoke this morning to my wife surprising me with a smirk and a pregnancy test... not that we're pregnant, but because it's April Fools Day. Yup, she got me!

This past month I've taken on a swim coach for some much needed advice. I've got a lot to work on over the next few months! Biking (still on the trainer) is fairly consistent with last month but I upped my running. I should be pushing past 75 miles for each of the next few months.

Racine is only about 3 1/2 months away. That means I'll be incorporating a lot of hills and speed work in my training. St Johns sledding hill, HS track and football fields will be seeing a lot more of me this month! We now have a double jogger (stroller) so I'll be doing lot's of early day runs with my girls.

Thankfully the warm weather seems to be here. Today should be pushing 70 degrees F. Sunny days always make me want to be outside doing something fun, so bring on the blue skies!!


March's totals:
Bike: 14h 22m 49s - 231.32 Mi
Run: 10h 29m 53s - 67.2 Mi
Swim: 5h 38m - 12750 Yd

I've been very fortunate to have Fluid as a sponsor. Go check them out for some great muscle recovery fuel!

I was also given a H2O Audio Amphibx Waterproof Armband and Waterproof headphones for my iPod. Too cool! Go check them out!!

March is Here!

February seemed to fly by quickly, perhaps that's because we were short a few days. It was a great month for indoor training (not my favorite thing to do). But warm weather will be here soon.

During February I spent a lot of time on the bike trainer and a bit of time in the water. I still haven't started to focus my running; and today's run around MSU campus proved it. I started out too fast (6:40's)and tried to settle into a pace that was comfortable (8:20's)... last year. I ended up going much slower than I had hoped. But with the sunshine, you can bet that I'll pick that pace back up soon.

Swimming seems like it is becoming my friend. I have started to focus on speed workouts. 10x50's and 3x500's... it seems like nothing to say that my warm up is an easy 500. That's good as I'll need every minute of training come Racine! I am finally able to push the 1:20's/100 for a few laps. But I still need the direct help from a swim coach. So I hope to be hitting a few swim clinics over the next couple of months.

Cycling (still on the trainer because I'm afraid of the cold weather drivers) is going very well.

February's totals:
Bike: 16h 39m 17s - 264.55 Mi
Run: 5h 13m 07s - 30.14 Mi
Swim: 6h 33m - 17250 Yd

Onward into 2010!

2009 has flown past and 2010 is here! What a great year to have raced and to have met many new friends in the triathlon community. I look forward to new opportunities that should come in to focus in this new year.

My Totals:

December wasn't planned to be low volume/distance, but it does appear to have taken that route after family things and the Holidays. I hit my running goal for the year. I think my bike goal was 1500, but I *secretly* wanted to hit 2k. I swam and biked more than double my '08 time and distance and I feel better about where I am right now with my swims.

2010:

I don't have a run 'goal' per-say. I'm where I want to be with speed and endurance. So I'll try to increase my overall mileage. I would like to break the 20 minute 5k as I was off by less than a minute this year. But it's not my focus in 2010.

Bike - I want to nail the bike this coming year. I'd love to break the 2k mileage mark and increase my overall race avg speeds to 24 mph (up from about 16 mph in 2008 and about 19/20 mph in '09)

Swim - My focus of 2010. These last few months have been great for me in the water. Now I just need to translate to OWS / Racing. The swim has been my limiter for the last 2 years. I would have placed significantly higher in a couple key races this year if I could have taken 3 minutes off of my swim time. So I've spent a high volume of time in the pool over the last 2 months to increase my endurance for distance. Now I plan now to start focusing on speed and stroke work.

My Race goal for 2010 - I'm not sure how to set a specific goal yet for Racine 70.3, but my general goal is to qualify for the IM 70.3 World Championships. I have just over 20 weeks from now until Racine. While the swim will be a serious stretch for me, I will race my best at Racine and I'm certain that I'll have a great time

The AVERAGE times for the top 10 in my age group from last years Racine race are:

Avg Racine by the Numbers:
Total Time - 4:20:06
Swim - 25:33 (1:13 /100 yds)
Bike - 2:21:25 (23.76 mph)
Run - 1:29:39 (6:50 pace)
T1 - 1:53 T2 - 1:13

Otherwise, I'd like to race the Olympic distance for a couple of races, just for fun (with another secret hope for a podium finish). I'd like to think that this year will also be my first full marathon but again, only for fun.

December's totals:
Bike: 3h 51m 11s - 61.6 Mi
Run: 2h 00m - 11 Mi
Swim: 3h 31m - 9800 Yd

2009 totals
Bike: 107h 47m 02s - 1840.85 Mi
Run: 77h 44m 08s - 504 Mi
Swim: 26h 10m 25s - 58280.96 Yd
Strength: 15h 47

2008 totals
Bike: 32h 23m 03s - 443.96 Mi
Run: 60h 58m 24s - 400.33 Mi
Swim: 11h 41m 57s - 18696.81 Yd
Strength: 19h 22m

November 2009 'The Off Season'

November of 2009 has now passed us by. It's time for Christmas and the New Year!

This past month I focused on swimming. I spent more time in the water than I did on my bike (never thought I'd say that). Since I did plan for November to be a month of recovery, I didn't run very much at all. So what did I do?

November's totals:
Bike: 4h 30m 17s - 72.43 Mi
Run: 2h 28m 11s - 14.6 Mi
Swim: 4h 35m 40s - 12650 Yd
Strength: 4h 20m

Next I have my basic plan set up for training to race Ironman 70.3 Racine in July. I'll be doing 9 Weeks Prep, 15 Weeks Base, 6 Weeks Build, 3 Weeks Peak/Race/Taper for Racine. The Prep phase is underway as of this past Sunday. Racine is less than 230 days away. While I want to do really well at this race, my ideal goal will be to qualify for the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 - November 13, 2010 in Clearwater, Florida.

Finding the Life/Work/Training balance will be tough, especially heading into June where I will be reaching the Critical Volume stage of training. There are 2 weeks of training will be huge, nearing 14,000km swimming, 475 miles biking and 60 miles of running. As always, family first then work followed by training. I've already started to plan my specific day to day training for each Phase of this process. So now I just need to sit back and do it :)

I will be a RACING GREYHOUND again in 2010! A few other Greyhounds will be going long in tri's as well, completing Half Iron distance events and even Ironman Florida (Trish).

I've been blessed to have a few specific people to train with this year. Next year I hope Craig will continue to kick my butt in the water and that Trixie will keep pushing my limits in biking and running (and now strength training too).

I'm lucky to have several people to train with. So a big 'Thank You' to those who choose to put up with me. Also to the great friends at BeginnerTriathlete.com and especially those the in SWBKRUN MG. You guys rock, thanks for continuing to encourage and inspire me.

Lastly, to my family: Thank you for supporting me. Specifically to Becky, Anna and Sophia - I Love you! This year will be highly rewarding for me on a very personal level and I won't be able to do it without you. I am truly blessed.

So how can you help? Give me a call anytime.

"The Essential Triathlon Swimming" DVD Review

The Essential Triathlon Swimming DVD

"Discover the secrets to improving your swim
technique, avoiding painful injuries, and shaving
minutes off your best triathlon times to date!" ~ TriSwimCoach

Below is a review of the TriSwimCoah DVD "The Essential Triathlon Swimming" I have now watched this video a few times. I continue to take away great information about how to improve my swim stroke and what drills I should be doing on a regular basis in order to improve my swimming balance and efficiency. Read through my review, post your opinions and let me know if you've watched this video before. I encourage you to go to the TriSwimCoach website and read more about how to improve your swim.

For those who do not know who Kevin Koskella is, he is a very well known and experienced swimming coach. He has been involved in coaching for more than 25 years. You can follow Kevin on Twitter for regular updates about how to improve your swimming as well as general fitness tips. Kevin Koskella on Twitter

Video Overview:
This is the perfect video for the new triathlete. Of course, the DVD is about swimming, but the connection of swimming to triathlon is quickly made and covered throughout the video. Being a self taught swimmer and still new to the sport, I am grateful to see step by step instruction on technique drills and to understand what I should be taking away from each drill. Most of the 36 minute video is covering drills, so the seasoned swimmer may not take away as much information as the new swimmer/triathlete. The content is easily understood and presented in a manner as to where most viewers should be able to visualize the drills while later attempting the swim. There is enough content to necessitate watching the video more than once and the material is covered in a manner where watching it again won’t become boring. While there is a DVD Menu, there is not the option for Chapter selects (i.e. going from one drill to the next). So to review 2 or 3 of the drills may take a short time to find, however after watching the drills a few times, I continue to take away new information.

Video Quality:
Video quality is excellent. Instructional content matches the video / The voice over is properly aligned with the video aspects.

Audio Quality:
The audio quality is good.
Background music is not overpowering of the voice and does not fluctuate too quickly.

Intro:
Learn to “Laugh at the Water”

Drills that are covered in depth:
Vertical Kicking
Side Kicking
Shark Fin - Kevin reminds us that we should expect to sink while doing this drill. Good thing, otherwise I would have wrote off this exercise upon my first attempt in the pool.

Breathing and Full Stroke - Here Kevin Koskella does a review of the complete swim stroke with breathing. I found this to be critical to watch. If there is any single part that I visualize when I go swimming now, this is it! There is multiple angles and some slow motion video.

Many other drills are covered with great detail. A few others include: ¾ Catch Up, Fingertip Drag, One-Arm Drill, Sighting and Bilateral Breathing

Workouts:
Structuring Workouts including what duration and phases to utilize.

Description of Terms and Walkthrough of a workout:
For Example: WU
6x75 Kick/Fist/Swim
Cruise Intervals +/-:05s
6x50 Free Golf

Open Water and Race Strategies:
During the part of the DVD Kevin touches on safety, water entry and sighting. He covers the basics of swim starts - beach starts, wading starts and treading water starts.

Racing:
Be Early / Practice - Upwards of a 20 Minute WU - Swim to the Shore
Hydrate
Review the Course
Waves/Markers/Direction/Heat Starts
The Swim portion covers topics such as the Dolphin Start, staying to the outside and issues relate to panicking. Kevin talks about the essential issues like rounding buoys and drafting with great detail.

The Swim Finish
Swim to the Beach
Walk/Jog to T1
Start Hydrating Immediately

Equipment Recommendations:
Finis Paddles
Fins / Zoomers

Conclusion...

What I liked:
There is not an over emphasis on the slow motion reviews. Some videos seem only to show things in slow motion. I liked that this video included multiple angles and the underwater view. Descriptions of what each of the drills are designed to help you learn - what to focus on during the drill ie: hip rotation. Kevin covered some of the terms that I’ve always wondered about such as "Swimming Golf" and then explained how you can use it to make your swims more interesting without loosing focus. There is also discount codes for some of the equipment used in the video. I was happy to see a quick correlation of swimming and triathlon.


What I would like to see more of in future DVD’s:
How most people do the drills wrong / frequent problems encountered as a new swimmer or triathlete. Perhaps this point is even better covered in text. I liked to see the tips on the triathlon swim, but what could I do while swimming if I start to get cramps.

All in all, this really is a great learning tool. Short of having a coach at your side in the pool to correct your stroke deficiencies, this is a good investment for less than $40. You can buy this directly from the TriSwimCoach website. You will also find waterproof drill cards and an eBook available on the site.

Go Here Now to buy the TriSwimCoach DVD

October 2009

October of 2009 is now complete. The book is closed and my "Recovery" has begun. Unofficially 'recovery' must have began early in the month as my October training calendar shows more Yellow Days than any other month this year. In October I took 19 days off from training. (I'm not so sure Recovery is supposed to look like that). But I also ran 2 events that were both great for me.

October's totals:
Bike: 4h 05m - 66.51 Mi
Run: 3h 40m - 25.87 Mi
Swim: 2h 19m - 4874.89 Yd
Strength: 1h 15m
Elliptical Training: 55m
P90X: 2h 45m

The Off Season is here. What do I do? Most people 'In The Know' say that the off season is a time to allow your body to recover from a long race season. They suggest that rather than to eliminate workouts, switch out for something different; train and focus on the most weak of the 3 triathlon disciplines; and to strength train.

So I'll do it! I will be back on the elliptical trainer more in the next few months; I will be on the bike trainer doing some easy session; running will be for fun and I'll do it when I feel like it. Easy, right?

Swimming has been my limiter over the last 2 years. I initially focused on running, this year my focus was biking; this off season and next year I will improve my swims. I will also do more strength training in order to increase overall power output next year.

I may spend some time on the MTB and get out in the fresh fall air.

I was nominated and selected to be in a local health magazine about my weight loss...

My Story: I weighed 145 pounds in high school and struggled to get my weight up to 170's for the first few years after high school. After I started working for a private ambulance service and into the time where I worked as a volunteer firefighter, I found myself putting on the pounds. Late in 2006 I was over 200 pounds. I couldn't even run a whole mile without stopping.

January of 2007 I took part in a fitness challenge that I helped to coordinate with a few coworkers. I dropped over 30 pounds. Over the next year I began to run and did my first 5k. I found a local sprint distance triathlon and made it my goal to complete that race... though I couldn't swim.

In January of 2008 I chose to teach myself how to swim. I managed to complete 2 triathlons (though my swims were less than par). I did a handful of running events and decided that 2009 would be my breakout year for triathlon.

Early 2009 I bought my first Triathlon/Time Trial bike and stayed on it all year making some great gains in speed. I have now completed 13 races and taken Age Group and Overall medals in 5 races, and set a new PR for 5k at sub 21 minutes. This year I have ran 2 half marathons, a 10k and 5k, a few Time Trials (Individual - Bike), couple of duathlons and 5 triathlons.

Next year I will race the Olympic distance triathlon and complete my first Half Ironman event - a 70.3 mile race that consists of 1.2 Mile Swim, 56 Mile Bike, and a 13.1 mile run.

Now, if I could just decide what Half Ironman to do... What do you think?

Loving Las Vegas and the End of the 2009 Race Season

Well, we are back home from our Vegas vacation. Becky and I had a great time and loved our time spent with friends. We were able to see many sights and eat some great food. This was our first real vacation since our honeymoon, almost 5 years ago.

For the first couple of nights we stayed with a good friend who lives in Henderson. She cooked for us and drove us everywhere!

On Friday we went to Lake Mead and Boulder City to get an overview of Saturday's triathlon. We visited the health expo at the race finish and did our packet pick up. Later we ate at Milo's - This is a great place to eat and I'll be attempting to remake my sandwich sometime in the near future! But our appetizer consisted of breads and fruits with baked Brie that had Pecans and dried cranberries over it. So very tasty. Friday night we went to Lake Las Vegas for an outdoor concert. This place is an amazing village inside the big city.

Saturday morning came quick and we were out the door for the race. The weather was great and Lake Mead water temp was 72 degrees F. I opted out of my wetsuit for the race for a few reasons, but one main reason was that this was a point to point race with 2 different transition setups. Anything that you'd leave in T1 had to be in a specific bag with your race # on it; it would then be brought to T2/Race finish after the race. Swimming was awesome! The sun popped up just before the race started and the nearly instant heat felt great while I was in the water. The race was very challenging physically and mentally. It was tough to comprehend the elevation for the bike ride. It was hard to maintain speed when there were no breaks in the climb during the bike. The run went well, but my legs were spent. Andrea placed #2 in her category so we stuck around for awards. Way to be!!

Saturday afternoon we got all things reorganized and packed up to head down to the Las Vegas strip. We stayed at the Rio hotel thanks to Andrea's parents. We ate a fabulous dinner at the Rio's Village Seafood Buffett. So many choices of seafood. I ate way too much, but between the 4 variations of crab legs, fish, sushi and desserts... it was so very yummy!

Saturday night we walked the Vegas strip and played some slot machines. We had VIP tickets to the VooDoo Lounge and spent a few hours hanging out and dancing. This bar is on the 51st floor of the Rio, it's outside and you can see the whole Vegas strip. Absolutely amazing view. We finished up our evening by playing a few more slots. Then off to bed for a couple of hours rest before heading back to the airport to return home.

We had an amazing time! Thanks to our friends for hosting and taking us around the city. Becky's mother was able to take some time off work to stay with the girls at our home, Saturday Becky's father came and my father was able to visit too. We are so greatful for our families to have helped out, which gave us the opportunity to take this vacation and make this final triathlon of the season possible.

With that all said, the Recovery stage of my triathlon training has fallen. I now plan to take a few weeks of easy workouts. I may join the US Masters Swimming and compete in one or 2 swim competitions over the next few months. When I get back into serious training, my main focus for the rest of the year will be swimming. Late this year or early next year I'll start training for next years race season.

I have been honored to be part of the 2009 RACING GREYHOUNDS Team. This team and sponsors are amazing! We have had several opportunities to race together and play together. I have made several new friends that I plan to bother for the rest of my life. Thank you GREYHOUNDS!! Next year I will have a different plan than I had this year, and I hope to be in contact with businesses and people over the next few months to secure opportunities for next year.

In 2010 I will have a different focus. I will not be racing as many events as this year. I'll be stepping up to the Olympic distance races (I plan to still run the Hawk Island Tri and maybe another sprint later). I hope to culminate next year's season by competing in a Half Ironman Triathlon (1.2 Mile Swim, 56 Mile Bike and a 13.1 Mile Run). I will consider an earlier HIM if my swim training goes well over the off season. I must also consider running a full marathon (26.2 miles). If I am able to race the Olympic distance, complete the HIM this year and race them the following year then in 2012 I may be able to consider a full Ironman (as that will complete my 5 year goal to run an IM) Late this year and early next year I will work on increasing my strength training, maintaining a bike/run base and general recovery. Then in February or March start a training program that will last for about 25 weeks until the HIM. But my main goal now is to recover from a long 13 race season.

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged and supported me over this last year of training and racing. I am blessed to have many friends to train with, many of whom have also given me invaluable advice and coaching; you know who you are and I would not be where I am today without you. Becky, Anna and Sophia - you make me who I am. Thank you for putting up with my love of racing and for going with me to the races, cheering me on and giving me hugs and 'high fives' along the course. You bring a smile to face. I love hearing "Daddy, you're all sweaty" and "Don't run too fast, you could fall down and get hurt" I am truly blessed for the support system that I have. Thank you all.

Pumpkinman Sprint Triathlon

Race info: Pumpkin Man


Las Vegas, Nevada
United States
BBSC ENDURANCE SPORTS

Triathlon - Sprint
Total Time = 1h 50m
Overall Rank = 66/340
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 11/29

Pre-race routine:

I'd been coming into my recovery phase for the year and my workouts have been lame. Mostly run focused.

Event warmup:

A little stretching and a quick out and back swim.


Swim
Time: 19m 39s - 874.89 yards - Pace: 02m 15s /100 yards
Comments:

All men 34 and under swim start from in the water/waist deep. This was my strongest swim to date. I had a great time, was focused and stayed on course. Sighting was right on, though I almost always had someone somewhat near me so I could double check my path. After I rounded the last buoy I hit it hard. I felt strong and felt like I was cruising! I've never felt so good during a swim... Oly/HIM will be in next years plans!

What would you do differently?:

I still need to work on my swim. While I felt good, I still only had an avg speed of about 2:30's = slow! But I was comfortable for the first several hundred yards in the middle of the pack.


T1
1:37 for the Overall fastest T1 time!!
Comments:

I forgot to put rubber bands on my shoes and I couldn't get a full revolution of my cranks without my shoe dropping down to the ground. I actually had to stop and reposition myself and my shoe to get going. Someone is going to have a terrible T1 exit photo!!

What would you do differently?:

Remember to put my shoes in position! Time was great considering the distance of T1.


Bike
About 14 miles - Pace: 12.8 mph avg
Comments:

Torture and pain! This was great! Such a challenging ride and yet so much fun. I got passed a lot. For a guy in Mid-Michigan heading out the the mountains to do a race with no previous hill/mountain work... I did alright :)

All climbing with minimal rest time... uh, no rest time.

What would you do differently?:

I could have/should have swapped out for my compact crankset, but didn't want to have to mess with the derailleur.


T2
1:22
Comments:

T2 went very well. Easy in/ easy out.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. 1500 athletes at this event made for a rather large transition set up.


Run
Time: 23m 14s - 3.11 miles - Pace: 07m 28s/Mi
Comments:

Nice out and back course. Ended up hitting all 3 aid stations for water, but still felt thirsty and warm. It wasn't near my best run, but given the conditions and course I'm happy!

What would you do differently?:

Good run after a brutal ride.


Post race

Warm down:

Lot's of water and Vitamin Water (maybe a beer too)


What limited your ability to perform faster:

Course difficulty (climbs) and heat.


Event comments:

BBSC did an awesome job on this race. Nothing like what I'm used to for event organizations here in Michigan. Plenty of happy volunteers who cheered me as I passed them. Course was very well marked. Website had everything including elevation charts to prep my mind for the oncoming pain.

Sprint, Oly and Half Iron distances. Award ceremonies after each events winners completed the course. Great prizes and cool finishers medal.

By the end of the race my quads were done, I was totally spent. I couldn't have run any faster across that finish line. This is the effort that I now expect for myself in future races. I pushed beyond any race that I've done before.

Lansing Legislator 2009 Race Report

Here is my race report for the Lansing Legislator this past weekend. I had a great time, took 3rd in my AG and was 19th OA out of almost 200 people.

Right click and view image in order to read it.


I ran 18 miles over 2 separate runs this morning; 12 miles easy and 6 miles in interval style.

Inter-Rockin' Triathlon

Race Report from Interlochen's Inter-Rockin' Triathlon

Click the image to view full size / readable image.

RR from BeginnerTriathlete.com

June is Here Already

May flew by quick, perhaps it was the 4 races I did. All in all, I have had a great year so far. I only met 1 of my 3 goals for the month, although with the planned races, my goals may have been slightly unrealistic. I wanted to hit 300 miles biking, 50 miles running and 5 hours in the pool.

So what's next? I'm not exactly sure. I'd like to think about another sprint tri as there are two great 3 race series taking place this summer at the Island Lake Rec Area. The way my work schedule falls, I won't be able to make either series, but I could do 2 races of each event. So there is potential for 1 race in June and 1 in July.

August will be the Lansing Legislator (possibly my first Oly tri). September will be the Capital City River Run half mary. And October will be another tri in Las Vegas.

Seems crazy to think about the end of the season so early in the season. But I've learned a few good lessons that I will carry with me for the future. One, for example, is that I cannot afford to race 15 races every year :)

So I need to set goals next year for better performance at longer distances. In this manner I should be able to race my first Half Ironman soon. My 5 year goal of running a full Ironman event seems much more realistic now too. Both of my girls will be in school/pre-school then and I'll have the necessary time to train for this type of endurance event. Man, it's exciting to think about an Ironman!! But, that's still a while away.

Thank you all as always for your support and encouragement! I look forward to the next race with great anticipation, whatever race it may be.

Hawk Island Triathlon Race Report

Hawk Island Triathlon (Sprint Distance) Race Report and Photo's:

Click on the photo for full size / readable image. A friend from Pure Enchantment Photography took some very sweet pictures. Very good stuff! Go Visit his site.

Good race overall. Now I need to consider my options and plan for the season. I still plan to race the Lansing Legislator, but I need to decide on either the sprint or Olympic distance. Maybe I'll run in one of the T-Rex series races, there are 3 of them... but it's rather expensive :) I still plan to run the Capital City River Run, and then I am planning on the PumpkinMan tri in Las Vegas for November! It's a huge race and should be a ton of fun!!

Rawk Squad Training

Rawk Squad Training - Michigan


A new group on Facebook that I hope will serve the purpose of a central location to plan training events. Check it out.

March 2009!

March of 2009 has been a great month for me in the training department. I got my new Cervelo P2 - A carbon triathlon bike. With all of the excitement surrounding my new bike and a biking challenge through the BeginnerTriathlete.com website, I logged more than 279 miles in the month of March.

My total biking mileage for 2009 so far is 451.57 Miles. This is great because that means that I have already surpassed my total mileage for ALL of 2008. Craziness!!

My total running mileage for 2009 so far is 136.19 Miles. This puts me right on the baseline goal for the year. I wanted to have an average of 41 miles per month by the end of 2009.

My swimming total so far is 7700 yards. This is by no means great, hardly even good. However this is almost half of the total distance that I got in 2008. So while I still need more time in the pool, I feel more comfortable.

This year I have already competed in 2 races. The first was an indoor triathlon at a local YMCA. I took first place in my age group. For me personally, the higher achievment in this was that I swam for 20 minutes straight. I had not done that before. In this race I ended up with 975 yds. This gives me hope for the upcoming race season.

I also competed in a 28k Time Trial at Fisk Knob (near Grand Rapids). I placed 61 of 120 Overall. So right in the middle of the pack. That's not bad for my first ever TT. The weather was 38 degrees F and per Weather.com it felt like 27. We had snow flurries mixed with some light misty rain. It was rather miserable weather, but I raced well. I hit my fastest speed on my new bike at 39.6 mph per the Garmin Forrunner 305 gps. The hills were hard, but I feel confident that I will improve my overall biking ability this year.

Upcoming races that I am already registered for:

4/05 Martian Half Mary
4/26 Steelcase Duathlon
5/16 Starker-Mann 40k TT
5/17 Starker-Mann Duathlon
5/31 Hawk Island Triathlon

That completes the first half of the race season for me. I hope to race 1 to 2 races per month. We'll see how these first few races go and then I'll complete my schedule for the rest of this year.

I'm excited about some new opportunities. This year has great potential!

Thank you all for your encouragement and support! I look forward to racing this year. Give me a call and let's ride sometime.

January 09

January has flown by super fast! I was able to meet my personal goal of 41 miles for the month in running. I actually hit just over 51 miles.

I still need to get in the pool and stretch more. I feel comfortable with my lifting, but ideally I would be spending a bit more time in this area. I recently did a P90X routine, I loved it. I'm not sure that I have the time to dedicate to the actual program, but I will do a P90X session here and there. I did complete over 180 push ups and 47 pull ups during the 50 minute workout. I was pretty sore for a day or two. I started doing some Spinrvals dvd's while biking on the rollers. Those workouts kick butt. Google it.

February is here now and I have put some time in for training (mind you we are only 3 days into the month). I'm confident that I'll get my 41 miles running in for the month. Next month I will start up some outdoor biking too, that will help my mileage increase.

All in all, training has started out strong for me. This year will bring good things!

Baby Sophia

Just when I think I am settling into a routine, something changes. Sometimes not so good things like being sick or having a few busy shifts in a row at work will cause my training to fall short of my goals.

Sometimes good things happen and once in a while something great will happen. This past few days I have lost more sleep and not even thought about trying to workout for the simple reason that we welcomed our new baby girl, Sophia, into our family on Friday January 23. She weighed in at 8.5 pounds and 20.25 inches. Becky delivered Sophia naturally and non medicated, what a woman huh?

Sophia is a little bundle of joy, and every time she squints her face into what appears to be a smile, I lighten up inside. Sophia makes us a family of 4. Anna is now a proud big sister, Becky is a very proud mother of two and I am more content with life than I have been in a year. Sure we are lacking a little sleep... ok, lacking lots of sleep. But I wouldn't trade this for anything, especially a few hours running in the cold and snow.

My family is my support system. Not only do they help encourage me to run faster or bike farther, they also remind me of the importance of staying fit. I'm not saying that you have to be an endurance athlete, but do what you can to make sure you will maximize the time you have with the people you love more than anything.

I chose to compete in the world of triathlon over a year ago. I'm just beginning to see the results of good training. I will now need to learn how to better balance family and training. I will seek out advice from people I have met over this last year and find ways to better myself for the sport and most of all, for my family.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement over these last few days. Thank you for the phone calls and gifts. We look forward to introducing you to Sophia.

RACING GREYHOUNDS 2009

It's time! RACING GREYHOUNDS 2009

I'm excited to be part of a team this season. The RACING GREYHOUNDS 2009. I will be racing as part of a team and have a lot of opportunities to better myself as an athlete in each discipline.

Base training is underway. My first planned triathlon this year will be Hawk Island. I have 2 others on the radar, but haven't made a final decision as of yet. There is also a MSU Triathlon Team sponsored IronMAC indoor triathlon coming in mid-March that would consider.

All in all there are several races that I hope to be able to compete in this year. This year will be my breakout year for triathlon. I have continued off season training throughout the winter, so my base for this season is significantly higher than where I was last year.

I still need to be in the pool more so I feel comfortable with the Olympic distance swim. This year I hope to run at least one Olympic distance tri, although if I train well enough, early on, that distance will be my regular racing distance.

I am looking forward to a great year!