Huntington Triathlon Race Report - 2nd Overall, 1st in Age Group

This was my first sprint triathlon in a few years. I've been focused on Ironman racing the past few years, and this year has been all Olympic Distance. I am focused on the USAT National Championships in August in Burlington,Vermont. I thought a sprint 4 weeks out would be a good idea. Sprints are short distance - and as the name implies - "a full-on, all-out, redline from the start" sprint race... that lasts about one hour.

To race a sprint well, demands a high degree of mental focus - not only because of the pain factor, but also because any lapses in concentration that allow you to slow you down result in time lost thatyou don't get back.

Plus - this is a great, fun local race to see friends and teammates, as well as experience the pain and high intensity as a solid brick workout in preparation for Nationals in 4 weeks.

Besides not having done a sprint tri in a few years... I haven't had a rest day in 18 days. I was doing this race at the end of the most intense triathlon training week I've had all season (or ever?). Every workout this week was either high intensity speedwork or hill work or a combination of both. Nothing "zone 3" about this week. So, this day, my legs were totally dead... today would normally have been approached as a rest day, but with the "big one" in 4 weeks, and a real taper on the horizon, I went for it.

PRE-RACE:
I got to the venue about 6:30am like I do for all 8:00am starts. Gives me time to get all settled in without any rushing, do my warm-ups and have time to socialize with people before the race. This race being one of the bigger "local" races, I wanted to have plenty of time to chat with the 13+ teammates doing the race and my other friends.

During my warm-ups, I felt like crap. I was beyond "flat" - I worried this was going to be a bad day. I also made it a bit more difficult than it needed to be by blowing out both tube and new tire while bunny-hopping some bad road stuff at about 28mph... BOOM... I knew what happened instantly... and I was 2 miles from the transition area - where I had just made the conscious decision to remove my tools/CO2/spares and race without the weight since it was a sprint race. I am NOT making that decision again! (See my "Murphy's Law" post) Thankfully, one of our team sponsors (Bike Authority) had a tent on site and took care of me while I finished my pre-race routine. Thanks Mike!

SWIM:
This was an age-group only race, and I was in the second wave with the others in the 35-39 age group. I really prefer when the top overall contenders start together in the same first wave... you know exactly where you stand that way. Anyhow...

When the "gun" fired, I sprinted into the clear, calm water of Lake Erie along with the other 50 or so in my age group. Dolphined twice until I was deep enough to swim properly. I immediately went full-speed until the first turn buouy... then started looking for feet to draft off of. Didn't find a reliable pair of feet, though.

Well - this is a sprint race... there is no time to settle into a real rhythm... it is all out from the gun. As I mentioned, I felt crappy, flat and tired before the race started... this continued through the swim. Maybe I just didn't get enough warm-up before the race from my flat situation... whatever the reason... Lungs and arms burning...

My swim has improved rather significantly this year over after the last few years of being "flat"... but I will be the first to admit, there is still more work to do.

I got out of the water, unsure about my position... all I knew is that there was a 1/4 mile uphill run to the transition area to start the bike... and it was a chance to get some time back on those who beat me out of the water. I probably passed 10 people in that short run who were fiddling with wetsuits or recovering from the swim while jogging up to transition... but in a sprint race, every second counts... and I would win time back. I had the fastest run up to the transition area on the day... 2:14 vs 3:00 or more for most people. Again, in a sprint this is make or break!


BIKE: I had the fastest overall bike split of the triathlon + duathlon!
After the fast run up from the beach to transition, I had time to mentally prepare for this transition. It went extremely smoothly and quickly.

Out on the bike, I hadn't slipped my feet into my shoes yet- I wanted to build up to full speed and get around the first corner before doing so. Then, I realized I was with a strong looking guy with a "G" on his leg (my age group) who was also moving fast. I cranked up the speed to 30mph or so to make sure I got around this guy and not let him think about hanging on. After 100 yards and another turn, I knew I had dropped him and finished getting my shoes on.

Now it was time to hammer on the bike... my true strength...

I started passing people who started in the wave before me, and a few from my wave... bang, bang, bang... I was carrying good speed, and my legs were finally starting to feel decent. (Remember, I was riding without a rest day in about 18 days.) I continued to pass people from the wave that started before me - which meant I was really 4 minutes ahead of them.

About half way through the bike course, we came off a bike trail and had a hard left onto the road... I was carrying a lot of speed into the turn, and apparently too much! The police officer controlling the intersection kept yelling to me to slow down, he was right, as I leaned hard into the turn I realized I was going too fast, touched the brakes, fish-tailed around the corner, feeling happy to have stayed on the road!!

After a couple more turns, I was on the final long straight run back to transition along beautiful Lake Road. I had just turned myself inside-out with a group on Wednesday on that stretch of Lake Road that week. I kept reminding myself how much that hurt, and how I hung in - even when I felt I couldn't anymore...

I kept my head down, my legs pumping and flew toward transition where a huge crowd was waiting for the athletes to come in. I know the roads well, and knew to slip my shoes off well before transition, so I didn't have to fiddle with them while navigating some rough road and other cyclists coming in from the duathlon.

I came screaming into transition, heard friends cheering me in... I knew I had a good ride! I did a flying dismount, almost missed the timing chip mat and scrambled over to rack my bike and start the run.

T2 was also a smooth, quick and efficient transition for me.

RUN: (11th fastest run split overall)
I started the run flying down the hill... I still hadn't put on my hat or race belt, but I wanted to keep focused on starting the run hard and fast and get down the hill, and up the short, steep hill on the other side, before screwing around with that stuff. I came to an aid station and just grabbed some water - a mouthful just to refresh the mouth, and the rest on my head.

Even though this was a short race, it was already rather hot, and very, very humid. I pushed on and finished the first mile in about 6:20 pace. Not great, but not bad. The second mile was along the out-and-back section where you get to see the other guys and know how far ahead/behind they area.

I was really pushing it now... I knew I had a good chance to be top 3 overall after seeing where everyone was...

Mile 2 was 6:10. Good.

Mile 3 was coming back around the park. Like most people were feeling at this time, the intensity of the race was starting to catch up to me. I knew where most every one was, and didn't have anyone right around me to chase, or that was chasing me. There were a couple of guys from the earlier wave in front of me, so I set the challenge to catch them (even though in reality they were 4 minutes back). The last mile was a bit slower... about 6:40 I think.

Coming to the end of the race, the new course had us running down and back up the short little hill to the finish. The cool thing was that the big crowd surrounded the final hill back to the finish. There was a wonderful tunnel of screaming, cheering people we ran through to get to the last right had turn to the finish line. I liked that!

I came into the finish and stopped my watch... 1:02:XX. Great time! I knew I got everything I wanted to out of the day (and my body). It was a challenging pace to carry for the full hour... higher intensity than an Olympic Distance triathlon - an excellet training race!

I knew that Brian Stern started in the wave behind me and would be coming soon... question was - how soon. I watched the clock, and saw him come in at about 1:01:XX. I knew he beat me - but I expected it. He has a sick run... He's one hell of a great triathlete! Gives me a new target to shoot for next season.

Post-Race:
My team, SnakeBite Racing, had about 15 athletes racing today, and we had an excellent showing!
I had 2nd overall of the 300 person triathlon...
Mike Larimer had 1st overall of the 75 person duathlon...
Eric Gibb returned to racing after his knee surgery earlier this year...
Martha was 2nd overall in the women's race, Angie 4th, and many of the rest our team won age group awards! Great job, team!

It was wonderful getting to see so many other friends at the race, as well as watch people trying the sport for the first time. I loved listening to the chatter of the newbies before and after the race. We were all newbies once!

I'm finished racing now until August 20th in Burlington, Vermont!

Time for 2 more serious weeks of intense training, then I will start the taper...

Murphy's Law... Almost didn't get to start the Huntington Triathlon!

I named my dog Murphy for a reason... Murphy's law... For the most part, I believe you create your own destiny and such... but sometimes, I just know the "universe" is watching, and when you give it an opportunity to get you - it will take it.

My most recent example was just before the start of the Huntington Sprint Triathlon. 300+ of my good friends in a fun local race. I hadn't done a sprint tri in a few years.

I ALWAYS carry my tools/spares/etc on my bike, and have defended doing such even in races to people with the old addage - Better to have it and not need it... than to need it and not have it.

Well, today, in trying to go for the overall win, I decided to remove my tools/spares before the race. Even thinking - this is going to guarantee a flat!

Well, I don't have to tell you what happened next...

The only good thing was that this was during my warm-up ride - not during the race - which would have ended my day.

I was riding and bunny-hopped some really bad stuff, and when I landed, the back wheel blew out in pretty dramatic fashion. DAMN! You got me universe...

3 mile walk/jog back to the transition area to get my tools and spares and change it. Running out of time before the start of the race, I started a mild panic - but nothing too serious. I can change a tube pretty quickly and that just means I will forego my run warm-up before the race... and hot as it is today - that's probably not the worst thing that could happen.

When I started the change - I found that my new $75 racing tire was totally SPLIT! Like 1-1/2 inches - right through the meat of the tire. Oh crap! I have spare tubes - but no spare tires! Panic is starting to grow! What am I going to do? Where can I get a spare wheel or tire? Am I going to be able to race today? Man... Murphy got me good!!

Luckliy, one of our team sponsors, Bike Authority, had a tent and a mechanic on site, and had tires. WHEW! Mike Vanucci happily took my mess and took care of it while I finished organizing myself for the start of the race. That saved my day! THANKS MIKE!

I've had other problems - mostly at work - caused by people saying things like: "What else could go wrong?"...

No good deed goes unpunished, is another expression I like to use...

I'm a pretty demanding boss - I know this. I helped a department manager turn around a huge problem of "break-outs" in the steelmaking area (in the steel industry - no one ever says the "B" word unless it is happening!). At the time I took over the Steelmkaing Division, that department was averaging 1 per month... and each one cost in excess of $250,000... so it was a really big problem. Well, long story short, we worked together and fixed the problem and went 13 months without a single event! One day I was pushing him on another subject... and he came back at me that I always demand more, and I don't say "THANKS" enough. Fair enough... that night, in my daily letter to the plant (3 shifts, 5 departments)... I congratulated the team for setting a new record and going 13 months without a breakout! yes... I said it... You know what happened that very night!! I called that manager, and told him he had to go in and clean that one up... that was all his!

Final example - having our Japanese colleagues insist to discuss a topic (casting breakouts)... We had gone a long time without a single casting breakout, and they wanted to know how. My boss repeatedly explained to them that we don't say the word, and prefer not to discuss the topic because of superstition... then he had to explain what that meant to them in Japanese - didn't work... black cats and all have no meaning to them like it does to us... so we ended up having the discussion with them - and - seriously, no kidding... we had 3 breakouts during casting during the time of the meeting that shut the plant down. We forced the Japanese guys to stay the night with us in the plant with torches and pry-bars to help clean up the mess. It was their fault!

So - I will always and forever leave my tools and spares on my bike... and suffer with the additional 8 ounces of extra equipment... just to avoid the nasty little Murphy's Law situation from happening again!

"And Boom Goes the Dynamite" - Caesar Creek Triathlon Race Report

SUMMARY:
My highest Olympic Triathlon overall finish yet - 5th in a fast, deep field, and on a very hot and humid day. I had a killer run which sealed my high placing. I finally nailed my nutrition - something I've been working on for Olympic Distance races.

I was concerned in the hour before the race. When I rode my warm-up on the bike - my legs were dead and I was feeling pretty out of it. I was worried that doing this race was a mistake. My family was upset that I entered at the last minute, after having been traveling just before. I decided to get up at 2:45am to drive down to the race venue, so I could spend as much time at home with my family as possible. I then stupidly stayed up until almost 12:00 midnight watching the Tour after then went to bed. Ooops..

Prior to this race, I spent 2 weeks overseas - one in India, the other in Germany. Traveling takes it out of you, and I have very little time to train while I was gone. I ran 4 times in India - each time was a hot, sweaty mess - as you might expect... Germany was hot too (95-100F) and I was so busy and tired I could only muster a 5k run here and there... maybe my body used these two weeks to rebuild itself. Let's go with that...

I was still feeling flat when I went down to the water's edge. There were 650+ athletes buzzing around getting ready - and all of their support crew / family / friends. I just wasn't feeling it. I swam out for my last warm-up and to get some sighting landmarks... but still didn't feel my mojo. Maybe this was a huge mistake and waste of time today. Well - I'm here, I might as well make the best of it...

Count down to the Elite Men's start...


SWIM: (21st Overall - 22:49...)
I've been pushing the pace on the swim, and getting good results this season. My swim times are by no means "impressive" - but compared to my times last year - I've consistenly taken 3-4 minutes off my swim time vs 2010 - I'm so happy!

I pushed it hard from the shore, and was about the 3rd to the first turn buoy. Time to find some feet and a good fast pack, and see if I can hang with them. I quickly found some feet... then lost them... then found them... then lost them... then found them... then realized I was following someone who was having a difficult time holding a line and sighting. Not good. Problem was, when I went to find the rest of the lead pack - it was gone. I picked the wrong feet... and now I had to go it alone.

I was frustrated by this, but being inefficient and wasting energy wasn't going to make things better - so I quickly re-focused my mind on perfect form, and rapid turn-over. I did most of the first lap completely on my own. At the start of the second lap, I could see a group at a turn buoy - so I pushed it even harder to catch up to them. Eventually I did... and used the pack for a while - but then we got into the reminents of the sprint wave, and the pack broke up weaving in and out of them. I lost the pack again and finished the swim alone. Before I knew it, the swim was over, and I was scrambling onto my feet.


Running up the hill, I saw a friend and asked how many were ahead... I didn't like the number I heard... 15 or so... damn...

BIKE: (8th overall - 1:03:30)
The bike course was rolling and had a lot of twists and turns in it. Felt like I was never really in "steady-state", but rather always shifting or turning. I'd never been on this course before, and I'm better suited for the flat, steady-state courses, so I felt a disadvantage.


I pushed and pushed on the bike - trying to count how many I was passing that beat me in the swim. It just didn't seem like enough! The only good thing for me about this particular course, is that it had a long out-and-back section - where you get a chance to see who is in front of you, and by how much time... and also who is behind you. As I neared the turn-around, I realized that there weren't many people left in front of me- but the ones who were were a good few minutes ahead.

After the turn-around, I had one guy I could see to chase, and I caught him... after that, I was all alone... Sometimes that makes it difficult to keep pushing the pace when it hurts. That's why they have a "rabbit" at a lot of marathons... to keep the pack from getting complacent. I had no rabbit and no one to chase... My overall placement of 8th tells me I might have let off the gas a little in the last 5-7 miles. (I was 1st overall and 3rd overall fastest bike split in my two prior races this seaons).

I finally got my nutrition / hydration right on the bike! 2 races ago, I under did it and started to cramp the last 30 minutes of the race... this past race, I over did it and wanted to puke for an hour of racing... today - I nailed it! 20oz of HEED first, and then 20oz of a weak electrolyte only solution was just what I needed on this hot, steamy day.

Coming into transition, my legs felt pretty good... and my belly was very happy!


RUN: (5th overall - 42:47 - slow time, but this was a trail run and it was HOT)

I came out of transition with one other guy. I had never done this race, and was surprised to find it was a very uneven, rocky surface. In the first mile, I kept surging to drop this guy, but he kept hanging on. We came up to a gradual hill - and I decided that I was going to drop him on this hill - "because I was going to". I actually said that to myself... BOOM - I was off like a shot and ran full speed. I could hear his footsteps fading behind me, but didn't back off the pace because I wanted to break his spirit and not have him climb back on.

After the hill, I was flying and feeling strong. I saw my high school friend Darryl Miller finishing up the sprint race, and had a chance to say a quick "LOOKING GOOD DARRYL" and sneak a low-five as we passed each other. It was HOT and I was glad to have brought my fuel belt along with 2 bottles of electrolyte solution, and 2 bottles of plain water. Time for a drink. Most of the run was out in the exposed sun - and it was just hot. Did I mention it was hot?

I relized there were more targets in my sights ahead and kept the pace going hard. I could reel in and pass these guys one by one... each time, sneaking up on them quietly, pausing long enough to gather a little extra strength and then going full-speed to pass them and not have them try to stick with me.

At the 5k (half-way point of the run), I could see there were not many more in front of me... 3 or 4 tops. This was great! I just kept pushing it, and keeping the hydration coming. Last thing I wanted was to cramp up in this heat like so many others were. I kept fueling and dumping water on my head at the aid stations... and kept pushing. I only had one target to chase, and he was way in front of me (maybe 45 seconds at the last turn-around). I gave it everything I had... and closed 1/2 of the gap, but just couldn't catch him before the end of the race.


As I came to the finish chute - I heard them call my name and team (SnakeBite Racing)... then I saw my brother Steve, and his three kids waiting for me at the finish line. How very cool!


I felt exhausted, but really quite happy with how the day went for me. My strongest run placements for the season (relative to the field), and my highest overall placement in Olympic Distance - 5th and a time of 2:11:22. (I've won 1st overall duathlons and overall podiums in sprint triathlons... but this means more - the competition in Olympic Triathlon is so much stronger...)

Now, I have to focus my training on the 6 weeks between this race, and my "A" race - the USA Triathlon National Championships in Burlington, VT on August 20th.

India and Germany - Two extremes - one trip - June 2011

This was my second trip to India, and I have to say that it was so much better than my first trip! Perhaps it was getting over the huge shock that is India on the first trip... or the fact that I didn't get sick this time... or maybe the fact that unlike last time when I was in the massive cities like Mumbai and Chennai (10-15million people each)... we were in "smaller" towns (of only 3-4 million people each).

This trip was my first to India that included train travel. The train stations and train accomodations are a unique experience all to its own... but the view out the window is like being in a time machine! Villiages of people living in grass huts, plowing fields using only water buffalo or ox... and riding the occasional camel or elephant for transportation. It's just so hard to imagine that a large portion of the world's population still live like this - but the fact is that they do.

(Full photo gallery at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2103689108399.132380.1130619233&l=14ee2d31e3 )

The cities (Ranchi, Rajgangpur, Rourkela) we visited were still very densely populated, chaotic and dirty... but no where nearly as "difficult" as Mumbai - where there are millions of poverty-stricken people packed into the slums- and where traffic makes a simple 10 mile commute take upwards of 3 hours. These cities had a bit of green in them... and a more suburban feel.


Jamshedpur, the city where our Indian office is, and where Tata Steel has a massive steel plant(one of the world's largest), is "run" by Tata, and actually clean and green! There were actually trash cans and dumpsters in the city! No joke - this is not something you see anywhere else in India! It was quite a nice thing to see!

The food was fantastic, and on this trip my colleague from India was with us every step of the way, to recommend the hottest and the tastiest foods to try. This was great!! On a dare, I ate the hottest pepper there... striaght... you can't fully see the REDNESS and SWEAT that broke out on my face for the rest of the evening...



The scariest part of the trip was the 3 hour car ride from Jamshedpur to Ranchi. It was on a winding mountainous road (kind of like the one in the "Ice Road Truckers - India - World's Most Dangerous" - but not quite as mountainous)... this was a view into rural India, traveling on dangerous, horrible sorta-one-lane roads with big trucks passing on all sides. We passed 3 fatal car accidents! Plus, this stretch of road is notorious after dark, and the locals won't even drive it in the dark because of the risk of hijackings and other bad stuff.


We did pass villages of grass huts... and people RIDING CAMELS for transportation... among other weird sights along the way!


All in all, while India is a crowded, dirty place which has more poverty than any other place in the world I've been to... this trip was so much more enjoyable and comfortable for me. Again, partly due to the smaller cities where we went, and in part to the fact that I was fully prepared for what to expect this time around.

After my week in India - I hopped a flight from New Delhi, India to Frankfurt, Germany. Man - that was like getting into a space ship and going to a new planet...

Germany is so clean, so orderly, so meticulously organized and cared for... with food that is rather bland and brown (but very tastey) in comparison to the bright, spicy foods of India. Such a contrast!!

My week in Germany was busy and comfortable. I know the area... I can drive (I have a 6 speed diesel VW over there - which is so much fun to take out on the autobahn)... the language is more familiar to me as are the accomodations, food and climate.

I met up with colleagues there from Spain, UK, France and Germany for a productive week - and lots of good dinners and beers at night.

Flight back home to Cleveland was wonderful - First class again, and very comfortable and relaxing.

The homecoming from Amy and the boys was so wonderful that Thursday night! Ahhhh... so good to be home again! Wonder where my next trip will be?

China and Japan I suspect...

Maumee Bay Olympic Triathlon Race Report - June 19, 2011

SUMMARY:
Maumee Bay yielded my highest overall finish so far in an Olympic Triathlon – 6th, against a challenging field and and a PR (2:09:57) on a very windy day. I “went for broke” in the swim and bike and held on in the run. I battled the wind and ended up with the fastest bike split overall in both the Olympic Triathlon and Duathlon! My swim improvement continues, with a 17th overall swim split (compared to 55th last year and 29th at Deer Creek). My run was a bit disappointing, a combination of upset stomach from over-hydration on the bike and fatigue from the bike. I was 1 minute slower than my consistent 40-41min 10k... But this has been the goal this season to date – race harder from the gun, earlier in the day and see what effect it has on my run and overall position.


Last season, I suspected I was holding back too much in the swim and bike. I'd feel (too) good during the run, and while finishing the run strong, I was wondering if I was leaving too much on the table. What I am learning so far this season is that I can push myself harder and earlier in the race, and have a better total race!


SWIM:
This was my second race in the Elite category, starting in the first wave with the fastest athletes. My strategy this year, was to go all-out in the first 5 minutes or so, to stay with the faster swimmers, and then find some feet for drafting/pacing (totally legal in triathlon). It worked pretty well in Deer Creek, so I tried it again this week. It is a physical bunch, really fighting for position. No one backs down. There is a LOT of contact (incidential and sometimes intentional) - so you really have to be aggressive and careful at the same time.

My disadvantage in years past continued to be my swim. I worked on that a lot this winter, and I'm happy to say that I have made a big improvement, with more work to do. So, I had confidence that I could sustain faster speeds, and pushing it so hard from the gun was to put me with the faster swimmers who would help set a faster pace. In the lake, with no "walls" to help you know your pace per 100m, you have to rely on the other swimmers as well as your perceived effort to gauge your speed.

I had more trouble finding a good person to draft on... I bounced between a few sets of feet, and sometimes just had to swim in open water on my own to hold the correct line to the next turn. I wasn't sure if I was in a good position in this swim, because of the trouble to find other fast swimmers, so I kept pushing harder, thinking I started too slowly.


Bottom line, I came out of the water 17th - my highest swim rank ever in Olympic - compared to consstent 50th-60th places last year. BIG improvement in position and time. Good start to the day.


BIKE:
It was quite windy at the start of the race, and I expected it to get worse as the morning went on (and it did!). I was mentally prepared for the cross-winds, and the relentless headwinds - as Maumee is quite flat and open and there is nowhere to hide from the wind.

After being encouraged by a strong swim, I started hammering the bike from the start. I've learned how to ride in the wind, when to push it in the tailwind sections where other people take it easy, and how to push just enough into the headwinds to drive forward, without blowing my legs out. It was working and I was picking off cyclists one by one.

At one point, I passed two guys who were battling for position, and they told me they were the last ones, that I was in the lead. What? I didn't believe them fully... but used that thought to become the rabbit being chased by the hounds, and took the motivation to push the pace harder yet. Turns out they were wrong, and I came up on a couple more competitors during the bike course. Regardless, they added just another spark to drive me forward.



The second loop was noticably windier than the first. Could really feel it in the cross-winds - to know it wasn't just my legs getting tired. It was windy!

2 weeks prior, at Deer Creek, I didn't drink enough, and that hurt my run. This time, expecting the wind to add to dehydration problems, I drank extra on the bike. Plus, in a stupid move, I mixed my fluids stronger (still don't know why I thought that was OK to do... I know better)... and by mile 18 on the bike, my stomach was upset. Stupid!

I later learned that I had posted the FASTEST BIKE SPLIT on the day. That was a very cool feeling to know I did that, even though my bike time was 2 minutes slower than last year (which was the 3rd fastest time), knowing the effects of the wind on the time - seeing I had the fastest split was a new achievement for me and a testiment to how hard I pushed it into the wind.



RUN:

I came into transition ready to run. There was one guy in particular that I hadn't raced before, Brian Stern. I knew I was a faster swimmer and cyclist, and that he was a phenominal runner. I figured I needed a 6 minute buffer against him to have a chance to hold him off in the run. I would later determine from the splits posted, that I had a 6 minute gap on Brian...

My first 2 miles were strong, but my stomach was really sloshing... there was still wind, and it was changing the conditions from reasonable but strong headwind pushing us, or a tailwind that didn't slow us down with force, but took away the feeling of cooling - it got really hot.


Coming to mile 3 I was pushing through the discomfort (I just wanted to puke it out and feel better, but I was concerned that I would then dehydrate as a result, and decided not to take that option). Still posting good splits, and holding the gap on the guy in front of me - wasn't getting away but I wasn't closing in either. I wanted to hold that gap until after the turn-around, when he would see me. I didn't want to pass before then.

At the turn-around, you can see where everyone is and how far ahead/behind they are, and how they look. I was happy with my position, and how I felt compared to how some of the others looked. This was going well, and I knew I was in 5th.

I saw Brian, and knew he was coming... I also threw up in my mouth a few times, and knew things weren't going well in my gut. I needed some extra calories / rush from a gel, but the thought was literally making me puke. Ugh... My nutrition plan / execution sucked today, and cost me 2 minutes in the run, and hurt my chances in the showdown with Brian.

Just about mile 5, I passed the transition area and a number of teammates and friends cheering me along. I still felt OK, but sick inside, and I just wanted to hold off Brian. I could hear people cheering for him now... he was close, and made the pass right at mile 5. I tried to go with him, but something in my brain went "snap". I knew he had me, and the suffering wouldn't undo the pass. I had a goal of PRing at this race, but the windy conditions on the bike killed that. I had no one close chasing me. I hate to admit it, but his pass broke me. With my super-upset stomach... and at the moment, nothing to chase or chase me... I walked for about 30 seconds to try to settle things, regroup, refocus and get going again.


I knew some of my friends and teammates saw me stop and walk. I was embarrassed, but there was nothing left at the moment. The engine room was overheating, my gut was over-sloshed and my targets escaped me.

After the mental reset, I got pissed at myself, and started again. Pushing faster and faster for the last 1.2 miles. There was no one chasing me - but now it was to reclaim a little pride for my stoppage. My last full mile was a 6:12... I was pretty happy with that, despite the other problems. Little goals, little achievements sometimes...


When the final results were posted, I was proud to see that my hard-fought day earned my 6th overall - my highest overall placement in the field, and a new personal record (PR) of 2:09:57 at the Olympic Distance. I was quite proud of this.

The suffering was real, and some of the most intense I have experienced in Olympic distance racing - but that has been the goal this season - race as hard as I can from the start - find out what I am truly capable of - no questions about having something left in the tank at the finish. Mission accomplished - I was SHREDDED at mile 5, and struggled in. But it gave my best result yet - so it was another well learned lesson.

Had I not given myself the total gut-bomb of overcompensation for the Deer Creek dehydration, i'm sure I would have been one place higher, and given Brian a better run for his money at the end... but his jets would probably have held me off anyway. He's a total stud!



COMRADERIE: Friends, team mates and new faces:

Great to see my SnakeBite Racing team out in force - 15+ people there to race and/or cheer (injured taking pictures, etc). We had a great showing there, and a lot of fun, and good exposure for our sponsors.


My friend Darryl Miller from High School (Lakota '90) did his second sprint triathlon ever - and his 18 year old daughter Gabby did her first one. I'm so happy and excited for them - they are totally hooked on the multisport lifestyle!

My college buddy Steve Kauffman was there as well! Did his second sprint triathlon ever and had a fun day, depsite some knee trouble.

Others from the triathlon community were there as well - Maumee Bay is a fun triathlon becaue of all of the local people there!

The Monday right after the race, I departed for a 2 week trip to India and Germany. It was a great trip that I will write about later... and a good chance to rest and recover after Sunday's hard effort.

ANOTHER GREAT WEEKEND RACE!