Tri for a Cause

July 19, 2014

The Tri for a Cause began in 2011 as a fundraiser for the Masonic Cancer Clinic of Minnesota.  The race director set forth on a mission to bring awareness & donations while tackling an Ironman race, then continued the mission by starting this race.  I have raced here since it's inaugural event & hope to keep doing so as long as I am able!

I decided that I would not take any time off of my training leading into this event.  I would continue to train and incorporate this race into my daily goals.  This meant that I had a hard interval swim & 2+ hr bike ride the day before.  My goals for the race were to 1) Have Fun, 2) Similar to last week, Swim relaxed, Bike hard, Run with anything I had left, 3) Support the LAMS in our attempt to maintain the title of Tri Team Champions.


Race morning was a little windy, but otherwise a beautiful morning!  I arrived early enough to grab a prime transition spot.  I typically leave the front row racks to the best of the best.  Today, I decided I was going to be front row!  I picked a spot opposite Michelle Andres hoping some of her magic would wear off on me!

The first heat was Men 39 & Under.  I lined up to the left of the field shooting for a straight line out to the corner buoy.  Unfortunately for me, as we got going I was sighting off the second turn buoy (diagonal instead of straight)! I also forgot to start my watch until half way through the swim.  When I hit the buoy line, I course corrected & grabbed a set of feet.  After about 100 yards in the draft, I felt like I was pushing too hard, so let the feet go & held my own pace. After the turn back toward the beach, I was closing on a swimmer in front of me.  I decided to push my pace a little to close the gap.  Back in a draft position!  This time, I was at a comfortable pace.  As we got closer to shore, I made a move to pass.  I swam until I couldn't swim any more, popped up beside the guy I was swimming with & ran for transition.

I had a few fumbles in transition due to the rear mount cages I have on gearing up toward IM (opted not to take them off for this race just to put them back on right away)!  I was still out quickly & was the first person on the road.  It took Casey Miller around 2 miles to pass me (on his way to the victory).  When he went around, I had a 28 mph average cooking on my computer (having a tail wind didn't hurt)!  Downside with the tailwind, you "get to" have a headwind too!  When we turned back into the wind, I just put my head down & pushed (& kept count of those who caught me).  Plan was to hammer hard, but try to keep a high turnover on the hills.  With just a couple miles left, Mike McConkey scared the daylights out of me!  He came flying by me like I was standing still!  What actually caught me off guard was his quick shout out to me as he came around.  I had just looked back going around a couple corners & there was nobody there...then out of nowhere....

Back into transition, I opted not to flying dismount with the rear cages on as I had only tried a couple times in practice.  Quick transition without issues.  As I came out of the transition area, a teammate yelled that I was # 7.  Really??? Wow!  A quick high five to my son and time to see what was left in the legs.  My first mile I clicked off a 7:50 mile...then came the cavalry!  A quick shot of the new Chocolate Peanut Butter GU & some water at Mile 1 that hit the spot & kept me turning over.  There were some fast runners out there & I am not one of them! I was able to hold about an 8:20 pace for the rest of the run.  Not my best run, but far from my worst!  As I rounded the softball field toward the finish, I could see my family waiting.  I had promised my son earlier in the week that he could run the finish chute with me if he was there & ready to go.  As I came around the corner, he reached up & grabbed my hand as he(we) sprinted toward the line.  The smile on his face was priceless!


It was fun to see some of the local 1st timers come across the line feeling accomplished!  No matter how many races I have done, that spark in the eye of a first time triathlete reminds me of why I love this sport! The teamwork & camaraderie of the LAMS group, along with the whole MN Tri family, is truly amazing.

As the results rolled in, I just about fell over when I was listed as the fastest swim time of the day!  Me? Really?  The last 2.5 years of pool work have been paying off!  I ended up finishing 24th overall/22nd Male/6th Age Group.  This race also incorporates the Tri Team Championship into the results.  Points are accumulated for the first 3 overall and top 5 in each age group.  Lakes Area Multisport was able to maintain the title!  The concept of this event is fantastic, but the story of the trophy is AMAZING! If you can fit this event into your race schedule, please try to make it out!
                                           
                                                Great Venue, Great Cause, Great Charity!

Then the story of training toward an Ironman race (see above comment about training through this race).  Later in the afternoon, I hoped back on the bike for an "easy" 56 mile ride.  There were no volunteers.  There were no aid stations. There were no directions of where to go.  It was just me, my bike, the stuff I carried with, & the open road....

Enjoy the journey!

Graniteman Clearwater

July 12, 2014

A consistent race on my race calendar, I was back at the Graniteman Clearwater for another go.  Having not raced since Liberty (just over a month ago), I had to round up all of my gear that had been drying since that soggy race.  As I was preparing my stuff, I noticed that they had pushed the race back an hour this year. Yeah, I got to sleep in!

It is always fun to start your day seeing familiar faces in the transition area.  I got to catch up with a few people.  During race check in, a band was placed around our wrists.  The event staff tried to keep everyone without the band our of the transition area.  Thank you for protecting my gear!

I knew going in that they had reversed the bike course (clockwise), but in the brief learned that it was about a mile shorter.  The swim & run were unchanged.  My goal was to have a relaxed swim, hammer the bike, and survive the run.

The swim was a mixed gender Age Group start.  I positioned myself front & center right next to Casey Miller from Baxter (another LAMS member & the eventual winner).  I told him to grab onto my toes & hang onto the draft.  We were off!  Somehow I got pushed around off the start (Thanks Dave for the practice on our Wednesday night swims).  I took a foot to the face in the initial rush.  Looking for clear water, I veered left & placed the buoys on my right side (they were down the center of the swim lane).  I knew I was out fast!  I saw one group of arms in front of me, one to my right, & clear water.  I figured  I would be in the second group across the line.  Perfect! I kept my pace steady & relaxed.  Unfortunately, I didn't hit the correct buttons on my watch, so had no data until 1+miles into the bike.

As I came out of the water, there was a huge cheer from the crowd!  When I heard my Dad yelling that I was #2, I understood why!  Casey came flying by on the way to transition.  He had been the one next to me throughout the swim.  We both transitioned quickly, hit the road, & he lit the afterburners.  That was the last I saw of him until the run course!

The roads were great for the bike.  I was passed by a few on the road, but for the most part, I held my own.  In the big picture of things, the bike was uneventful.

I had a quick T2 and headed out on the trail run.  The first mile is slightly uphill on a trail around the lake, but I knew that going in, so didn't feel so bad when my legs felt like logs! The second mile is on asphalt going down a hill & up the other side to turn around and go the other direction back to the trail.  Then the last mile is back (slightly downhill) on the trail.  The return trip was a little more congested as the trail is narrow with two way traffic.  Across the line with no issues!

Overall, a descent race.  I ended up 45th Overall/37th M/7th Age Group with 20th overall in the swim/17th Male 3rd in my age group (Casey crossed the timing mat ahead of me).  It felt good to be back racing a tri!