Graniteman Clearwater Olympic 2017

Graniteman Clearwater Olympic Race Report

July 08, 2017

After a long hike to the swim, I got in a quick warm up and headed to the start.  I was in Heat 2.  As we got underway, it was a mostly clean start. I had mostly clear water to the first turn. There were 4 of us that took off from the group right away.  By the first turn, we were in the previous wave &  fighting through traffic.  By the midway point, I was starting to regret my wetsuit.  I was getting warm!  I hit the shore running and feeling good.

T1 was uneventful and I was able to slide out with the 2nd fastest transition for the day!

As I headed out on the bike, there was a head wind on the out leg.  I struggled to get my heart rate back under control and was frustrated with my speed (or lack thereof).   When we took the first tun, it got better.  On the return leg, I was hauling.  I got a little shook up when I took a rock kicked up by a passing car, but once I figured out what had hit me and that I was fine, it was all good.   Lap 2 mirrored lap 1.  This was my best bike on this course by far!

 T2 was mostly clean, but had some issues with people loitering in the transition zone.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Kreamer

As I headed out on the run, my legs felt great! The trail had 2 way traffic with those headed back to the finish.  Thankfully I was only seeing yellow wristbands for the sprint!!!  At 2 miles, I saw the first Olympic athlete on their return trip By mile 3, I wasn’t quite feeling “right.”  After the aid station at mile 4, I began to realize how hot it was and that I had a salty crust on my skin and my stomach started to slosh.  Shoot!  I was behind the eight ball!  I took a couple licks of BASE Salt as I was coming into the last aid station.  As I looked at my watch, I knew I needed to push hard to stay on pace. A final push into the finish and I was done!  I missed my course PR by 20 seconds! So close, but not today.

A top 10 Swim, Top 15 bike, 2 top 5 transition times, 4th place in my Age Group, 18th Overall Male, and 22nd Overall still is not a bad day!

LAMS Clearwater Ambassadors
AKA: Me with the Sprint Champion

Buffalo Olympic 2017

Buffalo Triathlon Race Report
June 4, 2017

Today was event 1 of 3 of the Graniteman Olympic Distance Race Series.

With the new age group, I now “got to” in the 3rd heat 6 minutes behind the elites and 3 minutes behind the “young” guys.  By the first turn, I was already fighting my way through the previous heat.  I had a great swim that was very relaxed.

T1 was uneventful.

The first half of the bike I just tried to find my rhythm and attack the hills.  When we rejoined the sprint course, I felt like I was flying....and dodging around others! I knew I was on PR pace, but had to remain focused.

T2 Everything went smooth racking my bike & transitioning to the run.

The run course was the same as last year & followed the same course (and hills) of the first 3 miles of the bike. The 1st 2 miles didn't feel horrible, just hot. I settled in and just

maintained my rhythm. Once we were clear of the sprint turn, traffic lightened up and it felt like I could pace better.  On the return trip, I kept pushing myself to stay on the right side of PR pace.  At the Sprint turn, I ran  by an ambulance attending to one with heat related issues.  As I turned back into the park, I saw the guy just ahead was in my division. I picked up the pace a little. As we hit the downhill, I started to stride out.  Last year I kicked it a little to early & was caught. This year, I ran away. It's always great to receive a shout out at the finish when Jerry is announcing!

After finishing, I knew I had another new course PR!  2 races and 2 PR, each greater than 4 minute improvements!

UMM Tinman 2017

UMM Tinman Race Report

April 29, 2017

Pre race: This race always forces me to round up all of my race stuff from its winter hiding places.  With Ironman as my last event, some of my gear had been in storage for a while! I packed gear bags, then had an early bed time. My alarm went off at  about at 04:00.  I was out the door by 04:45. 

I arrived at the U of MN Morris at 07:00 to quickly grab a transition spot.  I got things set up, got checked in & body marked.  A quick warm up & bike check then off to the pre-race meeting.  The field was smaller than normal. 

1100 Swim Time Estimated: 15:30  Actual: 16:22

We were seeded by estimated swim time with 2 per lane.  The entire Olympic field started in the same heat. I was paired with the 2015 winner. I maintained a comfortable swim pace, but was unable to stick with my lane partner. The pool deck makes for a large leap out of the lane with the assistance of the starting block & run to transition while putting on my jacket.

T1 Time Estimated: 0:40  Actual: 0:34 (Fastest T1!)

I had a great (fast & organized) T1. 

19 Mile Bike Estimated Time: 1:00:00  Actual: 0:59:09

#1 was about 90 seconds ahead of me and I had a few people right on my heals.  I had placed my gloves over the bar end shifters & got them on in the first mile or so.  The wind was “calm”….at least by Morris standards.  I just tried to focus and stick to my plan.  As I approached the turn, #1 went by on his return trip about ¾ mile from the turn.  After my turn, I was over ¾ of a mile into the return before I saw #3 &4!  I put my head down and “ran” with it the rest of the way in.

T2 Time Estimated:  1:00   Actual: 0:39 (Fastest of the day)

Again, I had a smooth, organized transition.

6.2 Mile Run Estimated: 57:00   Actual: 53:56

The first mile was hard on the legs I couldn’t feel my toes until about mile 1.5. It felt like there was something stuck in my shoe.  After my toes warmed up, the feeling went away. After getting my running legs & feet back, I was feeling good, but could tell my break from running due to injury was taking its toll. My entire run I kept repeating “4 seconds.” This is what I lost by in this race last year.  Anytime I thought about backing off my pace…”4 measly seconds!” At around mile 3, I was passed by the first female runner. Just after mile 4 was the first relay. I had not seen # 1 since the bike turn.  On the home stretch of trail back into the stadium, I was passed and moved into the 3^rd overall male space with about a half mile to go.  This is where I stayed to the finish.

Finish Time Estimated: 2:12:00  Actual: 2:10:38   A NEW PR!!!