Back on the Bike

After nearly 2 months of drastically reduced training and only a handful of very short bike rides, I have resumed my full training regimen this past week and it feels great! Even better yet, is that my back has held up pretty well with only 2 days in the past week with any sort of significant pain and 1 day that was completely pain free.

To finish out the year, I built a schedule around a new training philosophy that I'm going to implement next season.  I will blog more specifics later, but there are 2 major distinctions compared to how I train today. The first is that training is time based instead of distance based (think in terms of minutes and hours instead of miles and yards). The second is training in zones based on heart rate instead of perceived effort.

Tonight I headed out to the High Trestle Trail for a brick workout. I started with a 1:15 bike ride and finished with 20 minutes running. The calm winds were great on the bike and the shade on the trail was perfect for the run. I am happy to say that the workout felt GREAT and felt surprisingly easy. I'm really looking forward to training over the next 4 weeks prior to my season coming to a close. I've really been missing it!

Bluff Creek Triathlon - 2018 Version

I am so excited about how well I raced today that I don't even know where to start this blog post. I have had a smile on my face the entire day and I don't think that it is going away anytime soon. I apologize in advance if this post ends up sounding like a bunch of scatter-brained ramblings, but so many story lines went into the race today.

I'm going to kick things off with the fact that I actually made the podium in my division! I placed 3rd out of 7 and this marks only the 2nd podium finish in my triathlon career so far.

Top 3 finishers in my division

It was a REALLY tight race as less than 9 minutes separated 1st from 7th place. Furthermore, if I had raced a similar pace to my first 3 races this year, I would have finished in last place instead of 3rd. I had a lot of things going for me today that contributed to my success.

• The weather was outstanding for racing, from the water temps to the air temp and hazy conditions blocking out the sun
• I was familiar with the course after racing there last year, that familiarity brought me a lot of confidence
• My sister, Melissa, and nephew, Brycen, came to cheer me on. I always race better with a cheering section
• I have managed to lose 18.2 lbs since the Iowa Games Triathlon last month (more on this in a later blog post)
• I was focused on keeping the gap with the overall race leader to a minimum to maximize my Heart of America Triathlon series points and give myself a chance to finish in 1st place for the year (and to earn a spot in the championship race/wave at the Cyman Triathlon next month)

Ok, so now onto my usual recap of the race. The day started off well as I got a great night sleep and jumped out of bed when my alarm went off at 4:30. Everything was ready to go so I got changed, got my breakfast ready and loaded everything in the truck. The trip should have taken about 50 minutes but I was stopped by a train in Ogden, which was followed immediately by a 2nd train (on the other set of tracks) and resulted in a 15 minute delay. This is why I always give myself plenty of time on race morning.

Waiting for a train

After getting parked and finishing breakfast, I got my packet picked up and everything set up in transition with plenty of time to spare. My race number was "1" so I got a lot of comments from volunteers, spectators and other racers. I decided to hop on one of the first shuttle buses over to the beach to give myself time for a warm up swim. After warming up I spent time talking with other racers on the beach and just enjoying the beautiful morning. Once the last shuttle arrived, they got things started pretty quickly. The only part of the race that I didn't enjoy very much was the swim. There were over 80 people in my swim wave and with such a short course across the lake (500 meters) we never got spread out. This resulted in a lot of kicking/hitting/bumping into other swimmers which made it very hard to settle into a grove. My swim time was not great but I did average under 2:30 min/100 yrds. 

Happy to be out of the water

T1 is where things started to go very well for me. I managed to get through T1 and out onto the bike in 1:28 which blows away my previous PR. Once on the bike, I was very happy that my back was not bothering me, I was also happy at the 5 mile split when I was averaging 20 mph. That success carried throughout the entire bike as I managed to set another PR pace of 19.3 mph. I beat out my time from Bluff Creek last year (my previous PR) by 18 seconds. This was a HUGE surprise to me because of how little training I have done on the bike this summer. Due to my back injury, I have only been on my bike 5 times in the past month and a half but apparently that had no effect on this race. 

Heading out on the bike

My bike split placed me 53/155 which is ridiculously good for me. My good race continued in T2 where I registered a time of 0:44. Not quite as good as the 0:41 at the Iowa Games last month but pretty darn close and put me at 32/155. 

Although I love running, it is no secret that I am not very fast. In nearly every race, the lead that I build on the bike quickly disappears on the run. This race was no different but the good news is that unlike the last 2 triathlons, where I had to spend time walking, I managed to keep my legs moving the entire time and I believe that is really what won me the podium spot today. 

Heading out on the run

Finishing strong

Official results

As mentioned above, my sister and nephew drove up to watch me race today. It means so much to me when people show an interest in my racing and I am truly lucky to have so many friends and family members who support me on this journey. 

Brycen and I after the race

I won't know the final standings for the Heart of America Triathlon Series for a couple of weeks, but I sure feel like I did everything with in my power to earn my spot in the championship wave at the Cyman Triathlon next month. Even if I didn't quite make it, I will be racing no matter what. I have put together a great training plan for the next 5 weeks and hope to make that race the best one of my career so far. For now though, I'm going to spend some time enjoying this one. 

Proud to wear the #1

The placement "medals" were actually made out of wood
and painted. Very unique and I really liked them.

Thank you all for reading! Check back over the next month as I prepare to finish off my 2018 season on September 23rd. If you are in the Des Moines area that weekend, please consider coming out to Bondurant to cheer me on. As a little incentive, we will be grilling out back at our house after the race. 

Iowa Games/Des Moines Corporate Games Cross Country Race

This morning I participated in the Des Moines Corporate Games Cross Country 4.4K race. The race was held in conjunction with the Iowa Games on the Iowa State cross country course in Ames. With Erin out of town (running the Bix 7 actually), I dropped the girls off at my sister's house and headed for Ames.

I don't think the weather could have been any more perfect for running, especially considering the time of year. There were fewer runners then last week for the road races but it was still a great turn out. They had a longer, 8K race that started at 8:00 am followed by the 4.4K at 9:00 am. Many of those who ran the first race opted to run in the 2nd race as well. The Pioneer runners had a great showing in the first race with many runners taking home both Iowa Games and Corporate Games medals.

Dupont Pioneer/Corteva Cross Country Team

As we lined up for the 2nd race I had flash backs to high school, which is the last time I ran in a cross country race. The course was a little damp, but other than that was in great condition for running. As we approached the back half of the course there were some pretty good hills that posed a bit of a challenge but it flattened back out nicely for the finish. I had forgotten my watch at home so I had no clue what my pace or time were until I approached the finish line. I crossed the line with an official time of 27:01, an average pace of 9:54 per mile. Last week for the 5K road race, I averaged 10:20 per mile so I was very happy to see that improvement. I ended up finishing in 2nd place (out of 2) for my age group scoring 85 points for Pioneer. That brings my total points contributed this year up to 140, fairly insignificant compared to our company total but I was really proud to represent my employer for the games. 

Dug this gem out of a tub in the basement, this
was from junior year of high school and the last
time that I would have run a cross country race

I have a few weeks off of racing as I build up to the Bluff Creek Triathlon on August 19th. Due to my back injury, I am not able to spend time on my bike, which is very disappointing. I'm hoping to get some good training for the swim and run in prior to that race to help make up for that and to keep my overall fitness level up.

I only have a few races left for the year as I am planning to wrap up my season by the end of September. I think that my body is in need of a couple months rest to heal up and prepare for what lies ahead in 2019 so the timing should be perfect.

Des Moines Corporate Games 5K

The Des Moines Corporate Games 5K and 10K road races were held this morning in conjunction with the Clive Running Festival. After originally signing up for the 10K race, I decided to switch to the 5K this past week due to the issues that I have been having with my back.

It was a beautiful morning for a race and I ended up with an official time of 32:16 which I was happy with. I was disappointed, however, that I placed 5th in my age group which is just one place out of scoring additional points for Dupont Pioneer/Corteva. No worries though because the 10 participation points that I did receive contributed to a HUGE day for Pioneer that grew our 1st place lead over Pella Corporation who is currently in 2nd place.

Garmin Race Overview

Leader board after the 10K and 5K Road Races this morning

Next up, I will be participating in the Des Moines Corporate Games Cross Country Races next Saturday. I will be racing in the 4K and it will be my 3rd weekend in a row representing Pioneer for the Corporate Games. 

National Triathlon Week 2018 - Run Day

I'm a couple of days late with this post because run day was on Wednesday, but I wasn't feel well the past couple of days.

For me, it is very appropriate that the final leg of a triathlon is the run. I absolutely love running and have for several years. I've been a runner dating back to middle school and high school but really hit my stride about 4 1/2 years ago when I started competing in road races. Running is so many things to me, it is time to think, relieve stress, and build confidence. It makes me feel good and gives me a way to continually challenge myself.

It felt like a natural progression to switch from road races and running into triathlon but I think that running will always be my favorite. The challenge of running is much greater in a triathlon when you always start your run on tired legs. The feeling of transitioning from the bike to the run is one of the strangest feelings that I have ever experienced. My legs feel like they are stuck in mud for probably the first half mile of the run.

Heading out on the run at the Hickory Grove Triathlon in May 2018

It goes without saying that the longer the triathlon, the more challenging the run can be. Not only are my legs already tired from the swim and bike, but the sun is usually getting higher in the sky and the temperatures are warming up by the time the run starts.

6 miles into the half marathon run and just a couple
miles away from my legs completely giving out on
me at the Legend Ad Adstra 70 in September 2017

On the flip side, when I manage to put a complete race together and feel strong on the run, there is no greater feeling. In my short history with triathlon, I have had only a few races that were paced well enough to have a strong run. Just as with road races, I aim to have negative mile splits during the run portion of the race and that is how I measure success on the run. 

Less than 1 mile to go on the 10K run and running
strong at the Des Moines Triathlon in September 2016

Finishing the 5K run of my best race to date at the Bluff Creek
Triathlon in August 2017

The other special part of the run, and quite possibly my favorite part, is that it leads to the finish line. No matter what race that I am in, there is no greater feeling of accomplishment then finally crossing the finish line. Of course, just like with every other aspect of triathlon, the finish line has it's own uniqueness. Most races start with separate waves or with a rolling start which means 2 things. The first is that you never know how the time of the athletes around you on the course compares to your time until the end meaning that the focus is on racing the clock. Second is that the race tends to be a lot more spread out on the course then a typical road race, in fact, depending on the size of the field and length of the race there may be times where you aren't even near another athlete which can be a challenge mentally. 

Sprinting in for a high five just before the finish
line at the Iowa Games Triathlon in July 2018