It has taken me some time to post this blog, partly because i should not really have been in Mexico. Either way, I got down to the windy, humid world of Cancun and Quintana Roo, Mexico. By the by, Quintana Roo was the first "Triathlon bike" ever made.
I prepared for the race by getting in a lil' 15 min shake out run the day before the race. I have never sweat so much in 15 minutes in my life! That place is hot as hell. Coming from the not so cold state of Texas i knew i could handle it, but i needed electrolytes. Unfortunately, Mexico is not the haven for race day supplies, and i had to be creative, because i forgot my endurolytes. so the night before the race i ended up creating my very own cancun survival package, which included table salt and tic tac cartridges. i filled four empty tic tac boxes with salt and went on my merry way. p.s. - this works, but salt hurts your teeth if you might have a cavity. oww!
ten minutes before i was supposed to be at the beach, my front wheel went flat and my zipp extension fell inside the rim! i remained calm, but i could have broken things. a very nice mexican man helped me fix it, and also knocked my bike over on its side. either way, scratch or not, i had air in my tires.
the swim was a no wetsuit ridiculously choppy two loop course. got her done in 28 min, and was fine with that. it was gonna be windy. the bike was a two loop windy draft fest, but i tried to focus on my salt tic tac things in preparation for the run.
there is maybe 20 feet of shade on that run course. hot as hell. but i do love the little water bags they had. i continued to eat the salt, and just try not to pay attention to the heat. i thought i was in the lead of my age group, so i kept it kind of easy in efforts not to blow up. there was only a few people and some pros ahead of me, because i was the second wave. "one foot in front of the next" if they did not have rest areas every 1km! i would not have made it. this gringo would have combusted. at 10.5 miles i ran into a dude in my age group. i have come all this way, and finally i need to race! damn, i was tired!
so, i passed him, and he passed me. and it was on. i decided to run my own race and see what i had left. i ended up passing him, and he stayed on my heels. at 12.5 i made my move. skipped the last aid station(risky) and took off. at the turnaround for the second loop, i ran over the mat and it made that beepie noise. and 30 seconds later i heard the beep again. he was gone, and i cruised on for the W.
After finishing i went to the medical tent and got poked three times by mexican needles and finally they found a vein. i checked, they were new needles each time! creepy.
i was toast. truly toast. i puked in the hotel lobby 7 hours later on my way to the awards ceremony. in one of those flower pot things!
haha. i was really happy with my efforts. it was a greuling day, and i def killed some margaritas the following day before flying back.
i met chris leigh, and michellie jones. both of whom are amazingly down to earth and cool cats.
would i do it again? only if there was a 100% chance of rain!
Showing posts with label triathlon-race recap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label triathlon-race recap. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Providence 70.3 race report
Let's go over a little race report that i would give to the race director, as well as go in to my day. I arrived friday with Trent and Andrew, excited and full of nerves, especially because of my hamstring issues. We got to the expo for packet pickup right before it closed, and it was pretty painless other than the fact i forgot my USAT card, then it was expired, then they gave me the wrong chip. needless to say, i was there for a while. But, the beautiful IRONMAN girls where a lot of help. ;) But, they did have some wierd radio system set up for packet pickup that seemed a bit ridiculous, and just an uneccasary step in the process.
The next day, we went to spin out or legs on the run course, and wow. We saw "the hill" for the first time. There is literally a sign posted on the way down this thing for trucks, thats says 7% grade on it! it was also the same hill used when the x-games visited providence, they used it for the ice luge! bottom line, it was a bitch of a hill. andrew was having some shifting problems with his campi set, so we went back to the expo, and there was literally a 2 hour line for packet pick up. i have never seen that before. people did not look happy.
trent and i were staying near the start, so we packed up our essentials and put the rest in andrews hotel room. we had to bring our bikes an hour and a half south to t1. the day before the race turned out to be a logistical nightmare, the people at ironman are going to need to make this a little easier or else i will not return. the day before a race should be relaxed and restful, not stressful and spent racing around.
we got our t1 settled, and andrew left to go back to providence to sleep for a few hours and catch a bus back to the start in the morning (which you need to pay exra for??) the point to point race is cool, however it needs to be refined, especially for the pre-race logistics
race morning, was a 3:45 wake up, and a two mile walk to the sart, luckily we hitched a ride about half way there. i literally had a two hour wait to start the race, so i hung out with kieth (the man of shannon - who was also racing). kieth also took my stuff back to providence instead of it hanging out in the back of a truck all day with everyone elses. thanks kieth!
race start: i was in the last wave, which sucks. the start was fun. a beach start into the waves. i don't know what i did in the swim, but i did not have it. i guess i did not push it hard enough, i got out slightly under 29, not a good swim for me. for me to have a good swim, i need to attack early and settle in, i didn't do that. overall i did like the swim course, a great, little choppy out and back ocean swim.
bike course: there where some nice hills, not a mooseman, but it was hilly. a point to poiint is nice, once you are done toting your crap aound the day before. it was a beautiful scenic tour of ri as well, until the last few miles in the ghetto. there where a lot of left turns, and a lot of traffic, and a lot of bikers. so it was not the safest course either. ironman! - spray paint the potholes! all the money that was made last weekend, maybe they can afford the spray paint next year. for the first ten miles my glutes where killing me, then i finally loosened up for a while, and around half way, my left glute totally locked up. i rode through it, and the pain subsided eventually. my hamstrings did not bother me that much on the bike. i never felt great on the bike, i never got in my groove, probably because i havent trained on hills in a while.
run course: i screwed out of transition, but about .5 mile into the run, "the hill" occurs, and then again on the second loop. the run course really did not have more than half a mile of flat, so it was going to hurt regardless, but my hamstrings could not take it. they cramped up a few times during the race, once really bad. going up the monster the second time, my right hammie cramped up to the point of no return. i had to stop and stretch for a while, and then walk some. it sucked. i clocked the slowest run of my half ironman career, 12 minutes behind my usual pace. it was hilly, but that does not add up to 12 minutes. the slowest half ironman since i started this as well.
the race is cool, needs a little logistical help, but a good race. it is challenging, not a draft fest on the bike, and a very hard run.
i ended up 5th in my age group, and 45th overall, but very unhappy about my performance. i need to get this hamstring situation under control. doctor visit this week.
huge congrats to janda, 6th overall, and fastest run split of the day! his time of 4:02 on that course is proof of what he is capable of this season.
The next day, we went to spin out or legs on the run course, and wow. We saw "the hill" for the first time. There is literally a sign posted on the way down this thing for trucks, thats says 7% grade on it! it was also the same hill used when the x-games visited providence, they used it for the ice luge! bottom line, it was a bitch of a hill. andrew was having some shifting problems with his campi set, so we went back to the expo, and there was literally a 2 hour line for packet pick up. i have never seen that before. people did not look happy.
trent and i were staying near the start, so we packed up our essentials and put the rest in andrews hotel room. we had to bring our bikes an hour and a half south to t1. the day before the race turned out to be a logistical nightmare, the people at ironman are going to need to make this a little easier or else i will not return. the day before a race should be relaxed and restful, not stressful and spent racing around.
we got our t1 settled, and andrew left to go back to providence to sleep for a few hours and catch a bus back to the start in the morning (which you need to pay exra for??) the point to point race is cool, however it needs to be refined, especially for the pre-race logistics
race morning, was a 3:45 wake up, and a two mile walk to the sart, luckily we hitched a ride about half way there. i literally had a two hour wait to start the race, so i hung out with kieth (the man of shannon - who was also racing). kieth also took my stuff back to providence instead of it hanging out in the back of a truck all day with everyone elses. thanks kieth!
race start: i was in the last wave, which sucks. the start was fun. a beach start into the waves. i don't know what i did in the swim, but i did not have it. i guess i did not push it hard enough, i got out slightly under 29, not a good swim for me. for me to have a good swim, i need to attack early and settle in, i didn't do that. overall i did like the swim course, a great, little choppy out and back ocean swim.
bike course: there where some nice hills, not a mooseman, but it was hilly. a point to poiint is nice, once you are done toting your crap aound the day before. it was a beautiful scenic tour of ri as well, until the last few miles in the ghetto. there where a lot of left turns, and a lot of traffic, and a lot of bikers. so it was not the safest course either. ironman! - spray paint the potholes! all the money that was made last weekend, maybe they can afford the spray paint next year. for the first ten miles my glutes where killing me, then i finally loosened up for a while, and around half way, my left glute totally locked up. i rode through it, and the pain subsided eventually. my hamstrings did not bother me that much on the bike. i never felt great on the bike, i never got in my groove, probably because i havent trained on hills in a while.
run course: i screwed out of transition, but about .5 mile into the run, "the hill" occurs, and then again on the second loop. the run course really did not have more than half a mile of flat, so it was going to hurt regardless, but my hamstrings could not take it. they cramped up a few times during the race, once really bad. going up the monster the second time, my right hammie cramped up to the point of no return. i had to stop and stretch for a while, and then walk some. it sucked. i clocked the slowest run of my half ironman career, 12 minutes behind my usual pace. it was hilly, but that does not add up to 12 minutes. the slowest half ironman since i started this as well.
the race is cool, needs a little logistical help, but a good race. it is challenging, not a draft fest on the bike, and a very hard run.
i ended up 5th in my age group, and 45th overall, but very unhappy about my performance. i need to get this hamstring situation under control. doctor visit this week.
huge congrats to janda, 6th overall, and fastest run split of the day! his time of 4:02 on that course is proof of what he is capable of this season.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
MooseMan - Post Race Report (Kinda')
I landed in Boston's Logan Airport late Friday night, and actually did not end up putting my head on the pillow until close to 2am. Either way, I was happy to be home in Gloucester, and waking up there is a gift even without sleep. I came down stairs the next morning to a nice warm day. My Mother was telling me how hot it was, and unbearable the heat was going to be. Little did I know, there was a heat wave in the North East! It felt like a Texas winter to me, so i was psyched. The thought of all these poor new englanders overheating the following day on the race course, and me wanting arm warmers was spectactular.
So, my mother and I head for the hills. Literally we took off for the foot hills of the white mountains, and one of the top ten cleanest lakes in the US - Newfound Lake. We arrived at the race site around 1500, after a short detour to the outlets(i was with my mom). I have done Lonestar, and Longhorn 70.3's so I was not surprised that the Jordan's and their awesome team(Endorfun) put together an awesome venue. If you ever have a chance to do one of their races(Lonestar(TX), Mooseman(NH), Timberman(NH), or Longhorn(TX), do it. No other race director can compete with Endorfun.
I picked up my number, made sure my bike was working, and took off for the little lake cottage that I rented for 99$! I was nervous about how that was going to turn out, but it was actually perfect. On the way there, we stopped and had an enormous turkey dinner(not sure if that was smart, but it was good, not to be repeated). I settled down for a few hours sleep, and the tryptophan helped that endeavor.
I woke up Sunday, pleased that I didn't have to wear a sweatshirt to the race( for New England even in the summer this is rare). I got there, got warmed up, donned the wetsuit, and headed for the frigid, but beautiful waters. I had been a little nervous about Mooseman, 1- the sizeable climbs that were on both the bike and run course, and 2- i had a pretty bad cough for the past two weeks. I felt okay during my high end shake outs the previous week, so I had some comfort in that.
Time to swim! The elite wave took off first, and I hung on to whom must have been Nick Dufresne for about 300 yards. But, I was not hanging on to his dolphin feet. Then, shit suddenly hit the fan, my goggles were filled with cold northern water, wearing contacts, i got a little nervous and flustered, because I could not sight. So, I settled in with a pack, because I could see underwater, and I could focus on there kicks. Triathlon is funny, no matter what happens in a race, I always learn something. I have had a big problem with drafting in the swim. I know how effective it is, but everytime I do it, its effectiveness scares me into going alone. I always feel like im going to slow, so I get out of the draft. Mooseman was the exception, I couldn see, and had no choice but to stay with that little pack. So a pretty easy swim brought me into transition at 26 minutes, and out in 5th place.
But, the cough caught up with me(not the way i thought it would, but it did). I think the cold water kept it at bay, but i needed to let one out. I produced a deep booming cough and when i opened my eyes and looked up, i was headed for the woods. Luckily i rode into a ditch, but i went over the handlebars, and landed on a tree stump, then the top tube slammed on my manly nether region. it happened so quick, before i knew it, there were volunteers and cops helping me out of my hole. The cop got some of the dirt out of my eyes, and i made sure my bike was ok, and lost alot of my nutrition in the forest. Pretty shooken up, dirty, and bleeding, i got back on the bike, but in 16th place. I am not sure how much time I lost. as the endorfuns eased up, it became apparent that I was pretty banged up on my left knee, and every crack in that new england road, i felt on my boys. It was pretty uncomfortable. I wanted to stop multiple times, but kept with it, because i knew i could run some people down in the heat. i got in off the bike, and began the run. about 3 miles in i pulled the flag, my left knee couldn't take it.
My first DNF, but also my first crash in a race. I am dissapointed, but I did get to see my family, catch up with tri-nuts from the norhteast (Amanda, Pat, Nick) This will just fuel my fire for Providence in July. I went to the doctor about the cough that caused the crash on tuesday, and I had a 100 degree fever. So for now I am doped up on antibiotics, and some crazy cough syrup. I am pretty fit, my splits weren't bad considering the crash. I'll be back.
So, my mother and I head for the hills. Literally we took off for the foot hills of the white mountains, and one of the top ten cleanest lakes in the US - Newfound Lake. We arrived at the race site around 1500, after a short detour to the outlets(i was with my mom). I have done Lonestar, and Longhorn 70.3's so I was not surprised that the Jordan's and their awesome team(Endorfun) put together an awesome venue. If you ever have a chance to do one of their races(Lonestar(TX), Mooseman(NH), Timberman(NH), or Longhorn(TX), do it. No other race director can compete with Endorfun.
I picked up my number, made sure my bike was working, and took off for the little lake cottage that I rented for 99$! I was nervous about how that was going to turn out, but it was actually perfect. On the way there, we stopped and had an enormous turkey dinner(not sure if that was smart, but it was good, not to be repeated). I settled down for a few hours sleep, and the tryptophan helped that endeavor.
I woke up Sunday, pleased that I didn't have to wear a sweatshirt to the race( for New England even in the summer this is rare). I got there, got warmed up, donned the wetsuit, and headed for the frigid, but beautiful waters. I had been a little nervous about Mooseman, 1- the sizeable climbs that were on both the bike and run course, and 2- i had a pretty bad cough for the past two weeks. I felt okay during my high end shake outs the previous week, so I had some comfort in that.
Time to swim! The elite wave took off first, and I hung on to whom must have been Nick Dufresne for about 300 yards. But, I was not hanging on to his dolphin feet. Then, shit suddenly hit the fan, my goggles were filled with cold northern water, wearing contacts, i got a little nervous and flustered, because I could not sight. So, I settled in with a pack, because I could see underwater, and I could focus on there kicks. Triathlon is funny, no matter what happens in a race, I always learn something. I have had a big problem with drafting in the swim. I know how effective it is, but everytime I do it, its effectiveness scares me into going alone. I always feel like im going to slow, so I get out of the draft. Mooseman was the exception, I couldn see, and had no choice but to stay with that little pack. So a pretty easy swim brought me into transition at 26 minutes, and out in 5th place.
But, the cough caught up with me(not the way i thought it would, but it did). I think the cold water kept it at bay, but i needed to let one out. I produced a deep booming cough and when i opened my eyes and looked up, i was headed for the woods. Luckily i rode into a ditch, but i went over the handlebars, and landed on a tree stump, then the top tube slammed on my manly nether region. it happened so quick, before i knew it, there were volunteers and cops helping me out of my hole. The cop got some of the dirt out of my eyes, and i made sure my bike was ok, and lost alot of my nutrition in the forest. Pretty shooken up, dirty, and bleeding, i got back on the bike, but in 16th place. I am not sure how much time I lost. as the endorfuns eased up, it became apparent that I was pretty banged up on my left knee, and every crack in that new england road, i felt on my boys. It was pretty uncomfortable. I wanted to stop multiple times, but kept with it, because i knew i could run some people down in the heat. i got in off the bike, and began the run. about 3 miles in i pulled the flag, my left knee couldn't take it.
My first DNF, but also my first crash in a race. I am dissapointed, but I did get to see my family, catch up with tri-nuts from the norhteast (Amanda, Pat, Nick) This will just fuel my fire for Providence in July. I went to the doctor about the cough that caused the crash on tuesday, and I had a 100 degree fever. So for now I am doped up on antibiotics, and some crazy cough syrup. I am pretty fit, my splits weren't bad considering the crash. I'll be back.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Lonestar - Galveston HIM - Race Report
Lonestar Half IM came and went, quicker than I expected. I finally arrived at packet pickup around 1805(five minutes late!). Nevertheless, I got my packet, checked out the scene, ate some grub, and went to bed.
0430 – The alarm sounds. “%#?$” I totally forgot what it is like to wake up so early, so that I can put myself through numerous hours of pain and mental testing. I brought Jasper out to take a leak before departure for the race, and it was windy. Not killer winds, but a consistent presence. Not what I wanted to feel as I mentally prepared.
Arriving at Moody Gardens, and trying to find a parking place, I ended up planting myself next to the Mavic guys. I met Jason Vivion, the local ORBEA rep, and an integral part in getting my new ride. Thanks again Jason!
I warmed up, used the facilities, got my transition ready, and was on the pier in perfect timing. This rarely happens to me! I plunged into Galveston Bay, and not bad for March.
0730 – The race begins. I felt awesome in the water and held onto the lead man until we cut separate lines, his was better, damn. The swim felt like it was never going to end, and the collective answer was because it was long, I don’t think one person broke 28 minutes! So I was happy to get out with a nice cushion on the field, and looking at the results not too far savage swimmer Chris Sustala. I have found it is harder to swim fast in the front empty elite waves, when you are swimming with hundreds of bodies it is way more motivating. I also need a new wetsuit, mine of 5 years has shrunk beyond the limits I can push it.
Running out of the water, awesome to hear Adam formerly of Jack and Adam’s of Austin, screaming the play by play. I grabbed my bike, thought, “damn this thing is light”, and went on.
The word for my 2008 season is “cycle”! The weakest of my three, is something I will work continuously to get better, faster, and stronger. I have and I will press on. I knew it would be a matter of time before the like of Mark Brooker would come screaming by. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t happen for a while. We did not have a true tail or head wind, just a bunch of cross wind, which made for a windy day, but it could have been worse. I grimaced the entire ride pushing and pushing, almost trying to prove that I know how to ride a bike. Seeing Sugar Cycles out on the race course was awesome, and motivating. Thanks guys! Turning back down towards Moody Gardens with the only tail wind for a half mile was a gift, I was moving and I was about to finish the bike course. I ended up averaging 23 mph, and not losing much time to the field. The ORDU is a stiff ride, and I feel like every watt goes directly to the drive train. I was in the aero position for 56 straight flat miles, and felt comfortable as ever. I finished the bike in 6th place.
Time to run. I definitely did not eat enough on the bike, I felt kind of hungry at the run start. My first 4 miles were druising at 530 pace, but then slowly I faded. It got pretty hot out there, and I gave it all I had. I pulled off a 1:23 run split.
Finishing the day in 4th place overall with a time of 4:21, and very content. It is only March, and I have a long season ahead. This race gave me a great benchmark of what I can achieve this season. Thanks to everyone for all there support out there.
In other news, we had some great performances out there this weekend: Kelly Carrington got 5th overall female with a new PR, John Robertson(I will get you one day) pulled of a 2nd Overall, Mark Brooker(Texas version of Norman Stadler) 5th Overall, Natilie Miller P.R., and Kathleen killed the Aquabike, but then got warm water :(. Last but definetly not least, TRIGREYHOUND had a great race surprising himself with his pace throughout. Congrats!
FACT: Kieth and Claire Jordan from EndorFun, the race directors for Lonestar, Longhorn, Timberman, and Mooseman are true professionals. No race can compete with them, they think of everything, and I would travel anywhere to do there racers.
0430 – The alarm sounds. “%#?$” I totally forgot what it is like to wake up so early, so that I can put myself through numerous hours of pain and mental testing. I brought Jasper out to take a leak before departure for the race, and it was windy. Not killer winds, but a consistent presence. Not what I wanted to feel as I mentally prepared.
Arriving at Moody Gardens, and trying to find a parking place, I ended up planting myself next to the Mavic guys. I met Jason Vivion, the local ORBEA rep, and an integral part in getting my new ride. Thanks again Jason!
I warmed up, used the facilities, got my transition ready, and was on the pier in perfect timing. This rarely happens to me! I plunged into Galveston Bay, and not bad for March.
0730 – The race begins. I felt awesome in the water and held onto the lead man until we cut separate lines, his was better, damn. The swim felt like it was never going to end, and the collective answer was because it was long, I don’t think one person broke 28 minutes! So I was happy to get out with a nice cushion on the field, and looking at the results not too far savage swimmer Chris Sustala. I have found it is harder to swim fast in the front empty elite waves, when you are swimming with hundreds of bodies it is way more motivating. I also need a new wetsuit, mine of 5 years has shrunk beyond the limits I can push it.
Running out of the water, awesome to hear Adam formerly of Jack and Adam’s of Austin, screaming the play by play. I grabbed my bike, thought, “damn this thing is light”, and went on.
The word for my 2008 season is “cycle”! The weakest of my three, is something I will work continuously to get better, faster, and stronger. I have and I will press on. I knew it would be a matter of time before the like of Mark Brooker would come screaming by. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t happen for a while. We did not have a true tail or head wind, just a bunch of cross wind, which made for a windy day, but it could have been worse. I grimaced the entire ride pushing and pushing, almost trying to prove that I know how to ride a bike. Seeing Sugar Cycles out on the race course was awesome, and motivating. Thanks guys! Turning back down towards Moody Gardens with the only tail wind for a half mile was a gift, I was moving and I was about to finish the bike course. I ended up averaging 23 mph, and not losing much time to the field. The ORDU is a stiff ride, and I feel like every watt goes directly to the drive train. I was in the aero position for 56 straight flat miles, and felt comfortable as ever. I finished the bike in 6th place.
Time to run. I definitely did not eat enough on the bike, I felt kind of hungry at the run start. My first 4 miles were druising at 530 pace, but then slowly I faded. It got pretty hot out there, and I gave it all I had. I pulled off a 1:23 run split.
Finishing the day in 4th place overall with a time of 4:21, and very content. It is only March, and I have a long season ahead. This race gave me a great benchmark of what I can achieve this season. Thanks to everyone for all there support out there.
In other news, we had some great performances out there this weekend: Kelly Carrington got 5th overall female with a new PR, John Robertson(I will get you one day) pulled of a 2nd Overall, Mark Brooker(Texas version of Norman Stadler) 5th Overall, Natilie Miller P.R., and Kathleen killed the Aquabike, but then got warm water :(. Last but definetly not least, TRIGREYHOUND had a great race surprising himself with his pace throughout. Congrats!
FACT: Kieth and Claire Jordan from EndorFun, the race directors for Lonestar, Longhorn, Timberman, and Mooseman are true professionals. No race can compete with them, they think of everything, and I would travel anywhere to do there racers.
Monday, November 12, 2007
70.3 World Championships - Clearwater 2007
First of all, watching a triathlon, especially one like that is flipping motivating. To be able to watch that at the beginning of my off season is truly a gift. A gift, because it will motivate me. I will remember the swim splits people were dishing out, that will help me take the plunge into cold pools(my least favorite part of triathlon), I will remember the pained look on peoples faces as they came in off the 56 mile bike course, and i will never forget how it gets hot as soon as the run starts. I will carry these thoughts through 2008 until I arrive ready in Clearwater. Every day counts.
Houston, Sugar Cycles', and the Tri Commune Senior Board Member Kelly Carrington had an amazing day. She left nothing out there, and truly had a great day. On the second loop, she ran by me without me seeing her, because she is so short/and so fast, and said, "Liam, my feet are numb, is that bad?" I assured her it was normal, and she whipped up a 1:37 half, and took 24 minutes off her best, for a new P.R. of 5:04:04 !! Damn. Congratulations Kelly!
My coach, Janda Ricci-Munn, did it. His last amateur race, and he took the overall amateur title at the World Championships posting a 3:58:01 ! Absolutely unbelievable. I have never watched his race before, to see him tread through with a determined pain on his face was awesome. No computer on his bike, no watch on his wrist, Janda knows only one speed, all out. I watched the whole race with his girlfriend Michelle, and we had a great day getting sun-burnt, trying to figure out splits(like we had never done it before), and crossing our fingers. Trust is everything with a coach. Going into a race, nothing is more important than trusting your fitness. I know a lot of triathletes that before every race freak out, you need to know your fitness is there. Trusting your coach (note-a lot of variables go into a good coach), all along the season, is huge. I have always trusted Janda, and after watching him race, I really know why.
Life is experiences, period. Experiences without the people we meet along the way are usually empty in comparison. Triathlon has enabled me to meet so many great people.
A couple years ago, during the cancelled 2005 USAT National Championship in Kansas City, MO I met Shannon and Keith Porges. They are from Sharon, MA, so fortunately our lives intertwine ever so often and we get to see eachother. Shanon raced this past weeekend, with a new P.R. OF 5:16! It was great to see her and Keith during the weeknd. Keith, thanks for the Sox shirt, your the man.
Andrew Strong, a Houston Lawyer, and full time triathlon savage was also competing this weekend. I met Andrew on a weekend trip to Michigan to compete in the Steelhead 70.3. This was after Andrew did IM France, before he did IM Louisville and qualified for KONA, then did Clearwater. Andrew is not only a machine, he is a great guy(And his wife, Denise rocks), and it has been great getting to know him and looking forward to sitting on his wheel all winter.
The world is small, but the triathlon world is smaller.
We met Todd and Diane at the hotel this weekend, Todd who did IM Florida(sub 9:40) 6 days before clearwater 70.3(4:32!). Todd and Diane had met my good friend Trent Stephens a week earlier in P-City. Small world. We got to spend some time with them over the weekend, and they are simply put great people. Todd is also crazy(certifiable). I am not talking about doing an IM, then a half six days later, he pays people to drop him off a helicopter in the winlderness so he can snowboard. Yes, certifiable. Get this, they live in Coast Guard City, USA(Grand Haven, MI). I hope to get up there and hang. His wife's accent is awesome, "don't you know!"
A great weekend, and a great season. Clearwater is a great venue and a beautiful place to have a race, but if they don't do something creative to stop cheaters from drafting, I believe the event will continue to lose all its credability. I hope they do something, because it is a problem. I wish drafters(I am hesitant to call them triathletes/athletes) got disqualified for drafting. It is the one part of the sport that is incomprehensible. Triathlon is a test, on ourselves, on what we can achieve by puching our bodies to the limit. Drafting is the antithesis of the sport.
Houston, Sugar Cycles', and the Tri Commune Senior Board Member Kelly Carrington had an amazing day. She left nothing out there, and truly had a great day. On the second loop, she ran by me without me seeing her, because she is so short/and so fast, and said, "Liam, my feet are numb, is that bad?" I assured her it was normal, and she whipped up a 1:37 half, and took 24 minutes off her best, for a new P.R. of 5:04:04 !! Damn. Congratulations Kelly!
My coach, Janda Ricci-Munn, did it. His last amateur race, and he took the overall amateur title at the World Championships posting a 3:58:01 ! Absolutely unbelievable. I have never watched his race before, to see him tread through with a determined pain on his face was awesome. No computer on his bike, no watch on his wrist, Janda knows only one speed, all out. I watched the whole race with his girlfriend Michelle, and we had a great day getting sun-burnt, trying to figure out splits(like we had never done it before), and crossing our fingers. Trust is everything with a coach. Going into a race, nothing is more important than trusting your fitness. I know a lot of triathletes that before every race freak out, you need to know your fitness is there. Trusting your coach (note-a lot of variables go into a good coach), all along the season, is huge. I have always trusted Janda, and after watching him race, I really know why.
Life is experiences, period. Experiences without the people we meet along the way are usually empty in comparison. Triathlon has enabled me to meet so many great people.
A couple years ago, during the cancelled 2005 USAT National Championship in Kansas City, MO I met Shannon and Keith Porges. They are from Sharon, MA, so fortunately our lives intertwine ever so often and we get to see eachother. Shanon raced this past weeekend, with a new P.R. OF 5:16! It was great to see her and Keith during the weeknd. Keith, thanks for the Sox shirt, your the man.
Andrew Strong, a Houston Lawyer, and full time triathlon savage was also competing this weekend. I met Andrew on a weekend trip to Michigan to compete in the Steelhead 70.3. This was after Andrew did IM France, before he did IM Louisville and qualified for KONA, then did Clearwater. Andrew is not only a machine, he is a great guy(And his wife, Denise rocks), and it has been great getting to know him and looking forward to sitting on his wheel all winter.
The world is small, but the triathlon world is smaller.
We met Todd and Diane at the hotel this weekend, Todd who did IM Florida(sub 9:40) 6 days before clearwater 70.3(4:32!). Todd and Diane had met my good friend Trent Stephens a week earlier in P-City. Small world. We got to spend some time with them over the weekend, and they are simply put great people. Todd is also crazy(certifiable). I am not talking about doing an IM, then a half six days later, he pays people to drop him off a helicopter in the winlderness so he can snowboard. Yes, certifiable. Get this, they live in Coast Guard City, USA(Grand Haven, MI). I hope to get up there and hang. His wife's accent is awesome, "don't you know!"
A great weekend, and a great season. Clearwater is a great venue and a beautiful place to have a race, but if they don't do something creative to stop cheaters from drafting, I believe the event will continue to lose all its credability. I hope they do something, because it is a problem. I wish drafters(I am hesitant to call them triathletes/athletes) got disqualified for drafting. It is the one part of the sport that is incomprehensible. Triathlon is a test, on ourselves, on what we can achieve by puching our bodies to the limit. Drafting is the antithesis of the sport.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Triathlon Season 2007 Comes to an End
Amazing. This season began last year after Thanksgiving, and a little more than 11 months later, and it is time to reflect. One word, Bittersweet. As I lie on my bed with sore legs from yesterdays Half Iron in Conroe, TX and write this blog, I see people out the window running towards the park - My home for the past 330 days. I feel like I owe it to the 3
mile route around Memorial Park to make my easy 6 mile Monday appearance. Pavlov was right(a lil' shot out to Crazy Jane, M.D. who did her first half ironman yesterday), I am totally conditioned to training, but it runs deeper than that. As the sun gets lower, and begins to amber over the trees, I feel anxious, because my workout hasn't been done yet. There is a certain amount of withdrawal happening as seasons wind down. The daily escape, I call training is not there.
I woke up this morning, literally drank a pot of Kona Coffee, brought the dogs out like three times, cleaned my entire room (if you know me well, that is a task), checked my email, checked it again, went to John's house, went to lunch at Barnaby's with Chau
mile route around Memorial Park to make my easy 6 mile Monday appearance. Pavlov was right(a lil' shot out to Crazy Jane, M.D. who did her first half ironman yesterday), I am totally conditioned to training, but it runs deeper than that. As the sun gets lower, and begins to amber over the trees, I feel anxious, because my workout hasn't been done yet. There is a certain amount of withdrawal happening as seasons wind down. The daily escape, I call training is not there.I woke up this morning, literally drank a pot of Kona Coffee, brought the dogs out like three times, cleaned my entire room (if you know me well, that is a task), checked my email, checked it again, went to John's house, went to lunch at Barnaby's with Chau
and the dogs, went to petsmart, brought the dogs out again, napped, sat as my mind wandered into fast moving circles searching for a purpose. So, I look back on these eleven months and realize throughout the withdrawal, anxiety, purposelessness, there is a huge grateful sense of absolute fortune. Life is Good.
2007 began in 2006 for me. Janda and I devised a plan, not only was I excited, I was thrilled to be working with him again after taking a year off. As I lifted and began to build a base in the "cool" Texas winter. My first race goal was set for Half Ironman California 70.3 on March 31, and it was a long, cool, and windy winter preparing for it. I tuned up with a 13th overall at the Houston Rodeo 10k, and was very happy. I have a distinct memory of doing a five hour ride on a Sunday morning last winter out in Katy, TX with John R, Gary Z, and Kurt G. It was 36 degrees and raining at the start and the sun had not popped up yet. I figured being a sailor, a coastie, and a GloucesterMan made me tough, I was wrong. I will never forget the looks on their faces as we hit head wind after head wind. We stopped at a gas station after a couple hours, I remember eating a strawberry pop-tart, fig newton, a powerbar, and a nestle chocolate milk. Haha, we also got grocery bags to put our wet feet in, thats when John told me he had an extra pair of foot covers in the car, thanks. Mornings like that will stay with you forever. It stayed with my legs in California.
After a successful 70.3, we transitioned into short course and aimed towards nationals in Oregon. A couple weeks before Nationals I took the overall at my first triathlon, Tejas Tri, then traveled north to Portland, OR and got humbled. After receiving a slot a few weeks later to ITU Worlds Short Course in Germany, the short course prep continued. I threw in another 70.3 in the middle, in Steelhead (Michigan), and had a stellar run. Work got in the way, and Germany became a missed opportunity and Long Course became the goal. Refurbished with excitement for long course training, I began to prepare for Longhorn Half Iron in Austin, TX and try for another three weeks later in Conroe at Iron Star. Longhorn was a success, and IronStar was good, but still a little fatiqued from Longhorn.
The wednesday before the race, the temperature dropped in tx, to the point where leggings and spandex were a must. Race morning was 48 degrees! Mind you Longhorn reached a heat index of 105 three weeks earlier. I was not ready for that. 
A huge kudos to my partner in crime, Chris Sustala(see below). Realizing that his (not yet arrived) twins are soon going to be occupying most of his training time, he laid it all out at Iron Star. With a 25 minute swim! 2:30 bike, and nailed the run of his season at 1:31 to finish with a PR of 4:33. Awesome job! 
The races are the culmination of all the miles in between, but lets not forget that the volume of miles leading up to performing are where the majority of the memories are kept. Those memories literally make up our lives. If your training 20-25 hours a week with a full time job, there is not much more time for anything else, especially if you own a two year old yellow lab. I would be lying if I said I don't do this for the races, because I love competing, but I also love training. Waking up at 0500 on a Saturday in August, when it is still 90 degrees to go hit up the hills for four hours, or running late at work and having to get your 8 mile tempO run in at 1130 at night, or swimming in a cold pool. These are the internal things that make us stronger, but the people we share these moments with, make us better and deeply bonded. Earthlings don't understand why we live this way, and thats fair, because I don't know how they live the way they do.
Speaking of Aliens - - - - What planet is this from?
Monday, October 8, 2007
Longhorn Tri - Recap
They even had cows at the finish!! (Sorry "Longhorns")The Longhorn Triathlon Festival was a good time. We rolled into Austin on Friday afternoon, and hit the expo. I was wearing my Buffalo Springs 70.3 Race t-shirt from 2006, and Mike Greer(Race Director) thanked me and gave me the finisher shirt from the 07’ race. I’m not sure if I can wear it, I didn’t do the race this year, but maybe b/c the RD gave it to me, I can. It’s a cool shirt. We picked up our packets with the free rice a roni, and headed to feed the belly. After dinner, I camped out on Jason’s Mom’s floor until reveille at 0430, and I slept like a puppy. Thank you Jason and your Mom.
Saturday Morning was the Olympic Distance and the Sprint Race. I was excited to be a spectator, because I have never watched a triathlon before. It was weird being on the sideline, and I wanted to race bad, but it was also fun to watch my friend’s race. Trent “The Intimidator” Stephens had a great race with a 2nd Overall at the sprint. Kelly Carrington and Chris Sustala, battled the tough Olympic distance, and finished with great times and overall places.
The rest of the day was good, but it was tough being on my legs in the sun all day, and I really wanted to take a nap. That never happened. Then I got bit by a fire ant on my left foot right where the collar of my shoe sits, I was pissed, as it swelled up. Finally I got a shower in, and headed to Macaroni Grill and ate 5 loaves of bread, and a bowl of pasta. It was fantastic. But, I felt really tired, and almost nervous that I hadn’t rested enough the day before the race. I barely made it into bed before passing out at 930. 
I did not want to wake up the day of the race, I was sleepy. Thank god Lisa dragged me out of bed. Out the door, gas station for gatorade and coffee, and we were there. As we arrive, the race site was bustling. People everywhere, dogs all over the place, they really did a great job on the venue. Running around getting finding sun block before the start was a memory i have. Thank god i found some, because the sun definately came out.
Im the one on the top left, who looks like hes wasting alot of energy trying to fly out of the waterSaturday Morning was the Olympic Distance and the Sprint Race. I was excited to be a spectator, because I have never watched a triathlon before. It was weird being on the sideline, and I wanted to race bad, but it was also fun to watch my friend’s race. Trent “The Intimidator” Stephens had a great race with a 2nd Overall at the sprint. Kelly Carrington and Chris Sustala, battled the tough Olympic distance, and finished with great times and overall places.
The rest of the day was good, but it was tough being on my legs in the sun all day, and I really wanted to take a nap. That never happened. Then I got bit by a fire ant on my left foot right where the collar of my shoe sits, I was pissed, as it swelled up. Finally I got a shower in, and headed to Macaroni Grill and ate 5 loaves of bread, and a bowl of pasta. It was fantastic. But, I felt really tired, and almost nervous that I hadn’t rested enough the day before the race. I barely made it into bed before passing out at 930. I did not want to wake up the day of the race, I was sleepy. Thank god Lisa dragged me out of bed. Out the door, gas station for gatorade and coffee, and we were there. As we arrive, the race site was bustling. People everywhere, dogs all over the place, they really did a great job on the venue. Running around getting finding sun block before the start was a memory i have. Thank god i found some, because the sun definately came out.
As I waded in the 85 degree water, without a wetsuit, i felt like i was harry potter being pulled down to the bottom of the lake by savage plants, the hydrilla was crazy. It was truly nasty, but the hydrilla faded away after the first buoy. The swim felt long, and there were alot of people in the water, seeing that i was in the 5th wave. The concessus was that, the swim was long. I got out of the water a hair over 29 minutes, and ran up the hill to transition. That hill was such a slap in the face.
T1-I was in and out, and on the course. Immediatly, I felt good on the bike. I knew it was a long, hilly ride(57miles), so I paced myself ringing in 10 mile markers every 24-25 minutes feeling good. I was so excited, because I thought I was going to ride a sub 2:30 bike split, but the last five miles were up hill, and it didn't happen. It was a great bike course, with a single loop. I injested 6 gels, and my stomach was doing good. Climbing the last hill into transition, I was thoroughly sick of riding, and ready to run. I dismounted a lil' over 2:33, and was happy. I came into T2 in 60th place! I was so happy with my bike split I forgot I had to run a half marathon. I was the only bike on the rack!
Then, the race began. The sun came out around mile 50 on the bike, and it really started to cook. This became the hardest run I have ever done. The two loop run course was made up of hills, hills, and more hills, not to mention no shade. It was a 5k on the road, then a 5k on a dry trail, then do it again. There was no way to get a rythm, it was pretty torturous. I thought I would easily break 4:30, which was my goal, but I faded as the run went on, and could not keep a pace going up the last grassy hill, which was more like stadium steps. As I rounded the turn into the uphill finishing shoot, I heard Adam from Jack and Adam's in Austin announce, 15th across the line! It didn't really sink in, because I wanted it to be over so bad, but I had started
twenty minutes back.And, I was done. Absolutely done, so went straight to the medical tent. As I hobbled to the tent, Phillip(Owner and Operator of Sugar Cycles) grabbed my wrist, looked at my watch, and said,"U went 4:34?", I looked down, and said, "No, probably 4:33", Phillip then told me, "The winner went 4:30!" I was exstatic, but truly delerious, and couldn't talk.
I ended up running a hair over 1:27 on that brutal course, and was okay with that. It was the second fastes run of the day, so Ill take it, and a total time of 4:33 and change. I got Second Place Overall, and 1st Place Amateur. At the awards ceremony, they pointed out that I was not a Pro. I smiled.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
cinco ranch recap
cinco ranch came out of nowhere it seems, i had been fused with half ironman training and buildup for longhorn half next weekend, as well as well as real life stuff. i went into the race tired, but determined.
i knew with distances of, 400m/19mi/3mi, it was a bikers race. this did not help my confidence. i knew i had to hammer the bike, and stay in sight of all my buddies who can ride, and then leave it to the run. but, i knew it was going to hurt. i told myself, no matter happened, i was going to leave it on the bike course.
the swim started fast, with agnew, sustala, and myself together neck and neck not helping each other out. the water was so shallow in so many places, i think i beached chris at one point, but he beached me later on. i was happy about getting out of the water with those two, because they can freakin' swim.
t1 was a lil hairy, i still havent figured out how to put my giro advantage on without choking myself. i got out on the bike course in second place, and i was lactic, and a little panick attack hit me, all i could think about was how i didnt know my speed(speedometer out of battery), and that my legs were itchy as hell, in texas a lot of our swims are in little cess-pools.
about 4 miles in, my buddy and sugar cycles teammate, trent stephens, rode past me going about 35 mph. without saying a word. nice gamesmanship ole boy! i tried to hang, but couldn't. so i drudged on, and started feeling better as my legs warmed up. chris sustala passed me about mile 8, and said "do not let me out of your sight" chris is a great friend, and training partner, and knows the bike is my weakness, but had some faith in my fitness i guess. so i didnt, i wouldnt. at times i felt fine, and at times i was gritting my teeth.
t2 - i had a great dismount, but my bike got tangled in a crowd rope, and thank god somebody helped me get it out. i through my bike down, donned my flats, and ran off racing belt in hand. all i could hear was two different people yeeling to me, how far the two in front were in the lead. thanks guys. the hunt was on.
trent was 30 seconds ahead, and agnew(the boy from oklahoma) was 3 minutes. i know agnew and i have almost the exact same run pace, so i was going to just run my ass off and see what happened. i felt great until some high school cross country runner, passed me on the run course, so i tried to stay with him, as i began to cramp up, i realized he had no bib on, and he wasnt in the race, that cramp was with me for the remainder, but i felt ok.
i am thrilled about the race, because going in i knew it was not a runners or a swimmers race. i got second overall, behind the Sooner.
i knew with distances of, 400m/19mi/3mi, it was a bikers race. this did not help my confidence. i knew i had to hammer the bike, and stay in sight of all my buddies who can ride, and then leave it to the run. but, i knew it was going to hurt. i told myself, no matter happened, i was going to leave it on the bike course.
the swim started fast, with agnew, sustala, and myself together neck and neck not helping each other out. the water was so shallow in so many places, i think i beached chris at one point, but he beached me later on. i was happy about getting out of the water with those two, because they can freakin' swim.
t1 was a lil hairy, i still havent figured out how to put my giro advantage on without choking myself. i got out on the bike course in second place, and i was lactic, and a little panick attack hit me, all i could think about was how i didnt know my speed(speedometer out of battery), and that my legs were itchy as hell, in texas a lot of our swims are in little cess-pools.
about 4 miles in, my buddy and sugar cycles teammate, trent stephens, rode past me going about 35 mph. without saying a word. nice gamesmanship ole boy! i tried to hang, but couldn't. so i drudged on, and started feeling better as my legs warmed up. chris sustala passed me about mile 8, and said "do not let me out of your sight" chris is a great friend, and training partner, and knows the bike is my weakness, but had some faith in my fitness i guess. so i didnt, i wouldnt. at times i felt fine, and at times i was gritting my teeth.
t2 - i had a great dismount, but my bike got tangled in a crowd rope, and thank god somebody helped me get it out. i through my bike down, donned my flats, and ran off racing belt in hand. all i could hear was two different people yeeling to me, how far the two in front were in the lead. thanks guys. the hunt was on.
trent was 30 seconds ahead, and agnew(the boy from oklahoma) was 3 minutes. i know agnew and i have almost the exact same run pace, so i was going to just run my ass off and see what happened. i felt great until some high school cross country runner, passed me on the run course, so i tried to stay with him, as i began to cramp up, i realized he had no bib on, and he wasnt in the race, that cramp was with me for the remainder, but i felt ok.
i am thrilled about the race, because going in i knew it was not a runners or a swimmers race. i got second overall, behind the Sooner.
2 | Liam O'Connell | 24 | 3 | 5:51.3 | 2 | 0:44.1 | 9 | 46:02.1 | 24.8MPH | 2 | 0:39.2 | 2 | 16:12.6 | 5:24/M | 1:09:29.3 |
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
CHELLY DOES IT !
CHAU AND KELLY, A.K.A CHELLY YOU ARE AN IRONMAN(WOMEN)!!!!
My roomate Chau , and her counterpart Kelly completed Ironman Wisconsin this past Sunday in Madison. It was their first Ironman, and they both had an amazing day, Chau(13:33), Kelly(11:36). They had a blast, and came back thrilled. I am so proud of them both.
Other than that, training and life is good.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
the new plan - and i like it
austin triathlon this weekend went well. there are some fast dudes out there. awesome course, they pretty much closed downtown for the race. the swim was long, i think due to a last minute course change, i was really happy with my bike time, and my run was slower than usual, but ill take it. overall, i had the 15th fastest time of the day, 4th amateur, and i won my age group. jane had an awesome day at her first olympic distance race. and miss toby the chubby pug was there to watch the finish.
so, the plan. long course. oh yea baby. i really love long course training, racing, and everything involved. so, that will be my focus for the rest of the year and all of next year. half ironman/70.3 distance. i am so freakin excited about it. im gonna hit up cinco ranch sprint, then longhorn half, then finish the season off at the iron star half.
i am not sure, if it is because i am so excited for longcourse training or what, but i have felt great this week. tuesday morning, even after beating the body down monday during the olympic distance, i was up and rolling by 0600, and feeling good. i feel pretty good right now. the past six weeks, i have to admit i have been very tired, maybe i was sick, im not sure. i started taking a multivitamin religiously, and it has really made a difference. so get some centrum, some sleep, and keep training.
so, the plan. long course. oh yea baby. i really love long course training, racing, and everything involved. so, that will be my focus for the rest of the year and all of next year. half ironman/70.3 distance. i am so freakin excited about it. im gonna hit up cinco ranch sprint, then longhorn half, then finish the season off at the iron star half.
i am not sure, if it is because i am so excited for longcourse training or what, but i have felt great this week. tuesday morning, even after beating the body down monday during the olympic distance, i was up and rolling by 0600, and feeling good. i feel pretty good right now. the past six weeks, i have to admit i have been very tired, maybe i was sick, im not sure. i started taking a multivitamin religiously, and it has really made a difference. so get some centrum, some sleep, and keep training.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
steelhead 70.3 recap
I finally got my bike packed and in bed around 0130 Friday Morning, so the 0530 wake up call from driver Trent Stephens was a tough one. After picking up Andrew Strong, we got to Houston's Hobby Airport at 0700 for our 0905 flight to Chicago's Midway Airport. I ended up sitting and passing out next to a very nice midwestern couple, and Lisa McC arthy(Houston Area Super-Triathlete) was also on our flight, not to race at Steelhead, but a business meeting in Chicago. How Ironic.
We arrive in Chicago, get our rental car, and drove 45 minutes in traffic in the wrong way. FU*K! After that, we finally got into Benton Harbor, MI around 1730, a long day...We roll into transition, and it is packed. I really thought I was in southern california, because the beach did not look like a beach on a lake! the transition was packed, 2700 people registered!
We get our bikes in transition, set them up safely, and hit the pasta dinner. I felt pretty good, maybe a little tired. I took thursday off, but other than that i trained through steelhead. We ran around for hours, purchasing too much gatorade, and finally getting into bed around 11.
0445 and we are up, i did not want to get out of bed! we got outside, and holy crap it was freezing. i couldn't find my pants in my bag either, so i was cold. i set up transition rather quickly, because i wanted to find a port o'potty line. i never did, the lines were crazy, and i had a 1.2 mile beach venture to take in order to get to the swim start. never found the john(read between the lines)!
I literally had to jog down the beach to get to the start, by the time i got there, i got to watch the first wave shove off, and stretch out for my wave 3 departure 5 minutes later. i felt like the swim went well, it actually felt long, but i was okay, i got out of the water a hair over 29min. the worst part was the quarter mile soft sand jaunt to get to transition from the swim finish.
after t2, i realized that i was no longer in texas. i was freezing, and begging for the sun to come out. I could not get warm. I am not sure what was wrong with my legs, but i had nothing until mile30. i finally started to warm up and feel my legs pushing, and then it happened at about mile50, my sciatic nerve acted up. i had to stand on my bike and stretch out my lower back, and glutes. Those last 6 miles were hell, and i had already decided that if it was going to borrow me on the run, that i was done. it hurt that bad.
i fired out of t2, and i was pissed. i was pissed that my 2:41 bike split was a 2:41. racing the clock against my goal now, i was pissed. i needed to run the hell out of this course just to give myself a respectable time. i was out of my age group goals and overall goals, because of the damn bike, now it was time to hunt anybody and everybody down just for a little vindication and try to finish with a decent time.
i hit it hard, and averaged 6:15 for the first 9 miles, then we looped back in and the course was full, and i had noone to chase, i slowed down a bit, finished the run with a 1:22, good enough for the 5th fastest run, all within a minute. i m happy about that. overall time 4:39. a faster bike time, and i'd be where i need to be. i will eventually get there, i will.
We arrive in Chicago, get our rental car, and drove 45 minutes in traffic in the wrong way. FU*K! After that, we finally got into Benton Harbor, MI around 1730, a long day...We roll into transition, and it is packed. I really thought I was in southern california, because the beach did not look like a beach on a lake! the transition was packed, 2700 people registered!
We get our bikes in transition, set them up safely, and hit the pasta dinner. I felt pretty good, maybe a little tired. I took thursday off, but other than that i trained through steelhead. We ran around for hours, purchasing too much gatorade, and finally getting into bed around 11.
0445 and we are up, i did not want to get out of bed! we got outside, and holy crap it was freezing. i couldn't find my pants in my bag either, so i was cold. i set up transition rather quickly, because i wanted to find a port o'potty line. i never did, the lines were crazy, and i had a 1.2 mile beach venture to take in order to get to the swim start. never found the john(read between the lines)!
I literally had to jog down the beach to get to the start, by the time i got there, i got to watch the first wave shove off, and stretch out for my wave 3 departure 5 minutes later. i felt like the swim went well, it actually felt long, but i was okay, i got out of the water a hair over 29min. the worst part was the quarter mile soft sand jaunt to get to transition from the swim finish.
after t2, i realized that i was no longer in texas. i was freezing, and begging for the sun to come out. I could not get warm. I am not sure what was wrong with my legs, but i had nothing until mile30. i finally started to warm up and feel my legs pushing, and then it happened at about mile50, my sciatic nerve acted up. i had to stand on my bike and stretch out my lower back, and glutes. Those last 6 miles were hell, and i had already decided that if it was going to borrow me on the run, that i was done. it hurt that bad.
i fired out of t2, and i was pissed. i was pissed that my 2:41 bike split was a 2:41. racing the clock against my goal now, i was pissed. i needed to run the hell out of this course just to give myself a respectable time. i was out of my age group goals and overall goals, because of the damn bike, now it was time to hunt anybody and everybody down just for a little vindication and try to finish with a decent time.
i hit it hard, and averaged 6:15 for the first 9 miles, then we looped back in and the course was full, and i had noone to chase, i slowed down a bit, finished the run with a 1:22, good enough for the 5th fastest run, all within a minute. i m happy about that. overall time 4:39. a faster bike time, and i'd be where i need to be. i will eventually get there, i will.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Hay in the Barn
These past two weeks have been very good. I continue to put hay in the barn, and make effort-ed deposits into my bank. my legs are heavy, and tired, but they will be ready for my final withdrawal at itu worlds.
My legs feel better, after introducing some resistance training into the workload. at first it was a shock, but now it is a regular pain i have gotten used to enjoyably enduring. my legs have not been as used up as they felt last week in a long time. which tells me something, a lesson learned, we must always change our training up to manipulate our systems into continual growth. i hope its working, but i think it is.
sunday was the webster duathlon # , the last in the series. a sprint race down in the random pastures of texas, offering a 2 mile run, 12 mile bike, and 2 mile jaunt to the finish. i knew my bike had been improving, and the regulat guys would be there, so i was going for the win. Janda
(my coach)had warned me that i would be tired, and reminded me it was a training race. he was right, the gun went off and i immediately got in the lead pack with heavy legs, then a high school runner started to make the pace. it was then just him and i, and i was going to let him keep it, bc i was feeling it. knowing he would probably die out in the bike, and the regulars where behind me, i let him take the lead.
i got to the transition, and ran out with my bike directly into a newspaper photographer, and she geared my rear derailleur down, so when i hopped on my bike the chain was stuck! i got off fixed the problem, lost a few seconds, and got out on my bike. the toop loop course was nice and flat, but had a steady head wind on one side. i felt strong, but the wind hurt. one of the local duathlon savages passed me at mile 5, and i stayed with him, until his pedal fell off! i was kind of bummed bc i planned on pacing him form the ride. i was once again feeling the lactic acid and toxins attempting to repair my muscles from the hard week. i got off the bike averaging 23.5, ill take it.
when i started running there was 2 people in front of me. i knew right away, that my legs were not the way they usually are. my quads felt like they should look like norman stadlers', but they don't. i pressed on, passing a guy and continued to close the gap with the leader who averaged a whopping 26mph on the bike(duathlete). he ended up beating me by 40 seconds, and my running pace was 20-30 seconds slower than usual!
at first i was bummed, bc the win would have been nice, and i think i could have gotten it if my run was normal, but this is good stuff. my training is working, and i am getting there. my legs will be fine on the real race day, and my run will be there, this race tells me, my bike will too.
so fire tired trained legs, i feel good with the 2nd place finish, and time of 54:50.
A full week of training lies ahead, as well as a full week of uscg duty(10 days in a row!) then i will recover up for steelhead 70.3 and see what damage i can bring to the shores of michigan.
i hope everyones training is going well. a big kudos to all the sweet people from sugar cycles road team that competed or supported the duathlon this weekend, it was a fun day, the pancakes being the best part. oh yea, if anyone finds sugar tri shorts on 45 north, they are mine :)
My legs feel better, after introducing some resistance training into the workload. at first it was a shock, but now it is a regular pain i have gotten used to enjoyably enduring. my legs have not been as used up as they felt last week in a long time. which tells me something, a lesson learned, we must always change our training up to manipulate our systems into continual growth. i hope its working, but i think it is.
sunday was the webster duathlon # , the last in the series. a sprint race down in the random pastures of texas, offering a 2 mile run, 12 mile bike, and 2 mile jaunt to the finish. i knew my bike had been improving, and the regulat guys would be there, so i was going for the win. Janda
(my coach)had warned me that i would be tired, and reminded me it was a training race. he was right, the gun went off and i immediately got in the lead pack with heavy legs, then a high school runner started to make the pace. it was then just him and i, and i was going to let him keep it, bc i was feeling it. knowing he would probably die out in the bike, and the regulars where behind me, i let him take the lead.
i got to the transition, and ran out with my bike directly into a newspaper photographer, and she geared my rear derailleur down, so when i hopped on my bike the chain was stuck! i got off fixed the problem, lost a few seconds, and got out on my bike. the toop loop course was nice and flat, but had a steady head wind on one side. i felt strong, but the wind hurt. one of the local duathlon savages passed me at mile 5, and i stayed with him, until his pedal fell off! i was kind of bummed bc i planned on pacing him form the ride. i was once again feeling the lactic acid and toxins attempting to repair my muscles from the hard week. i got off the bike averaging 23.5, ill take it.
when i started running there was 2 people in front of me. i knew right away, that my legs were not the way they usually are. my quads felt like they should look like norman stadlers', but they don't. i pressed on, passing a guy and continued to close the gap with the leader who averaged a whopping 26mph on the bike(duathlete). he ended up beating me by 40 seconds, and my running pace was 20-30 seconds slower than usual!
at first i was bummed, bc the win would have been nice, and i think i could have gotten it if my run was normal, but this is good stuff. my training is working, and i am getting there. my legs will be fine on the real race day, and my run will be there, this race tells me, my bike will too.
so fire tired trained legs, i feel good with the 2nd place finish, and time of 54:50.
A full week of training lies ahead, as well as a full week of uscg duty(10 days in a row!) then i will recover up for steelhead 70.3 and see what damage i can bring to the shores of michigan.
i hope everyones training is going well. a big kudos to all the sweet people from sugar cycles road team that competed or supported the duathlon this weekend, it was a fun day, the pancakes being the best part. oh yea, if anyone finds sugar tri shorts on 45 north, they are mine :)
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
nationals - race recap
1st off. Oregon rocks. what a beautiful state. it reminded me of maine, but with a real west coast attitude, and a little hillier. what i liked most of all was the daylight hours: the sun rose at 5am, and didnt set until about 9pm. it is an outdoursman/womans dream.
the 40k, and it was too slow. i will tweak my training, and ride local overpasses over and over, hopefully preparing me for hills. at first, i was really disapointed, but i have accepted it, and now i know what i need to get better at. and i will.
well i should have known it was going to be a tough course, when i arrived at my buddies house last thursday night. they live on, (what would be a mountain in most places, but they confirmed it was just a hill) this absolutely beautiful "hill". my flight arrived in portland around 11pm, and i quickly got a cab, because my buddy and his wife were out of town that night. getting a cab was an experience all alone. he was the only russian cab driver in the city, who had no idea where he was going. a 30 dollar cab ride quickly turned into a 50+ ride. as we climbed this monstrasity of a "hill" where the Oregon Health and Science University and Hospital is located, i though, uh-oh? put it this way, this hill is so steep they installed a $75million tram to bring people up and down throughout the day. so, we finally found the house, and i nestled into a cumfy bed, not to wake until 9am!
so as i wake up, and start thinking how badly i need coffee, i found the kitchen, and holy crap a view. their porch looks out on the city of portland, the columbia river, and the mountain range containing mt hood, mt st helens, and mt rainier. amazing, as i fight the caffiene headache, i think to myself, "of course, i forgot my camera" so i built my bike and ventured down the ravine/road to get a cup of coffee. after almost getting killed by a box-truck, i stumbled upon about thirty starbucks and local bean-ettes on 23rd street. i hung out had some unbelievable coffee, a few bagels, a beer, and some pizza. i needed the carbs. then i ventured back and took the tram up the "hill", in order to save my legs for the race, of course. so as i cruise up this tram, filled with doctors and med students, clad in my sugar spandex, i got a few looks. but, my face looked weirder as i stared at the incredible face of mt hood. it was so impressive, it almost looked scary.
my buudies wife, erin, came home, and told me that jimmy was still on duty(uscg) and might not make it home until after the race. i was totally bummed, and kinda felt bad, because now his wife was like quasi responsible for her husbands friend whome whe never met. haha. we had a great time. we went out to the packet pick up and the transition to drop the bicycle off. as we drove out to the course, and her car was whining going up the hills, i thought 1) i might be screwed, 2) has pancake flat texas really got to me, 3) i need to get back to boston.
as we arrived to the transition, all i could think about was how it was the most beautiful race site i have ever been to, hagg lake. 
this picture was taken in early spring, imagine everything green. it was a really cool place. so, as every other athlete was duct-taping bags to their drive trains and saddles, i dropped mine in my spot and went down to see holw cold the water was. it was perfect.
this picture was taken in early spring, imagine everything green. it was a really cool place. so, as every other athlete was duct-taping bags to their drive trains and saddles, i dropped mine in my spot and went down to see holw cold the water was. it was perfect. we ventured back to portland, and she made me an awesome seafood pasta dinner. thank you erin. it was awesome. as i went to bed kinda early, i was thinking, and then passed out, i never do that, especially before a race. i slept awesome, weird.
race morning: 5:15am, and im up, and were out the door, and looking for the first starbucks. we found one, and i got my fix. we arrive, get on the bus to the transition, and it was freezing. not texas. in highnsight, i should have probably warmed up more because of the temperature. the scene was busy, and i decided to leave my shoes off my bike, because of the hill leaving transition! so, let's swim.
the swim was a deepwater start, and i felt ready. i found the guy to draft off of (he ended up swimmimng sub 18 for the 1.5km) with that said, i couldnt stay with him for long, and probably started to hard. my first length of the rectangular course was crampy and slow, but my length back felt good and rythmic. my t1 was okay, it wasnt real quick, but i got out of it, and got on my bike. holy crap...
so, there is a half mile peice of the course that's flat, that was nice, but the rest was either up or down. the two loop course was a battle for me, i just didnt have the legs to crank up those hills. i've been riding the flats of texas, and it was a shock to the system. by bike split was 1:08, for
the 40k, and it was too slow. i will tweak my training, and ride local overpasses over and over, hopefully preparing me for hills. at first, i was really disapointed, but i have accepted it, and now i know what i need to get better at. and i will.i had a great dismount, and cruised out of t2, and forgot my race number. i ran back, and pulled it out of my bag, and through it on, a total rookie move. haha. i started running, and my legs were heavier than usual, and damn! the run course was on the bike course, hills.
i finally got into a rythm around mile 3, and started passing alot of people. it wasnt my usual pace, but noone passed me. i finished with a run split of 37:15 for the 10k, and a total time of 2:10 something. i missed team usa by about three minutes. i obsessed about the shouldas' and couldas' for two days, and thank you erin for listening to me. but the truth is, all the shouldas', couldas', and wouldas' wont get me a cup of coffee and a donut. so, i will move on, get stronger, and faster. crossing the line is the best part of the race, but we cant forget the miles in between.
i finally got into a rythm around mile 3, and started passing alot of people. it wasnt my usual pace, but noone passed me. i finished with a run split of 37:15 for the 10k, and a total time of 2:10 something. i missed team usa by about three minutes. i obsessed about the shouldas' and couldas' for two days, and thank you erin for listening to me. but the truth is, all the shouldas', couldas', and wouldas' wont get me a cup of coffee and a donut. so, i will move on, get stronger, and faster. crossing the line is the best part of the race, but we cant forget the miles in between.thank you erin and jimmie laird for having me at your place, and driving my ass around all weekend. portland rocks! thanks to everyone for your support, expecially sugar cycles and janda ricci-mun.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Race Recap: Tejas Tri - First Overall Win!
Race Recap: Tejas Triathlon in Sugarland, Texas.
The popular Houston event sold out at 800 participants over a month ago, so I have been anxious for race day for weeks. I knew that if I could get my bike split together, sit on the pain, average a respectable speed, and have a solid swim and run, I would have a chance at the win. I really wanted a confidence boost before USAT Nationals in Portland, Oregon later this month. Janda Ricci-Munn, my coach, knew this as well, so for the past few weeks we have really focused on my cycling. I was going to attack the .5m/11m/3m sprint, and make my first honest attempt at riding hard.
Race morning was early. I woke up at 4 a.m. and felt very tired. My body felt good, but I was really hungry and tired. I was a little nervous about being so hungry, so I ate a couple PB sandwiches and swilled down some coffee. A couple buddies and I got to the race at about 5:45, and I began to prepare for the start. Janda told me to get a solid warm-up on the bike, and that is what I did, as well as gobble down a couple more PowerBars.
I always learn something new at every race, either about myself or racing in general. At Tejas it was both: Look at the swim course! I never do, I just go to the start. I guess that comes from swimming my whole life, but there is no course difference in pool based swimming! Janda and I had talked earlier in the week, and the plan was to be at VO2 Max the entire race, and that I did. I charged off with my red cap for about 100 yds, and couldn’t see or feel anybody. That is a good feeling, because being 23 there are always a couple ex-collegiate swimmers in the pack that haven’t gotten that out of shape. As I closed in on the first buoy, I began to see other red caps off my right side about 50 yards away. I had totally cut the swim course wrong, and I ended up playing catch up the entire swim.
Getting out of the water with a big effort knowing there was 2 already out bothered me, and it took me 5 tries to buckle my race belt. I finally got out of the busy transition area, and instantly noticed more acceleration than usual. I didn’t start my watch, and there was no magnet on my wheel so I had no idea what time it was or what speed I was holding. All I knew was that it hurt, and I wasn’t backing off. I was in the fourth wave, so the two-loop course was very crowded. As I approached the dismount, it had just occurred to me that for the first time in five years I did not get passed on the bike.
I had a very fast T2, and I knew it was time to throw down the hammer and go for it. Exiting the transition I started my stopwatch, felt my tight hamstrings, and thought for a second that I might have ridden too hard. A lot of people had told me that you will always be able to run off the bike, no matter how hard you ride, and for a second I doubted them. As I approached the first mile marker in the turning and curvy course, I looked down and saw 5:05 on my wrist, slowed down a little bit and kept going. There was a lot of pain throughout the whole race, including the run, but I felt strong every second of it. As I crossed the finish, only knowing that my run was fast, the race clock said 1:09.35. I started 15 minutes back, and knew last year’s winner was somewhere in the 54 minute; I was satisfied. I had finally put together a solid bike split, which was my missing link. Even with the poor swim start, and an ironic one seeing that I have a Bachelor’s degree in marine navigation, I still swam 9:30 for the half-mile swim. I think I was happier about my bike split than my overall place, because for so long it has been preventing me from reaching the podium. I averaged 24.5 mph, and finished it up with a 16:20 3mile run split; An average of 5:25/mile pace. My final time of 52:35 gave me the overall win and the course record.
I moved to Texas after joining the USCG in 2005, and put together a long distance season with poor training in 2006. Janda told me to call him last fall, and he told me that I had two options: I can race a lot and have fun finishing or I can train hard, race smart, and see where I can go in the sport of Triathlon. I chose the latter, and the training plan Janda has for me is smart, and it allows me to race hard. With Janda’s help, I will see how far I can go in Triathlon. Next stop, USAT Nationals in Portland, OR.
The popular Houston event sold out at 800 participants over a month ago, so I have been anxious for race day for weeks. I knew that if I could get my bike split together, sit on the pain, average a respectable speed, and have a solid swim and run, I would have a chance at the win. I really wanted a confidence boost before USAT Nationals in Portland, Oregon later this month. Janda Ricci-Munn, my coach, knew this as well, so for the past few weeks we have really focused on my cycling. I was going to attack the .5m/11m/3m sprint, and make my first honest attempt at riding hard.
Race morning was early. I woke up at 4 a.m. and felt very tired. My body felt good, but I was really hungry and tired. I was a little nervous about being so hungry, so I ate a couple PB sandwiches and swilled down some coffee. A couple buddies and I got to the race at about 5:45, and I began to prepare for the start. Janda told me to get a solid warm-up on the bike, and that is what I did, as well as gobble down a couple more PowerBars.
I always learn something new at every race, either about myself or racing in general. At Tejas it was both: Look at the swim course! I never do, I just go to the start. I guess that comes from swimming my whole life, but there is no course difference in pool based swimming! Janda and I had talked earlier in the week, and the plan was to be at VO2 Max the entire race, and that I did. I charged off with my red cap for about 100 yds, and couldn’t see or feel anybody. That is a good feeling, because being 23 there are always a couple ex-collegiate swimmers in the pack that haven’t gotten that out of shape. As I closed in on the first buoy, I began to see other red caps off my right side about 50 yards away. I had totally cut the swim course wrong, and I ended up playing catch up the entire swim.
Getting out of the water with a big effort knowing there was 2 already out bothered me, and it took me 5 tries to buckle my race belt. I finally got out of the busy transition area, and instantly noticed more acceleration than usual. I didn’t start my watch, and there was no magnet on my wheel so I had no idea what time it was or what speed I was holding. All I knew was that it hurt, and I wasn’t backing off. I was in the fourth wave, so the two-loop course was very crowded. As I approached the dismount, it had just occurred to me that for the first time in five years I did not get passed on the bike.
I had a very fast T2, and I knew it was time to throw down the hammer and go for it. Exiting the transition I started my stopwatch, felt my tight hamstrings, and thought for a second that I might have ridden too hard. A lot of people had told me that you will always be able to run off the bike, no matter how hard you ride, and for a second I doubted them. As I approached the first mile marker in the turning and curvy course, I looked down and saw 5:05 on my wrist, slowed down a little bit and kept going. There was a lot of pain throughout the whole race, including the run, but I felt strong every second of it. As I crossed the finish, only knowing that my run was fast, the race clock said 1:09.35. I started 15 minutes back, and knew last year’s winner was somewhere in the 54 minute; I was satisfied. I had finally put together a solid bike split, which was my missing link. Even with the poor swim start, and an ironic one seeing that I have a Bachelor’s degree in marine navigation, I still swam 9:30 for the half-mile swim. I think I was happier about my bike split than my overall place, because for so long it has been preventing me from reaching the podium. I averaged 24.5 mph, and finished it up with a 16:20 3mile run split; An average of 5:25/mile pace. My final time of 52:35 gave me the overall win and the course record.
I moved to Texas after joining the USCG in 2005, and put together a long distance season with poor training in 2006. Janda told me to call him last fall, and he told me that I had two options: I can race a lot and have fun finishing or I can train hard, race smart, and see where I can go in the sport of Triathlon. I chose the latter, and the training plan Janda has for me is smart, and it allows me to race hard. With Janda’s help, I will see how far I can go in Triathlon. Next stop, USAT Nationals in Portland, OR.
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