Ironman 70.3 World Championships 2009

Nice to have my bike wreck in Clearwater infront of the camera guy!!!!

My results and splits are finally up. #927. In a nutshell here is what took place in Clearwater...

Swim - Swim was moved to the protected waters of the harbor because of lingering Tropical Storm Ida weather in the Gulf of Mexico. Time trial start according to predetermined waves. No problem with that other than no warm up and was unable to swim the day before because they did not allow us to swim in the ocean or the harbor. Had a good swim. Went 27:34 which would have put me in the top 10 in my age group for swim time. Very please with that considering where I was at last year but still know that I can improve!

Bike - Here is where the fun began... I came out of T1 jumped on my bike and got my right foot into my shoe. I noticed that my bike was rolling with a consistent bump on my front wheel. After about 15 seconds out of T1 we went through a right turn in a round about and this is where my front wheel went out from under me. I was only doing about 18 mph but I slid across the road pretty far. I was tore up pretty bad on my right side (arm, shoulder, back, and real bad on my hip). I checked out my bike and hardly a scratch was on it (I guess I took the damage) but my front tire was flat. Anyhow, after I went down I yelled to the crowd asking for a pump. Someone finally had one but it was not working... Then someone came up with another one and then the PSI would not read so I guessed at the PSI, pumped up the tire, gave the pump back and took off to finish what I started. I got my legs under me and began to get into a really solid pace. I lost the fluids in my aero water bottle during the wreck so I had to wait to start drinking fluids until mile 15ish. I had my calorie bottle but that doesn't really help with the fluid intake. I was only able to grab one Gatorade during the bike because the aid stations were VERY dangerous with the narrow bike lanes and all of the packs that formed so I stayed clear of the danger. Yes, I sacrificed the fluids but there really wasn't a choice. My split shows 24.98 on the results. So my true bike split is around that 25.7 mph average if you were to back out the 4 minutes off the bike for the wreck. Fastest bike split yet for me in Clearwater and I am glad to say that I stayed legal (unless I was stuck behind a pack and waiting for a spot to pass). I was pleased overall with my bike performance considering the early wreck.

Run - I came off the bike really sore on my right hip. Stayed conservative for the first mile and then it started to loosen up a bit. It never really felt great but I made it through. It looks like I ran a 1:30:27 1/2 marathon. Not what I was looking for. Should have been somewhere around 1:24 with how I have been running. The lack of fluids on the bike came back to haunt me as I started getting some cramps right above my left knee and in my left arm around mile 9 on the run. That's racing!

The packs out there are insane. Not a true race in my mind. It is a shame that this is how this race has become. Some of it can not be avoided and we all know what we are getting into when we qualify and register for this race. It should be an ITU race. I don't train for this type of racing (draft on the bike and run 6min pace for a 1/2 mary) but with that said, it is still a fun race and an easy 2hr drive. Not a bad trip for a World Championship...

My body is a little sore... Right hip is bruised with some nice road rash there and on my right elbow and right side of my back. Got back in the pool yesterday morning after a week off and felt pretty good. Back into the swing of things...

CFT Race Report...

Nice little sprint race to get some "speed work" thrown in during preparation for Ironman Louisville.  Not so much speed work to report from the race.  Came out of the water in 4th position ahead of Grogan and Picciano but for some odd reason was placed on a bike rack 6 racks down from the elite rack???  Had a fast T1 considering where I had to go but came out in 6th as Grogan and Picciano breezed right through.  They hooked up on the bike and away they went.  I found out really soon on the bike that I would have very little turnover and felt tired throughout the whopping 8 miles.  Came off the bike in 6th and stayed there till the finish.  With my high mileage for Louisville I knew that my speed would not be there for this super sprint but didn't realize it would be that bad!!  Oh, well... Not to worry as this was to be a recovery weekend.  Back at it on Monday.  Congrats to Kevin Grogan on a great day as he seemed to race very smart and came off the bike fresh and ran very well.  HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all of those Dads out there!!

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Ironman Florida 70.3 Race Report

Well, it was a hot day out in Lake Buena Vista, FL for the Ironman Florida 70.3. Swim went well even thought it was a pinch long... Bike was very consistant for the first 40 miles and then for the last 16 we had a nice head wind that killed the average but still came off the bike feeling pretty good for a solid run. I kept the run at a moderate pace for the first 2 laps (3 lap course) as I knew the 3rd lap would be tough in the heat. The 3rd lap I fell off pace a little but was still able to hold my ground to finish 11th and pick up a slot to Ironman World Championships 70.3.

I had 2 days of active recovery and then stepped back into the regimen as we start ramping up for Ironman Louisville on August 30th. I will continue to train long on the weekends with maybe one or two sprint races thrown in for some speed work.

St. Anthony's race report

Yes, a little delayed in the report... With rough swim conditions, my good friend, Philip Lahaye and his race officials made the proper call in canceling the swim. No one wished for this but if it meant saving a life then it was well worth it. With a 2 second staggered start we took off for the bike and got after it. Found out after about 5 minutes that I needed to back off a pinch as my heart rate seemed really high. Had a decent and LEGAL bike but didn't run very well. Oh, well... Finished 29th in the Elite division. More races to come...

New Sponsor... Louis Garneau

I am very proud to announce that I have joined forces with Louis Garneau, Inc. to be my race apparel sponsor for the 2009 season. Louis Garneau, Inc. is a highly respected innovator of top of the line racing and training gear. I look forward to racing and training in the LG gear this year and for many years to follow. Check them out at www.louisgarneau.com for all of the latest gear and styles.

2009 Race Season is alive...

Well, I jumped into the 2009 race season yesterday at the Wildman Triathlon in Orlando, FL. It was good to get the winter rust off and to get a benchmark of where my fitness level is at. For a quick recap, I had a decent swim, a solid bike with the 3rd fastest bike split overall, and an easy effort on the run. You may ask, why the easy effort on the run... Well, after not running for all of January due to a severe case of Achilles Tendonitis my running has been very easy over the last 3-4 weeks. I am starting to get a little speed work in and plan on being back to solid running form before St. Anthony's. So the season has officially begun and I look forward to a fun 2009! Stay tuned...