Iowa City Duathlon Race Report and Results

On Saturday I elected to race a duathlon in Iowa City over the local Quad Cities Triathlon.  The reason was pretty simple.  Although I enjoy racing the premier hometown event I was leading the Scheels Duathlon series and could not afford to score 0 points at the 2nd race.  A series win would mean a huge financial lift for iHope with a $1,000 series prize looming.  I made the drive to Napolean Park in Iowa City early Saturday and the stormy weather was just clearing up as I pulled in.  I was dealing with some serious lower back tightness that had me worried a bit about running two 5k's (1 to start the race and 1 to finish it).  I got a good warm up in of 2 miles and went through more stretching than I normally do before a race and my back loosened up significantly. 

RUN 1: The first run went out fast.  Right now I feel strong and able to hold a tempo pace of around 5:45/mile for a long time but running 5:20 pace is not as comfortable right now as I'd like it to be.  The leader went through the mile in 5:10 and I was about 5 seconds behind.  I moved to the lead about a 1/2 mile later and held the lead into transition with a 5k time of 16:35.  I thought the course was a tad short as my GPS expected me to come in just under 17:00.  I really botched the first transition.  I had a hard time getting my helmet on over my sunglasses and my lead of nearly 30 seconds was down to 20 leaving transition.  My run split for the 1st run was the fastest of the race. 

BIKE: The bike course was two 10 mile loops so there were a total of three speed sucking 180 degree turns.  The course was nearly dead flat with a headwind going out the 1st and 3rd five mile sections.  I wanted to push the bike really hard hoping that would leave me with the option of not running very hard on the 2nd run.  I began pushing hard early but was not real comfortable.  I always tend to ride better on gradual climbs or into winds.  I knew I would get lots of time checks with the out and back double loop format.  At the first turnaround I was leading by about 1 minute.  I knew it would be a fun ride back with the wind at our back.  I was only averaging about 23 mph on the way to the first turn but was able to hold about 29 mph average over the next 5 miles bringing my average speed up.  At the 1/2 way point my lead was only about 1 minute and 10 seconds.  Frustrated with myself for only gaining 10 seconds in the 2nd stretch I pushed on harder when we turned back into the wind.  I tend to ride better with longer courses and was hoping to make more time on the 2nd half of this one.  At the 15 mile mark I was up about 2 minutes so that was a good stretch into the wind.  Coming back with the wind was about the same 29 mph average and I got off the bike up a little over 2:30.  For the ride I averaged 25.0 mph which was the fastest ride of the race. 

RUN 2: I headed out on the 2nd run knowing I did not need to run hard.  I didn't know how my back would feel or how my legs would feel because I had pushed the ride really hard.  I felt like I was running slow but checked the watch and I was holding just under 6:00 pace.  I got into a rhythm and was able to just run tempo effort negative splitting the 2nd run and I ended up running the 5k in 17:43 although it was also a tad short and I probably would have been closer to 18:00.  My run split was the 2nd fastest of the race.  My overall time was 1:23:04 which was good enough for the race win.  With 1 more race in the series I need to finish only 4th or better to win the top Scheels prize for iHope.  This race win earned $150.00 for iHope which is awesome because with my parents generous matching funds to whatever I win racing that means the day earned over half of an iPad gift for a low-income student displaying tremendous character and work traits.  If you'd like to make a tax deductible contribution to the iHope Foundation you can do so by clicking here.  I'd be so thankful to anything you can do to help.  Complete results from the race with splits can be found by clicking here. 

The best news of the day came shortly after I finished the duathlon.  I was thinking of my wife Jen who was racing the QC Triathlon.  I quickly got to my phone and called her.  I heard she not only won the race but shattered her time from last year by nearly 4 minutes!  I knew a year ago that Jen could be a stand out triathlete if she decided to devote more time to the sport.  I can honestly say she still has not done that.  She did train more for the race than a year ago.  I'd say she swam 4 times this year compared to 5 minutes last year before the race.  She also rode outside 4 times this year compared to twice last year.  Where she made her biggest training increases was riding the trainer indoors.  This year she rode about 8 times while last year she only rode twice.  What helped Jen the most was that she started doing Cross-Fit at QC Cross-Fit last winter.  The amount of strength she has gained is obvious just from looking at pictures last year compared to this year.  I know some people think Cross-Fit will cause athletes to put on bulky muscle.  Although Jen is a lot stronger than last year she still weighs the same.  She has added lean muscle and gotten rid of some fat.  I knew this was the case when she did her first trainer ride about a month ago.  I put her on my Cycle-Ops Powerbeam Pro trainer that you can control power output with.  Last year she started to whine when the resistance power hit 140 watts.  This year it got to 180 watts before she said it was remotely uncomfortable.  The only difference between last year and this year was cross-fit. 
I watched her swim on Thursday this week and I was really impressed.  She takes less strokes down the pool than I do and I've swam over a million yards over the past couple years.  She was doing 50 repeats just a few seconds slower than I do them.  I knew she was going to shatter her swim time especially since last year she did not have a wetsuit and this year she is swimming in an Xterra wetsuit.  If she actually starts to train for this sport she'll be do so much better than I ever could.  This upcoming weekend we are looking at possibly going to a race together which would be fun.  She hasn't gotten to be at any of my races yet this year.  Also, a HUGE congrats to Corey Towle for winning the men's division of the QC Triathlon.  I knew Corey was going to be a tremendous triathlete and he's just touching the tip of what his potential in the sport is.  Corey is a standout runner that has run 5,000 meters in 14:40.  I knew he could run before I started working out with him but what impressed me the most was his ability to swim very fast.  At one of Stacey Zapolski's swim clinics I saw Corey swimming and thought, "he's really good at this."  When I went open water swimming with Corey it was even more of an eye opener as he swam effortlessly away from me as I desperately tried to stay on his feet.  His biking has gotten a lot better over the past month and it's only a sign of things to come.  Yesterday I was glad to have him with me for 80 miles of a 100 mile ride.  Finally, a BIG congrats to everyone who was out there competing in either Iowa City or Davenport.  I talked to some who finished their first triathlon and said there would be many to come.  The sport leads to such an active and healthy lifestyle and if you've never done one I'd encourage you to give it a shot. 

I'm really excited about the generosity and compassion people have been showing towards iHope.  It's my motivation for racing this year because I have been able to see 3 different times the difference an iHope gift can make for a child in our community.  Just thinking about their reaction when being presented with a gift...the tears of joy, hope, and confidence that is built fuels my motivation to train hard and race well to support this foundation.  Thanks for reading.  DREAM BIG!!

Holiday Lake and Accel Triathlon Reports and Results

This past weekend I attempted to do 2 races back to back for my first time ever.  I really don't think it's something that's crazy.  I train enough that if I'm smart about recovery after one race the next should be fine.  The two races were the Holiday Lake Triathlon which was a sprint distance race taking place at Holiday Lake in Brooklyn, Iowa and the Accel Triathlon which was an Olympic distance racing taking place at George Wyth State Park in Waterloo Iowa. 

Holiday Lake Report
I woke early on Saturday and chose to drive to the race morning of.  The race didn't start until 9:00 am which was nice for those who wanted to drive the day of the race.  I asked Siri to take me to Holiday Lake and things were great until I reached "my destination" and was on a gravel road in front of a farm with nothing resembling a lake or a park nearby.  I was in a panic.  It was 7:30 and I still needed to find the race site, get my packet, and warm up.  I turned the car around and went to the end of the gravel road and started to look for maps on my phone.  Just then a car zoomed by with bikes on the top...perfect!  I followed the car with the bikes to the race site and adjusted my warm up to fit the time I had left.  My only mishap was heading out for my run I ran right into the rope that ties down the finish line blow up arch and it scraped right over my eye and hurt something fierce...hopefully not a sign of things to follow. 

SWIM: The swim was supposed to be 500 yards.  We started in one big wave with all the guys racing.  I should have started on the outside but was late getting to the line and picked the inside.  We started and after some dolphin dives I was off swimming.  I have swam not even 1/3 of the yards this year that I had last year up to this point so I knew I had to be careful not to get out too fast.  I tried to settle into a comfortable rhythm.  I was hoping the guys from the outside would collapse down on me and give me some good feet to draft off but by the time they came to the inside of the swim they were too far ahead.  I swam solo and exited the water in 7th place.  My swim time was 5:28 but I'm guessing it was at least 100 yards short of the advertised 500 yards.  I had one of the quickest transitions and probably started the bike in 5th or 6th. 

BIKE: Out on the bike I could see the leaders and those between me and the lead motorcycle.  I quickly moved up the road and by mile four I settled into the lead.  Around mile 5 we hit our first of 2 turnarounds.  It gave me a chance to see where the other riders were at.  One guy was still right on me.  The rest had dropped back a ways.  The course consisted of a lot of long rolling hills and we had ridden the first section into the wind but would have the wind at our back for the next 7 mile or so.  I pushed really hard on the hills to try to shake the rider right behind me but he was extremely tough.  I could not shake him.  We were hitting speeds of over 40 mph on some stretches.  I chose to ride the Zipp 808 rear wheel because I heard the course was hilly and I have slightly better climbing gears on this wheel.  I wished I had stuck with my Zipp sub-9 rear disc because I rode much of the section with the wind at my back in my biggest gear and would have liked another gear.  At the 2nd turnaround near mile 12 I got to see where things were at again.  I had opened about a 10 second gap on #2.  The others were about 1 minute down.  We had a couple really long hills back to T2 and I pushed them hard hoping to extend the lead not knowing what kind of runner was chasing me.  I rolled into T2 with about a 20 second lead.  I averaged 24.8 mph on the bike course which was the fastest bike split of the race by about 1 minute. 

RUN: I knew the run was on a brutal course but had no idea what I was in for until I got out there.  The course would end up being the toughest 5k I have ever run.  It was one steep hill after another.  The down side of the steepness these hills brought was that going down was as painful as going up.  Running down hills that steep is awkward because you feel like you are going to lose your balance and you actually have to try to slow down so I was running on my heals a lot.  The downhills also place tremendous stress on the quad muscles and I didn't want to beat them up too bad knowing I had a race the following day.  I was hoping to get a decent lead by the turnaround and be able to relax the way back in.  It felt like forever to the turn.  I'm not joking when I say I bet I went up and down 8 different times just getting to the turnaround.  The longest flat stretch was about 200 meters.  I could tell I was putting ground on 2nd place but the chase pack looked like there might be some really fast runners.  They were a lot of tall lanky college kids who I was thinking may be really fast.  At the 1/2 way point I was up about a minute and a half so I knew I could relax.  I shut things down on the way back in but the hills still required effort.  I ended up with the 2nd fastest run split at 18:46 which shocked me because it felt like 22 minutes.  My overall time was 1:03:11.  A HUGE congrats to all who finished this demanding course.  Complete results with splits can be found by clicking here. 

The Holiday Lake race was extremely well put on.  There were a ton of volunteers and they gave away about 40 door prizes.  In addition to winning the top cash prize of $250.00 for iHope I also won a prize pack from Headblade for being the 1st bald finisher.  I can say this is the first race I've ever done that had a special award for the first bald finisher.  Headblade is a special shaving razor designed for the head.  It was great seeing one of my students in this race.  Sam Lundry is only 14 years old but has an extremely rare work ethic and is VERY dedicated to triathlon.  Sam has gotten special permission to compete in longer triathlons because most of the long ones don't let kids his age compete.  He has proven he is well trained to not only finish them but finish them really well.  Sam placed 14th of about 100 in a time of 1 hr. 13 minutes.  He just got permission to race a 1/2 Ironman at Rev 3 Wisconsin Dells in August.  I'm sure he'll be ready for it. 



Following the race I got a good 2 mile cool down run with Sam and then before I left the park I got back in the water to swim about 500 yards.  I've always found swimming to be one of the best ways to get an active recovery and feel better afterwards.  When I finished the swim I drove about 90 minutes to Waterloo, Iowa and got my packet for the Accel Triathlon and then stayed with my good friend and college teammate Randy Bill.  Randy was just back from doing a running relay from Madison, Wisconsin to Chicago, Illinois.  Randy told me about this relay in which he teamed up with 11 other guys.  They each ran 3 different legs of the journey.  Randy's total mileage was 19 and he averaged under 5:15/mile for the total distance.  Needless to say this 2:22 marathoner has some major talent.  He finished his first triathlon last weekend and is preparing for a 1/2 Ironman distance race in August. 

Accel Race Report
I felt pretty good on Sunday morning.  I was at George Wyth Park plenty early to get a good warm up in.  I knew a solid warm up would be important after racing on Saturday.  The water temperature was about 66 degrees which is a great temperature.  I like cold swims in my Xterra Vendetta wetsuit.  I had switched wheels so I'd be riding the Sub-9 disc on the rear since the course didn't have any major climbs.  All of the Olympic distance guys would start together at 7:00 am.  The conditions were overcast, cool, with about 13 mph winds out of the south.  It was expected to rain during the race but the major storms stayed away.

SWIM: The Olympic distance swim is much longer than the sprint so I knew it would be even more important not to start to fast.  The swim was an out and back course but the line of buoys curved and resembled a 1/2 moon shape.  I figured it would be best to take the straight line to the turn buoy and chop off the extra from swimming along the rope.  However there were kayaks not far off the line and I figured the kayaks were there to keep people from taking the straight line so I started right along the line of buoys.  When the siren sounded to start the race I took off relaxed and on the inside.  I was breathing every 3 strokes.  About 1/2 way to the first buoy which was 250 meters I noticed the main crowd was taking the straight line to the far end and they were about 20 yards to my right.  I moved out slightly.  I wanted to get on feet if the opportunity arose but it never happened.  Because I started conservatively the guys I was passing were going too slow and the stronger swimmers were already ahead.  I felt really relaxed and actually felt strong on the way back in rather than my normal feeling of heavy arms in the 2nd half.  I knew before the turn that one guy was way ahead.  He was at least 2 minutes ahead of my at the turn if my counting was correct from the time I saw him go by on the other side of the rope.  I swam hard on the way back in and exited the water with the 5th fastest swim in 22:58.  I haven't done a lot of Olympic distance races the past few years but this was one of my better swims time wise over this distance.  I had the fastest transition of the race and was on the bike ready to make up some ground. 

BIKE: Going on the same time as the Olympic distance race was a sprint race.  That made it feel like my old days racing in amateur waves of Ironman when I would start in the 8th wave and have lots of bikes to pass by the time I was out of the water.  Most of the athletes I was passing were sprint distance athletes.  I actually had no way of telling who was a sprint athlete and who was in my race.  I rode hard and with everyone I passed let out a "way to work" Coach Olsen style.  The ride was so fun compared to when I race professionally and I'm on my own for much of the bike due to my poor swimming.  At about mile 10 the Olympic distance racers turned off on a detour to make up the extra distance.  I had no idea what place I was in.  I couldn't see anyone.  I asked a volunteer and they said one other athlete had gone by.  I put my head down and dug deep to pull back time hoping to see this athlete...and I kept hoping...and hoping...and never saw them.  There were stretches I could see 3 minutes ahead and still I saw no one.  I was trying not to get discouraged but it was frustrating not seeing anyone coming back.  I was riding hard and was averaging near 25 mph.  When I got back to the park I had a great dismount and had the fastest 2nd transition of the race.  I had no idea how far back I was but thankfully Randy was there and told me I was 2:30 down to the leader.  My bike time was 59:33 which was right about 25.0 mph average.  It was the fastest bike split of the race. 

RUN:  The run conditions were perfect.  The course was completely flat which was great for me because I'm such a rhythmical runner.  I do a lot of tempo workouts and train myself to get into a running rhythm and stick to that rhythm.  I did not have a GPS but felt pretty good from the first step.  There were no signs of cramps and I didn't feel tight at all.  That's probably thanks in part to the ART work from Kaminski Pain and Performance Care on Thursday.  The run course consisted of two 5k loops.  I still couldn't tell who I was chasing because sprint athletes were also on the 5k.  When I went through the first loop Randy said the lead was down to just under 1 minute.  I dug deeper not wanting it to come down to a sprint finish.  When I got to the turn on the 2nd loop with 1.5 miles to go I caught the leader.  Josh Otis had raced really well and went with me for a quarter mile or so.  I was relieved to get away and pushed hard on the way back fearing that he was right behind me.  I thought a lot about how bad I wanted to win this race because the win would pay for an iPad for iHope and my parents match so the win actually meant 2 iHope gifts.  I crossed the finish line in 1:59:21 which was my best Olympic distance time by a few seconds.  I never thought I would break 2 hours because I have not put in near the amount of training yet this year as I have in years past.  I'm heavier but also very strong right now which reminds me that body weight is not the tell-all sign of fitness.  My 10k run time was 35:51 which was the 3rd fastest of the race.  Complete results of  the Accel Triathlon with splits can be found by clicking here. 

The Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier ran a story about my race and the mission of my racing.  You can read that story by clicking here. 

All in all I was stoked about the weekend.  Big Thanks to Randy and Jaime Bill for letting me stay with them on Saturday. The races were both extremely well organized and both had the feel of races that are into giving back to the community rather than races that want to make as much money as possible.  It made me realize deciding to support non-Ironman branded races in 2013 was a great move.  Both races had lots of giveaways and provided great value.  The organization was nothing less than the organization of an Ironman branded event and they gave more back to the people who signed up to do them.  The two race wins allowed me to earn $750.00 for the iHope Foundation.  With my parents match that means the weekend will fund 3 iHope gifts for low-income students who display outstanding character and work traits.  My yearly race winning total is at about $1,200.00 and my season goal was $1,500.00 which will certainly be surpassed now.  I'm so excited by what this foundation does for kids in our community.  Big THANKS to Seth Long for making a tax deductible contribution this week.  If you would like to add to the weekend total I was able to earn for iHope click  here to make a tax deductible contribution.  You can either enter paypal information or provide credit card info.  The other way would be to mail a check to our school's administration center.  That address is on the iHope page of this blog.  I'm looking forward to racing in event #2 in the Scheel's Duathlon series next weekend. Thanks for reading!  DREAM BIG!!

"I'm not afraid anymore"...Week 16

"I'm not afraid anymore."  This actually has nothing to do with racing.  The title of this post is a quote taken from Kevin in Home Alone when he gets over his fear of the two bad guys trying to rob his house while he is alone for Christmas.  This is also the exact same thing I have thought this year in regards to the vicious Redwing Blackbirds that are in prime "kill" season. 

Sometime in late May Redwing Blackbirds begin to infiltrate rural Scott County by laying nests in tall grass of the ditches along all my bike routes.  I have narrowed down the week when these birds must lay eggs because it was exactly 2 weeks ago when the blackbirds began to become very territorial.  While out on my lunch time run at the junior high I hadn't even gotten off school grounds when the blackbirds began puffing up their tails and letting out their war cries at me.  The birds were pretty non-aggressive until last week when they started actually making the dive bomb attempts at my head.  These birds used to scare the crap out of me.  In the summer of 2009 I was hit on my bike 9 times by these birds.  A local doctor, Dave Juehring was actually hit by one and it caused a bad accident that has kept him from riding his bike outdoors ever since.  In 2009 I actually stopped riding outdoors for some time because I was so afraid of these birds hitting me while riding.  2013 is different.  I am not longer afraid of these birds.  I hate them with a passion but I don't fear them.  These birds sit high in trees or on telephone lines and wait for riders to pass.  Then they give chase from behind high overhead before dive bombing with one thing in mind...kill!  Last week when one charged at me while running I stopped and grabbed a handful of rocks and began yelling back at the bird.  It quickly took shelter high in a tree where I proceeded to pelt rocks at it.  I won the battle as the bird flew away in fear.  +1 for the good guys!  Last Monday I was riding and one attacked me and hit me in the helmet.  It didn't even phase me.  I've learned these birds are weak and harmless.  They are actually quite stupid.  They always hit me in the head while biking which is protected with my helmet.  I was hit again yesterday early in my ride in nearly the same spot...for all I know it was the same bird that hit me last week.  Once again I was hit in the back of the helmet and barely noticed.  Both hits this year have come unannounced.  In year's past the birds would follow behind me before dive bombing and letting out a terrible screech before colliding into my helmet.  I've thought about attaching little razor blades to the back of my helmet and tempting them by riding really slowly through the battle grounds.  One thing that won't happen is that I skip an outdoor ride for fear of these birds.  I've learned a few things about these bird attacks which you can take as advice. 
1.  The birds always hit the back of the helmet.  I've been hit over 15 times and every one has been the back of the helmet
2.  The birds have never attacked me when riding with other riders.  I think they are intimidated by groups even if the group is only 2. 
3.  The birds are at their worst from the first of June through about the 3rd week of June.  The babies must be hatching and they are so protective I have seen them attack hawks 20x their size...not to mention human beings
4.  Speed matters...when riding through the war zones if you are riding less than 20 mph you are dead.  If you ride 20-25 mph you have a chance...25+ and they won't attack.  If you want to lesson your chances of getting hit ride fast. 
5.  The birds are weak.  Monday I noticed the birds don't handle wind well.  They could hardly move forward when trying to chase me into a 20 mph wind. 
Feel free to share your Redwing Blackbird attack stories or advice in the comments this week. 

If you are traveling out in rural Scott County beware of the birds but don't fear them.  They think they own the territory but show them who's boss. 

My highlight of week 16 was getting out for a 107 mile ride on Sunday with Cassidy Moulton.  The winds were strong but we rode almost entirely into the wind the first half of the ride and then had it at our backs the 2nd half which made for a great ride.  I stopped in DeWitt for a slice of breakfast pizza and later in Eldridge for a slice of regular pizza, a coke and the key...Peanut Butter M&M's.  By the time we got back down to McCausland headed for home I was at about 90 miles in and feeling like a million bucks.  I decided to push the hilly 7.3 mile stretch from McCausland to Argo Corners really hard and I averaged 26.8 mph...keep in mind I had a 20 mph wind helping push me and it was great.  At mile 101 I tried to max my power on a steep hill and I hit 953 watts which was a number I couldn't hit fresh last year when I had lost a lot of bike power trying to get too lean.  This year I'm much stronger.  This weekend I'm attempting to race my first double ever.  I'm going to race a sprint distance event on Saturday and come back Sunday for an Olympic Distance race.  I'm excited about the challenge and the opportunity to raise some funds for iHope.  Big thanks last week to Ed Allen out of Chicago and Adam Less from Davenport for iHope contributions.  If you would like to help contribute to the iHope Foundation that provides low-income students with great character and work traits with iPads click here.  We began the foundation mid-March and were thrilled to give these life-changing gifts to two students in the first year.  We'd like to be able to do many more in the years to come.  Thanks for reading.  Check back next Monday for reports on both races to see how I held up.  DREAM BIG!!

Week 15 Summary

It seems like long ago I was getting on the treadmill for my first run of the 2013 season.  I remember suffering through 3 miles with my heart and legs screaming at me.  I remember thinking how tall this mountain I had to climb was.  I'm excited about how far I've come without wearing my body down mentally or physically.  In 5 days I will begin my summer training when things will really pick up.  The race schedule gets busy in June with 4 races over a 15 day span.  I'm looking forward to it!  For week 15 I ran 50 miles, biked 125 and swam 6,600 yards.  I need to begin swimming more now that I'm getting closer to races.  I've always felt like 3 weeks or so of high swimming volume puts me pretty close to my best as far as the swim goes.  I was able to get my first open water swim in this morning with a nice group.  I expected freezing cold waters but to my surprise the water was around 66 degrees which feels awesome in my Xterra Vendetta wetsuit.  I had planned to get a lot of miles on the bike through this three day weekend but Mother Nature had other plans.  I was able to get out yesterday with Corey Towle and Charlie Paul and we got stranded in McCausland at the Lucky Frog when lightning began to strike nearby so Super Mom kindly came to our rescue and picked us up in the Super-Mom mini van.  Today after our swim we got a nice 24 mile ride in with some good rolling hills.  Friday I ran 2 sets of 4x400's and 4x200's with 200 jog recovery after everything.  I didn't feel fast at all...actually quite slow but was glad to get some quality.  I ran the 400's in 77 and the 200's in 35.  I've always been a believer in training intervals faster than race pace.  When my body is used to running 5:00-5:10 mile pace the 1/2 Ironman pace of 5:50 feels like a jog.  Right now the 5:00-5:10 pace feels like I'm working harder than I should be.  I'm optimistic that it will come around quickly.  I have yet to put in a 60 mile running week but plan to soon.  When I string 3-4 of those together in a row I can tell a big difference in my running.  I had my 3rd run at 90 minutes or more this week and it was my best one yet.  I felt great throughout and should be ready to go to 95 or 100 minutes soon.  I love Wednesday night group rides here.  It's always my toughest bike workout of the week.  This week was no different.  I found myself getting dropped from a 2 man break up one of the final climbs but I was able to get into my aero bars and 3 minutes later of heart wrenching work I clawed my way back to the break and pulled a few guys with me.  The Wednesday ride is a lot of fun and hard work.  If you live near the QC I'd recommend giving it a try.  They leave from the bike path parking lot right where Moline and East Moline meet and they have 2 groups so there is something for everyone. 

I had an outstanding time hosting a transition clinic at Healthy Habits bike shop on Saturday.  We had a great turnout of just over 30 people despite Mother Nature bringing us rain.  Xterra Wetsuits was kind enough to send race belts for everyone and GU Energy sent lots of product to give away.  We also had a bunch of items that we gave away.  I'm hoping everyone took left feeling like they learned something that will help them speed through T1 and T2 faster than ever.  It was great meeting a lot of new people there.  The biggest thing to remember about transitions is that they are part of the race.  Just as you want to swim, bike, and run as fast as possible you also want to make T1 and T2 as quick as possible.  I think often people see transitions as a mini break between the other 3 triathlon disciplines when transitions are really the 4th discipline.  There were lots of people at the clinic getting ready for their first triathlon ever on June 15th and I'm sure they will all have lots of fun and will do great!  If you are looking for a wetsuit to help you swim faster this year you can use Xterra discount code SA-JEFFP to save 60% off the Vector Pro or Vortex suits.  Let me know if you have any questions about the suits or if you want to know why I prefer Xterra Wetsuits over the rest. 

To close I was very humbled to accept a tremendous iHope gift from Dan and Kelly White this week.  Dan was a high school teammate of mine and is the guru among local physical therapists especially when the injury is anything related to running.  Dan is one of the smartest people I know and he is always continuing to study his profession so he can treat his clients at Rock Valley with the best care possible.  Dan was instrumental in helping get me back to running after my achilles tendon surgery in 2010.  He recently spent time in Oregon studying alongside some of the best coaches in the world at Nike and learned a great deal about injury preventative strength training while he was there.  When he met with me awhile back and said he wanted to get involved with helping iHope change the lives of children in our community I was thrilled.  If you want to help with the iHope Foundation that serves to provide low-income students who possess outstanding character and work habits with iPads you can click here to make a tax deductable donation.  I would be grateful and it will make a positive impact on a child in our community.  Thanks for reading!  DREAM BIG!!

Season Opener...Week 14 Lake McBride Duathlon

Week 14 brought my season opener.  I hit training really hard Monday through Wednesday.  I had run 27 miles, biked 86 including intervals on Tuesday and the toughest 50 mile group ride I can remember.  We started the group ride with 45 in the "A" group and I was in the lead group of 5 at the finish but it took a HUGE effort and left my legs quivering on Thursday.  I had my biggest swim in a long time Tuesday at 4,600 yards with a main set I call "Goal 50's" where I swim 30x50 on 1:00 and have to hold under a goal time or take an extra minute rest before continuing.  I was alone which normally leads to slightly slower times for myself.  I wanted to hit all under 38 and was sure I'd have to take the extra minute a couple times through the set.  I started fast in 35...too fast.  I was still holding 36's through #15 but then slipped to 37.  With 10 to go I dug deep to avoid anything showing 38 and I was able to complete the set without having to take the extra minute.  I had my lowest weigh in since last July after the group ride when I saw 156 on the scale.  Thursday-Saturday was terrible.  I barely trained and did not fuel well...understatement.  Saturday night my legs were logs and I knew I needed to get a run in with some fast efforts to try to shake out the stiffness.  I set the alarm for 5:05 AM and hoped to be out the door heading for Lake McBride (near Solon, IA) by 5:30 on Sunday morning for a duathlon.  The duathlon is put on by Just go Faster race productions and has a nice incentive thrown in by Scheels.  They have 3 races as part of a series with points accumulated at each one.  The series winner gets $1,000.00. 

Sunday morning I awoke to a dream that someone made a big iHope donation...I won't say who...but obviously my mind was on trying to place well enough to make some money for this foundation I am passionately racing for this year.  Awarding 2 gifts to children this year and seeing how it can make a TREMENDOUS impact on their lives has me inspired to race well enough to make more money for the foundation so we can continue to change lives.  I shut the alarm off and had a quick breakfast and loaded the car.  I then had to grab my "mapquest" directions.  Yes, you saw that right.  A few weeks back I was thinking with my iPhone 5 I would never need mapquest again.  I even checked earlier in the week and Siri was able to find me directions to Lake McBride upon my request.  Unfortunately Friday was AIM (Adolescents in Motion) day at our school and my group went disc golfing in the morning.  I borrowed a disc from a student in our group and proceeded to throw the disc into Duck Creek on hole # 3 which parallels the creek.  I suck at this game.  I felt terrible for losing this kids disc so I said I would go into the creek and get it.  The problem was that I forgot my iPhone was in my pocket and Siri got "mad pissed" when I entered the water and decided never to work again.  I tried the rice trick and when I attempted to turn it on my poor phone gave one last breath and has been gone without a heartbeat ever since.  I am back to the LG Rumor Touch that I used from 2002-2007.  It's a pretty sweet phone...but I lost all my contacts.  Anyways...back to the race. 

Mapquest got me to the race site.  Due to lightning in the area the race got delayed about 25 minutes.  The duathlon consisted of a 2.5 mile run on trails, 18 mile bike ride, and 5k run again on trails. 
RUN 1- I always try to stay near the front on the first run but never want to go too fast on the first run in a duathlon.  I won't try to build a big lead on run 1, however I also don't want to get far behind either.  When the race started Jonathon Estabrook from Ankeny, IA took off.  I knew he was a great runner.  He was a former state champion in the 3200 in Iowa and still runs really well.  The lead grew to about 30 meters and it hovered there until about the mile mark when I was able catch him.  We ran together through the turnaround and then I gradually built up about a 20 second lead going into transition.  On my GPS watch my run pace was 5:45 and I had the course measured at just over 2.5 miles.  I was really happy with both transition time after seeing the results.  They better be good because next week I'm hosting a free transition clinic at 8:30 AM at Healthy Habits in Bettendorf, IA.  We have lots of sweet giveaways for the clinic so it would be great to get a good turnout. 

BIKE- I was really excited for the 18 mile bike ride.  I haven't done anything more than about 10 minutes of sustained hard riding at a time.  Although I have just started doing intervals on the bike after doing them all winter a year ago I feel like the weight lifting I've done has me strong for the bike.  It was not quite as strong as I hoped for.  Although the conditions were windy we had the wind at our back for half of the race and I was only able to average 24.1 mph.  I did not ride fast in the first mile through the park as I was pretty careful with wet roads.  Just after going through the town of Solon we turned west and a couple minutes later some guy turned onto the road and was ahead of me.  I was positive I had not gone the wrong way.  As I passed him I said, "I think you took a wrong turn somewhere" since he had come out of nowhere to grab  the lead.  He confirmed he had gone the wrong way.  At the turnaround of the bike I was hoping to have a couple minutes but I was only ahead of Jonathan by about 50 seconds.  I learned he is also very fast on his bike!  I pushed hard on the way back because I really was hoping to take the 2nd run easy so I can get a big week of training in.  I've learned the hard run after the bike is what puts the hurt on the legs and makes for a longer recovery.  My bike split was the fastest of the race. 

RUN 2- When I got off the bike I was a little worried because my lower back was tight the last 5 miles of the ride and that has ruined some runs for me in the past.  It was not an issue on the run.  Early in the run we went down a big hill and then up a different long hill.  I was getting really small cramps in my hamstrings and I knew if one of those small cramps turned into a big one I could be in trouble.  I decided to get into a good rhythm of about 6:00 pace and see where things were at the turnaround.  After the mile my legs felt good and I was running 5:45 pace.  After the turnaround I realized I was in the lead by about 2 minutes so I eased up and cruised in without doing any further damage to my legs.  My overall time was 1:18:26.  I ended up with the fastest 2nd run split as well by just a small amount over race runner-up Jonathan Estabrook.  I cooled down with he and Steven Davis from Iowa City and that was great to get a good chat in with those guys.  These multi-sport races are filled with awesome people.  The complete race results with splits can be found by clicking here. 

I was thrilled to find out that in addition to the race series payout the race also paid $150.00 to the winner so I would have something to bring home for iHope.  My parents are matching race winnings to the iHope Foundation so today's race funds over half of a gift.  I was thrilled by this.  It also leaves me in a tough position.  The next race in the series is on June 15th which happens to be the same day as my hometown triathlon, the QC Triathlon.  I won this race last year and love this race because so many locals are here and it's a close one for my family and friends to come watch.  I also know if I race at QC I'm giving up a chance to make a HUGE difference for iHope by going after the series win in the Scheels Duathlon series.  I'll have to do some thinking and praying for guidance on this decision.  It's been a couple slow weeks for iHope so I'm hoping my race winnings from the Lake McBride Duathlon can start a good week as we come close to the end of the first school year that iHope has been around.  If you would like to make a tax deductable contribution to iHope click here.  I would be honored by the support but more importantly some GREAT kid will feel the difference of your contribution. 

Although I was excited about winning the race I'm a long ways from where I hope to be in a couple months.  Neither my running or biking were close to where they were at this point a year ago.  I have a lot of work to do but I'm excited about how healthy I feel and know I will race my best when the bigger races roll around.  I've got a few weeks until my next race so I'll be putting in some good work over the next 2.5 weeks.  Thanks for reading.  DREAM BIG!!

Wrapping up the pre-season...Week 13

Week 13 was my final week of preparation for my first race this year.  Next weekend I'll be racing a duathlon that has a 2 mile run, 15 mile bike, and 5k run.  I'm excited to dust off my Zipp race wheels, test my fitness, and let loose on the bike for the first time this year.  This has been my shortest pre-season yet at only 13 weeks.  While last year I was entering my first races in tip-top shape this year I realize I am not but that is the way I wanted things to go this year.  My fitness is good but I'm not at a weight I want to be for peak races.  Week 13 was a really great one for me.  I ran 50 miles on 6 days of running, biked 180 miles on only 4 days of riding, and swam over 10,000 yards for the first time in 4 weeks with just 3 swims.  My swimming is by far the furthest behind but I knew with family life growing more busy as the kids are getting involved in activities of their own I wanted to wait until summer to start swimming a lot.  I have found in the past I can put in 3-4 weeks of heavy swim yardage (by my swim yardage standards 15,000-20,000 yards a week) and get very close to my best swim shape.  That will come when school is out.  I have begun to add more quality especially on the bike where 95% of my bike volume the first 12 weeks was just easy riding.  In my 4 rides this week I had hill intervals, a group ride that was very high effort and a lot of fun, and 10 minute repeat interval periods at sprint race effort where I ran 1.5 miles tempo after each, and a 73 mile long ride on Saturday battling 25+mph winds.  Saturday's ride was challenging just because of the winds and I was pleased to have Cassidy Moulton on it with me or I doubt I would have gone 73.  There were times I thought the wind gusts were going to blow me into the ditch.  Of my 6 days running I had one hard interval workout, 1 run where I ran 3x 1.5 miles tempo each after a 10 minute hard bike effort.  I averaged 5:55/5:46, and 5:31 mile pace for each 1.5 mile period and it never felt difficult.  Sunday I ran 13.5 miles which was my long for the year.  I still lifted weights twice and did all my other things like lunges, push-ups, pull-ups, jump rope, wall balls, and core work.  I even ate much more nutritiously.  I need to make that and sleep my biggest priorities from a training aspect now that I am entering race season. 

If you are looking for a chance to learn about triathlon transition mark your calendar for 8:30 AM on Saturday, May 25th at Healthy Habits bike shop in Bettendorf, IA.  I will be hosting a free clinic at the shop that morning.  I've done this 3 times in the past and have really enjoyed it.  Whether you are new to the sport or a veteran my hope is that you will leave with some new ideas for how to speed your way through T1 and T2 quicker than before.  The format is always pretty informal.  I have a list of topics I go over on how I approach transitions and a few other things about racing but I always welcome others to share their own ideas as well.  We will have samples of GU Energy products on hand for all clinic attendees as well as some givaways of triathlon gear.  The giveaways will be drawn from names of people who attend the clinic.  You will also be able to ask questions on anything you want to know triathlon related. 

This week was had our 8th local business sponsor my racing by making an iHope contribution.  Online Freight Services and local owner Kevin Wolfe along with his wife Monica made a VERY generous contribution.  Online Freight Services is a leading freight logistics provider specializing in moving freight across the country and around the world. Kevin is also extremely involved in giving back to the Make-a-Wish Foundation by organizing a local Walk for Wishes in Davenport with all proceeds benefiting the Make-a-Wish Foundation.  I feel very blessed by the support this foundation has received in the early stages.  We have been able to award 2 iHope gifts this year to AMAZING low-income students who display tremendous character and work ethic traits.  Our "Dream Big" goal is to endow this foundation so kids for eternity will be able to benefit from the foundation.  To make a tax deductible contribution click here.  Next week I'll post a race report from the season opener.  I can't wait!  DREAM BIG!

Ols'...2nd iHope Gift Awarded...Week 12

On Wednesday night I'm planning to scramble from the weekly Wednesday night group ride over to Davenport North High School for the Quad Cities Athlete of the Year and Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  My college coach, Paul Olsen is being inducted into the QC Sports Hall of Fame (long overdue) and I don't want to miss it.  Ols', as he is affectionately known by the thousands of athletes that have competed under his guidance, is certainly one of the top 5 most influential figures in my life.  Ols' began coaching at Augustana in the mid-1960's and is still leading the Vikings Cross Country and Track and Field teams nearly 50 years later.  Ols' earned his Ph.D from the University of Oregon in English.  He teaches English classes at Augustana even though he wouldn't need to if he didn't want to.  He loves teaching and his classes always are the first to fill up because he teaches like he coaches.  There are so many things in my daily life that would be very different if I had not had the complete and utter pleasure of running for him from the fall of 1999 when I tranferred to Augustana through the fall of 2002 when I ran my last collegiate race. I then had the privilage of serving as the assistant coach under Ols' during the 2004 and 2005 cross country seasons where he continued to teach me many valuable life lessons.  The following, in order only of what comes to my mind are things I learned from the greatest coach in the world. 

1.  The Journey is the Goal- When I first arrived on campus I assumed that journey must be to the national meet.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  This journey is life.  The goal is a successful journey through life and the teachings of Ols' allow that journey to be an awesome one. 

2.  Reckless, Aggressive, Enthusiastic, Intense- It was a motto of how we approached competition.  It had to be over 1,000 times I heard these phrases from Ols' in my time at Augustana.  Being fearless in racing and never being afraid to take a chance.  Ols' has so much history he has hundreds of inspiring stories of Augustana athletes and one that I remember was a 1500 meter runner Ols' said who was always afraid of dying at the end of a race so he never raced reckless enough in the middle of the metric mile.  Ols' told him one meet he didn't care if he stepped off the track at the bell lap...he wanted this guy to run gutsy in the middle of the race.  Ols' said the guy ran the first 1100 meters of the race on pace for a HUGE lifetime best and right at the bell lap the guy dove off the track.  Ols' was so proud of him for pushing the middle and the guy later said, "I could have kept going."  The next race he did keep going and he ran the huge lifetime best.  Lesson learned. 

3.  Enthusiasm- I've NEVER met someone with the enthusiam of Ols'.  Non-stop enthusiasm...if you know him you would swear he has never had a bad day.  He would get excited about anything...even if a race did not go well he would find something to be enthusiastic about.  His enthusiam is contageous and I'd like to think it rubbed off on me as a coach and as a teacher.  He once told me his enthusiasm is his greatest gift and I hope the same for myself. 

4.  Positive Thinking- Ols' found positives from every situation.  I ran on some of the worst teams Augustana has had in the past 30 years (which was still great by nearly any other team's standards) but he had us believing we were one of the best in the nation because of how positive he was.  He once told me about a study done by coaches of 3 different youth running teams.  One coach was very negative.  One was mostly positive but offered lots of constructive feedback.  The last was always positive no matter what.  He said the last coach would have kids fall while running and would say, "You got up faster than anyone I've ever seen" to put a positive spin on it.  After tracking the progress of the 3 different groups the negative coach's kids got worse, the positive coach who offered constructive feedback saw slight improvements, and the coach who was non-stop positive saw HUGE improvements." 

5.  "I Believe"- Another one of Ols' favorite phrases.  This one was on the back of my team shirt the first year I was at Augustana.  It goes along with the above in that Ols' always believe in what we could do.  He created this mindset in us that made us believe anything was possible.  It still impacts me today.  I can still hear his voice yelling "I believe" while running in races. 

6.  "Say Yes"...another favorite phrase.  This one applies to any positive thought that enters the mind..."Should I pass this guy?", "Can I go faster?", "Should I try to go out with the leaders even though I've never beaten them before?", "Can I do this...or that?"...the answer is always "Yes".

7.  The power of the mind- Ols' always taught us how impactful the mindset is in shaping the outcome of any situation.  I remember this story well.  Before a big meet Ols' came into the team meeting and said, "Raise your hand if you've had a wet dream."  We all laughed but then soon realized there was something serious behind this.  The reality is that wet dreams do happen and he was making the point that in that situation it is the mind which causes a physical reaction.  How powerful is that?  Knowing that one's mind can impact a physical response made us realize the power that the mind can have in determining how well we perform, how well we handle any given situation in life. 

8.  Behind every action there is a reaction- When we didn't get all of our trash picked up at a meet Ols' asked us what we thought would happen to the trash...when we left towels in the training room he asked us what would happen to them...it made us realize that what we do leaves an impact.  When we leave something behind someone has to deal with that.  It taught us to be more responsible and respectful to the earth and our surroundings.  If often ask kids in my class that when I see gum in the urinal.  That gum doesn't just disappear.  Someone out there has to take care of it.  Behind every action there is a reaction. 

9.  "Pat's got a story"- We had a bus driver who we thought was a little strange.  She would say things that we made fun of in the back seats of the bus or when we stopped and got off.  Ols' knew this and when we were in the hotel room he said, "I don't know what Pat's story is but I know she has one.  You don't know her story.  You don't know what she has been through and dealt with in life so be careful making judgements without knowing the story."  Just because her story is far different than ours doesn't give us a right to treat her with any less compassion.  This has impacted me and helped me understand people with differences.  Great life lesson. 

10.  The Road Less Traveled- I've never had much of an appreciation for poetry.  I hated poetry in high school and college mostly because I never understood it.  My appreciation for one poem in particular could not be greater because Ols' taught us the mean.  The Road Less Traveled by Robert Frost was the poem.  Ols' would often recite this poem and tell us how eating nutritous foods in college was the road less traveled...getting up early for morning runs was the road less traveled, staying in on the weekends when most college students were out partying was the road less traveled...and that is what makes all the difference.  Frost writes about coming to a spot in the woods where the road diverged.  One was well worn...the path most people take.  One was overgrown.  In the poem he takes the one less traveled and knowing "How way leads on to way..." meaning how one things leads to another he doubts that he would ever come back.  That path less traveled makes all the difference.  I often think about this in my own life.  When deciding to resign from 3 sports while weighing 195 lbs. to go "all in" with a belief that I could become a professional triathlete while being married, having a full-time job, and having just had our first child...the road less traveled.  Now here I am 4 years later..."way leads on to way" and I'm so glad I have taken that path less traveled.  It has made all the difference. 

Thanks Ols' for everything you taught me.  Your impact has been felt by so many of the kids I teach and people I have met.  The same I'm sure can be said for thousands of other athletes you coached.  I learned more from you than I ever did in any classroom.  I'd say in college the impact you made on my life was greater than the impact of all my classes combined.  You taught me to believe that anything is possible and the journey is a great one.  What I learned from you is why I don't get afraid or nervous when I'm on the line at professional races with the best triathletes in the world.  Instead I embrace knowing that I've earned my place on the line with them. 

On Tuesday we were able to give our 2nd iHope gift of the year.  It was super inspring.  This gift was made possible by an anonymous donation to fund an entire iHope gift.  The student received an iPad and protective case.  The student's mom, grandma, and aunt all came to watch us give the gift.  The student had no idea and was more than a little surprised to see their family in our school conference room.  This student is a model of character for our school.  The student treats others with compassion and respect.  The student works tremendously hard.  When we gave the gift along with the letter the student was in tears and so were many of us in the room.  It was completely inspring and is exactly what we hope to be able to do more often as the iHope foundation grows.  The student gave us a thank-you card later in the week and described what the iHope gift meant and how it has been difficult being raised without a father-figure in their life.  The student mentioned the high goals they have for their own future and how they realize nothing will be handed to them...everything must be earned.  The student also said some day they are looking forward to being able to give back to iHope.  You can help us continue to grow the foundation by making a tax-deductible contribtion or just learn more about the iHope foundation by clicking here. 

The week was a good one.  The highlight was placing 2nd in a 5k over the weekend and earning $200.00 that will go to the iHope Foundation.  Because my parents have generously agreed to match all my race winnings that nearly funds and entire iHope gift.  Jen placed 1st in the women's 5k amazingly about 6 hours after her sister's bachelorette party ended.   Sunday was my biggest day of training yet this year at just over 6 hours with a 90 mile ride followed by a 13 mile run.  Only 5 weeks until my first triathlon of the year.  As I seem to say every week I need to make it a point to get to race weight now.  I'm strong and surprised by how well I'm running at my current weight but it's time to reduce my body fat % down to something respectable.  Thanks for reading!  DREAM BIG!