Ironman New York Race Report

Arriving in New York with the fiancé on Tuesday and we had a whirlwind, but relaxing week ahead in prep for Ironman.  Staying downtown, near Times Square was great, being near the host hotel for all the logistics involved.  Family visits upstate on Wednesday.  Touring and a show Thursday, then ferry rides to get everything set up on Friday.  Who knew racing was so much work! 

Seeing family for the first time in years was a treat.  I’ve seen my Grandmother, Nanny, at least once a year, but my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin, not for a long time and I appreciated the opportunity.  My Dad and I went for a nice swim in Copake Lake, Uncle Mike took us out for some tubing on his boat while he tried to do some damage.  Luckily he didn’t put the peer pressure too strong onto me, and I made it out without taking a turn.  Dinner with the family and back to the city.  Whitney and I were exhausted and turned it, but somehow my parents continued their martini streak after we hit the bed.

Thursday was most fun, but also the most emotional.  Visiting the 911 Memorial was an experience, but also a draining one.  Little hard to comprehend what used to be there and strange emotions came back to the surface.  Hopefully the world never sees a tragedy like that again.  Reminds me there are many things more important than triathlon in this world.  Walking to Battery Park for a good view of Lady Liberty seemed a fitting completion too our afternoon.

Yes, they give you sippy cups!

After athlete check in and a short bike ride in Central Park, the fun for the day was the Broadway Show “The Book of Mormon” by the South Park creators.  Whitney, my parents and I all went and thank god, pun intended, my parents have a great sense of humor because it is the most inappropriately funny piece I could have imagined.  Language, adult content and pure blasphemy topped off with drinking in the theater made for a raucous standing room only crowd that didn’t disappoint.  Cruising through Times Square to finish the night and get my last good night sleep.

Friday arrives and race logistics demands start up.  #1 Get transition bags together, #2 recheck transition bags, #3 finishing details for the bike #4 Ride to Ross Dock to check my bike (10 miles), #5 Check bike in, #6 Stage transition bags, #7 check out the Park and the flow of things, #8 Ferry Ride home (Turn to my left and amazingly there is One-Hour-Ironman and fellow M2'er Lindsey), #9 Walk home through downpour.  The rain finally decided to come down on us Friday with some authority.  Once the ferry hit dock, people rushed the taxi stands and One-Hour-Ironman, Bob and I were left to walk the mile back to our hotels soaking wet (I've been following his blog and exploits for the past year after racing IM Texas with him and seeing his great sense of humor on some message boards).  Hot shower then out to dinner to La Masseria where we had a Spike Lee sighting and dinner with one of my oldest friends from Pittsburgh.

Amazingly get to bed around 9pm, for a 2:30 wakeup call.

Race Morning:

2:30 wakeup, coffee brewing, eat my yogurt with granola, take my travel mug, and start the walk to catch our 3 am bus to the ferry terminal and I run into my buddy Bob on the bus again!  3:15 and we are at the terminal and One Hour Bob and I are camped outside the terminal eating and just trying to stay relaxed.  (recommend having someone drop you off or cab it over for an extra 30 minutes sleep next time).  Ferries start loading at 4 and we are on our way to Ross Dock.  Chill boar ride, check on the bike, pump tires, check on transition bags then wait, again.  The spectators start arriving and I get to hang out with my parents and fiancé for a bit which was nice and calming then off to the next ferry line to get to the starting barge.  Four ferries were ready to take us all up river, and while I’m sure many had visions of timing the swim to have the best current, the line was stacking up when I arrived, and I made it on the second ferry.  Cruising up river, the boats paused for us to watch the Men’s start and then the women, each five minutes ahead.  Finally they are letting us off the boat and ready to charge down the Hudson!

This race was one I was prepared for, but at the same time unprepared.  With some setbacks from injuries, along with an incredibly supportive family who want to see me race Kona again this year, excitement, as well as some doubts swirled my head.  There were a lot of "what if's" going on, but I was ready to take on both the physical and mental part of this day.

The Swim!

Much worry from all athletes throughout the week due to the sewage dumping a town north had to do because of an emergency.  Two tide, some good rain, and it all magically dissipated per the Health Department.  We all came to do an Ironman, and and while having no swim wouldn't bother me one bit, it turns out it helped me in the long run.

Usually I give up around 10-15 minutes on the swim in an Ironman to the leaders of my Age Group.  This time, the max 4:30, so there was either a weaker field, or my swimming has improved!  I'm going with the later but I'm sure many will argue the prior.  This was incredible as well since I didn't get a draft off anyone during the entire swim.  Actually swam straight for once, so that was a plus.  The second half of the swim went as expected, FAST!  The current picked up and buoys just flew by you.  Heading into the ramp out of the water, your hand hits mud and you try to stand up, but your foot just sinks into years of god knows what in the riverbed.  Yanking my foot back, I try to swim to the ramp and get yanked out of the water by some big dudes, probably put there on purpose because of the mud.

Sprinting up the ramp, almost running over a cop, and into transition.  Slight twinge in my heel since it wasn't warmed up and gimped to the tent.  Wetsuit off, socks, shoes and helmet on, and up the hill I go!

Swim time: 46:00 PR*! well, not really - 51st AG, 256 Overall (usually around 1000 overall)

The Bike!

Trying to keep under control heading up the hill from the river bed, there is a HUGE climb up to the Palisades Parkway.  People lining the streets cheering, managed to keep watts under 300, but my heart rate was still sky high after getting out of the water.  Onto the rolling hills of the Palisades and I know the race has really started.  Getting on the early boat, and having a good swim, there wasn't any bad traffic on the road, and it was almost time to start grinding away.  Cresting the next hill, HR finally down to a manageable pace, the first long, sustained downhill approaches and I'm more than eager to open it up and see what I can carry along the course.  30, 35, 40 MPH spinning out at 42 and still going up to 45, WAHOOOO!  I thought freeway riding would be a bit boring, but the Palisades has enough gentle turns and elevation changes to keep it interesting.

Miles keep ticking away and there is really no flat portion of this course.  Jordan Rapp has a good review of the route here.  Turns out it was a bit more climbing than advertised, with people reporting between 5,000 and 6,500 feet of climbing.  Roads were in good shape with your usual highway potholes that car tires can eat up, but bike tires, not so much.  Saw a crumpled carbon rim on the back of one of the support vehicles, as well as reports of some major wreaks and ambulance rides.

Nobody around me to pace with or legally draft and by mile 20 I was into the women's Pro field.  Staying on top of my pacing, and fueling, things were perfect.  Sun was hiding, and there were even a few times when I thought the rain would come into play.  Most of the time for an IM bike, it heads out into desolation, but people made the trek out to each of the highway overpasses to cheer the race on which was a boost.  The aid stations were great as well, perfectly handing off bottles without having to slow down.  Coming back to the lap turnaround and the final long climb I blasted down earlier, legs felt great.  Grab my special needs bags and off on lap 2!

Finally had some company ride up at this point, which made me feel good and bad.  Was I off pace or were these just uber bikers putting their mark on the course?  The usual scenario starts to unfold.  They catch me on a hill, more than likely overpowering it, we crest the hill, I pass them on the downhill or in the flat.  This repeated a few times until at the far end of lap 2, I turn and they are far behind.  One guy did decide it was his race though and left me after two hills.  We talked for a few passes on trying to even the pace and legally work together, but he was a lightweight and taking the hills too fast for this to be plausible.  He climbed a short hill quickly and slowly disappeared.  Yes, he won the amateur race, and is a stud Norwegian so I don't feel so bad after, but it did leave me a bit of a dark spot for a few minutes.  Adding to this, the wind was picking up from the South, putting a downer on my hopes for a 5 hour bike split.  Keeping my head, and not hammering the rest of the course out to make up a few minutes I was back to my task at hand.

Cruising off the Palisades with some Pro women and into town, the crowd was just nuts!  Any dark thoughts were gone as I knew I put forth a great effort and felt good for the run.  Hard turn into the park, down hill to T2 and over the loudspeaker I hear Mike Reilly announce "First Age Grouper off the bike!".  I knew I wasn't but it brought a big yell from the crowd and I wasn't going to correct him.

Bike time: 5:02:59 - 1st AG, 4th Amateur Split
Strava Ride Profile - 5,300 feet of climbing

The Run - uh-oh

Entering the race I knew I didn't have my full fitness.  Adding to that, the realization of how hard this course was going to be when we drove it earlier in the week.  The first 16 miles are just brutal ups and downs, with no real time to get into a rhythm and super-cruise the race.  Eerie to be out there with only a few female pro's in sight.  By mile 6 though, things started to change drastically.  Unable to hold their pace on the uphills, my race started going backwards.  This was the first time I've had to deal with this in a race that meant something.  It happened to me in my first 50k trail race , but there were no ramifications there, this race meant something to me.  I just had to get through those first 16 miles and the other side of the bridge would be "Easy".

The hills are much of a blur.  Passed some pro women and a few lead Age Groupers, the second lap I had some company, but added to my fear of who was who and where I was in the race.  Fresh legs passing me, or my competition tracking me down.  KEEP YOUR HEAD AND JUST MOVE FORWARD!  I see Ken Glah who gets me going for a few minutes and says I look great, LIE.  "How you doing Brett?", "I'm Lietoing" I reply (no offense to uberbiker if he ever reads this, I just needed a good laugh to keep me going). The final climb to the bridge is just a madhouse at this point.  The sun is out, its hot, but the scene pulls you up the hill and onto the bridge.

Actual

With people watching

I felt good heading onto the bridge, but there must be something about NYC that didn't agree with me because half way across the stomach starts cramping to where I couldn't breath.  Slowed down, still no help, walking, boooo!  First place in my AG comes cruising by, pats on the back and offers some encouragement.  Finally the muscles relax and I can jog for a bit.  It had been lonely out there on the bridge and finally some sights of other racers and cheers from the roads bring me back in.  The gentle downhill from the bridge, all the way to the waterfront Greenway was a good respite, but a rude awakening waited for us running south along the Hudson, a headwind.  ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!  The bike course was nearly made for me, this run was going to be the death of me!  6'5", in the heat, humidity and into a headwind to get home.

Getting my composure back I finally match paces with someone, Michael, from my AG.  We were both in trouble, so sharing the misery was a blessing.  Talking for a bit, he falls back and wishes me luck, I return the thought.  Half a mile later, my calf seizes up, and he passes me.  Knowing I'm on the verge of dehydration its time to walk a few aid stations to get enough fluids and electrolytes, glorious Coke and Perform!  

Don't care how I look,
just get to the finish

Making it to the end of waterfront, and into the maze the WTC ran us through in an obvious attempt to draw out IM on a GPS map and failed, it was good to see the massive crowds in Riverside Park.  For some reason someone else's cheer group decided to adopt me and went nuts every time I ran by (added benefit of the power of Hello Kitty).  Wish I knew who they were to properly thank them and their athlete.  Back and forth seeing my family and friends in the park was great.  Almost done, but still an evil little hill to climb, and back South through the park.  Back down to the riverside and a few turns you can see the blue finisher shoot and Mike Reilly yelling.  Trying to charge home, my legs are giving out much like they did in Texas.  It was a long day out there and going backwards in the field took its tool on my head as well.  Fearful of the Time Trial start, and possible late finishers picking me off I felt like I was sprinting the shoot, only to see this video showing the contrary.

Run time: 3:48:10 20th AG, 65th Overall
Strava Run Profile - 1,700 feet of climbing (nearly all in the first 16 miles)
Finish Time: 9:43:39 7th AG, 22nd Amateur

Best sight all day, the finish!

The volunteers grabbed me and escorted me to the "athlete's lounge" for a seat and some chocolate milk.  I had raced my race and was happy about it.  Whatever place I fell into, be it Kona or not, it was out of my control.  My family and friends find me and let me know I came in 7th AG, well within the estimated 10 spots, and it was the perfect addition to an amazing day.

One race left for this year and I can't thank everyone in my life enough for the support and well wishes I've received.  I race for myself, but also for you.  Many times over this past year it could have been the end of my high hopes to return to Kona.  The people in my life have always kept my spirits high and looking at the positives in my life and the least I can do is race to the best of my abilities and dedicate it to my friends and family everywhere.  I'll take those thoughts to the Big Island now for one last big show.

My support crew, thank you all.

A bit of rest, but then on to Kona Part Deux!

For some completely obvious plugs (I'm not sponsored, but very open to it).  Thanks to Hoka One One for making my shoes which helped keep my heel together throughout the race and not further injuring it.  I'm feeling great the week after the race and confident in heading into training for Kona.  As always my Williams Wheel System 85 set performed perfectly.  Megan at Tri Mobile PT had a big part in getting my achilles back in order, and of course M2 my coach.  Keeping me motivated and focused on my goals.

Racing, Injury and Life Updates!

After a good month off in May, some great training in June, and a few life changes thrown in the mix, life is better than ever!

#1 I think I have temporarily solved my heel problem.  I don't think anything can fix it until I take a few months off and seriously put some time into rehab and strengthening.  From my earlier post, my achilles tendinosis comes and goes with increases of run mileage.  Not quite the sharp pain I was feeling in the beginning of the year, but definitely a mental block keeping me from putting some hurt on my body while running.  Enter Hoka One One!  

Slowtwitch had an great review on these shoes last year, but at $170 and legs feeling great, I had not interest in trying them out.  Enter 2012 injury desperation and theclymb.com having them on sale and I was sold.  Getting the trail version first at a discount and running in them, I was sold from the first mile.  The extra cushioning was either a placebo, acting as the heel lifts recommended for my injury, or just held my feet better and removed much more impact.  I don't know and don't have anything scientific for you, but after putting in 10 miles with the Mafate 2, and then buying the Bondi B's the next week and getting a 16 mile day in, I was free of the second day soreness in my heel I had been experiencing.  This revelation lead me to be extremely excited for my race at Vineman 70.3!

#2 Always a great time up on the Russian River.  I have a perfect setup with one of my longest, best friends buying a cabin just west of Guerneville that I get access to.  Nice 5 mile warmup ride to the start.  Bike racked, business taken care of and ready to rip up the river.  Little disparaged about the late wave, 7:50 after a 6:30 start to the race, but everyone has to deal with the same, so I get over it.

Into the water for a little warmup, they guys in my 35-37 AG wave are definitely friendly for a change and some good banter while we wait for the start.  Waiting wasn't the right word as all we hear is this Charlie Brown teach voice say something, then "GO!".  Half the wave lets out a "Really!?"

Love my Fit2Race

Probably better that way, and keeps everyone honest.  I had clean water and kept to the middle of the outbound traffic for most of the upstream half.  Not much drafting, but clean water was suiting me as we encountered many people from earlier waves.  Some shallow spots where my long arms hit gravel too.  At the turns, people were wading, causing a log jam.  I navigated this fairly well and no standing.  Heading back toward Johnson Beach and I finally get some good feet to draft off and we make great time back, with good navigation as well.  Pushing hard to the finish and a good run up the beach I know it was a good swim, for me at least.

Swim Time: 30:36 - 250th Overall 37th AG - Full minute improvement over last year.

The bike went as planned from a race perspective.  Navigating wave traffic on my way out River Road, trying to be nice, but still having to yell "ON YOUR LEFT" a few times.  Luckily everyone except for one lady obliged with courtesy.  I won't repeat what she yelled back.  The course is a great one on the 70.3 circuit with the exception of 5 miles of really crappy 1960's concrete.  You have two big climbs and plenty of rolling vineyards.  Never boring with bends and it can be a task to stay aero at times with some of the 90 degree turns.  While overall the course is not "difficult", it can be a technical course with lots of gear shifting and turns to make bike handling skills a very large benefit.

One strange thing that I still can't figure out is the loud hissing I heard right before Chalk Hill.  I thought I had blown a tire from what it sounded like, so I even slowed down, but wheels were rolling true and no mushy feeling either.  Figured a CO2 popped, but both were sealed afterwards.  Nobody around me pulled over to fix a tire either.  Thinking back, there were a good deal of either live or dead snakes on the road there, and maybe I had a close encounter?

Taking Chalk Hill hard, flying down the hill and my one tragic event occurs.  My last bottle of water violently ejects off my back wing.  I'm down to maybe a quarter bottle of perpetuum for the last 10 miles of the bike.  I pretty much say screw it, and drive my body into dehydration for those last few miles because I wanted a stellar bike split.  Hammering away at 300-320 watts the whole way, I wanted to close hard as running was not going to be the strong suit for the day.  Hoping I had kept up on my drinking I was expecting the worst when I go back into transition and off my bike.

Bike Time: 2:22:42 40th Overall 7th AG - 1:30 improvement over last year

Slow transition because with my new Hoka One Ones, I haven't had a chance to dial in the speed laces, so having to tie them up took a minute.  Up and out of T2, slamming down as many cups of Gatorade and water I could gram and I'm out on the course.  Amazing friends Stefan and Virgilio are waiting half a mile down screaming and I'm feeling good.  Definitely a lot left in the tank, but since I hadn't tapered for this race, my bike suffered slightly, so I couldn't put myself into the red out there, or on the run.  My heel puts a mental limiter on my for the run anyways, so off on the road and I'm clipping away at the miles between 6:30 and 7:00 pace on the way out.  Rounding La Crema Winery and still strong running at sub 1:30 HM pace.  The route home was changed this year to "Help Traffic".  I guess its neighborly, but I love seeing everyone on their way out and cheering for people I know.  Now you run a short downhill/uphill out and back, where I can see my competition eating up time on me.  Definitely the 1st place AG'er from two waves back charging.  The legs are cooperating and letting me drop the hammer a bit more for the last three miles.  Virgilio was out on his bike yelling for Mike and me, giving splits to where our competition was.  I knew I was 3rd or 4th in my wave at that point, and so a near miracle for a podium.  Still wanting to push and get a good time I see Stefan cheering, and some other SF Tri Peeps along the finishing mile so I'm stretching my stride and pushing all the way in.  Eric Gilsenan gives me a great welcome over the PA and I'm happy with a new Vineman PR!

Run Time: 1:27:16 50th Overall 5th AG - 7 sec improvement over last year

Total Time: 4:27:10 28th Overall (removing Pro's) 8th AG

Very happy with the result as this was a test race to see where I was and make sure everything was a GO for IMNYC.  Happily, two weeks later, my heel has been holding up, and another great training week is in the books.  One last weekend, then its on to some taper and recovery before the big race.

#3 Amazingly as a triathlete and the world of Ironman, something even bigger has happened in my life recently.  The girlfriend has been creeping into posts, we moved in together, and she is an amazing person in my life.  On a beautiful summer day up on Mt. Tamalpais while hiking up to West Point Inn (site of our first hiking adventure), I proposed to Whitney and I was lucky enough to receive a yes.  Full story here.

There aren't many things to compare to some of our adventures in racing, but this tops anything I've done in life.  Whitney and I are looking forward to a long, healthy life together.


Sorry for the shackiness, but I asked some random MTB'ers to act like they were taking a picture with my camera, but I had it set to video.

Training Partners

While I'm sure there are plenty of "Lone Wolf" types our there, training partners are the unsung heroes of our training.  Be it for triathlon, running, cycling or anything, these are the people that help get you where you need to be for almost no cost except friendship and reciprocated support.  The one "rub" here is that it may take some time to find the right people who fit with your training philosophy. 

Friends are always great to try out first for this role, but their thinking on what a training session should accomplish is not always the same.  This isn't a bad thing, just not what a training partner is for.  Heading out on an intense hill climbing expedition with intervals may be your objective, your friend may just treat cycling as their social interaction for the day and dilly dally through the ride.  Not a great combination and ends with frustration either for taking too long for an expected ride, or not attaining the effort needed.

Searching outside of normal friendships is another step to take either through a training group or regular group rides.  These have a wide range of abilities and philosophies to take into account.  Putting a staunch Zone 2 athlete together with a minimalist high intensity athlete is a recipe for disaster in the long run.  Not saying either way is better, at least not in this posting, but to each their own, and training philosophies should be respected.  Once you find those with the same attitude towards training you'll find these become good friends in the end as well.

Skill is an elusive aspect to account for, especially with triathletes.  We were all once really good at one sport, and trying to catch up in the others.  Nobody can be perfect in all three, so some understanding is necessary when training with someone in the weak link.  Mine is swimming for the sake of this post.  I get lapped in the pool all the time.  While I do have the skills on the bike, I'm a good 20 pounds heavier than most of my training partners, so I'm last up the big hills, but not by much.  The real skills to be aware of are etiquette and proper pacing.  We covered Pacelining on my Coach's blog last month.  Other things to keep in mind is people's self sufficiency.  While training partners should and will always help each other out, with flats or injuries, there are instances where people get lost, or you just lose them.  I'll be the first to go looking for them, but knowing they will either be on their way, or trying to fix their problem on their own is much better than finding them stranded and having given up.  Riding with someone who is oblivious is just the worst as well.  I can take accidents happening, but not when someone rides into the road after a pull without looking.

All in all, when you find those people you can train with, you'll bend your workouts to fit theirs as well because the end result will be better and more enjoyable.  Adding some distance here, or pushing intensity there is easier with others around.  Climbing Tunitas this past weekend, every switchback I would see my buddy Mike.  I was pressing to close the gap the entire way up to as a result.  I love my toys, Heart Rate and Power Meter, but going outside those tools it was much more exhilarating turning the effort into a mini race and chasing someone.

In my group now, everyone seems to find their place to contribute.  Some organize, others lead by example, or just act as a rabbit to chase down.  Its a great group to be a part of and I'm looking forward to seeing great things from everyone this year.

Ironman Canada Race Report

Heading up to Canada was a trip of many uncertainties.  The last month of training was filled with some serious intensity, but no real "long" workouts that leave you crushed.  My race/personal schedule over July limited my uber-training days, but I felt the consistency and full year buildup had me where I needed to be to either go hard in this race, or just have "fun".

There were two sets of goals for this race.  #1 would be to get another podium.  If something goes wrong or if its just not the day #2 Not get hurt and have fun.

Heading up to Penticton, BC on Wednesday was a great idea.  A group of friends and I rented a house within a mile of the start and it was just a perfect setup.  Easy runs to the Peach to swim in Lake Okananagan.  Mellow rides south to Lake Skaha.  It just made for a great atmosphere around the entire race and very relaxed because we could come and go as we pleased to take care of all the race things like packet pickup, bike check, etc.

Of course there was an Underpants Run, unofficially sponsored by Sanrio and Hello Kitty again.

A highlight of the week came when an SF friend, Brianna, decided to have a "Tweetup" to gather all the people from online that use twitter to form a bit of a social training circle around Ironman Canada.  The amazing thing was that @ironmancanada himself, Ron Zalko, the founder of IM Canada, showed up.  He was a great guy and really appreciated Brianna, and every one's support of the race online.  Every time we'd run into Ron around town he took a few minutes to talk with us which was awesome!

My parents showed up Friday and we hung out most of Saturday, just making sure all the last second ends were tied up.  Turns out my Joule 2.0 is missing/stolen from my luggage on the way.  Luckily my Garmin 310XT was a suitable replacement, but had to go find the quick release setup for my bike.  Bike Barn to the rescue!  Their mini-expo was probably better than Ironman's.  Dinner with my parents and Scottsdale friends up for the race and then try to go to sleep.

RACE MORNING!

Fellow Kona qualifier from Tri-Scottsdale, Erica

Up at 3:30 per my IM standard now.  Amusing to see M2 sleeping on the couch.  Our coach made a last minute decision to cheer us on where he's won two times.  Should have gotten a pic, damn.  Usual breakfast and off to the start by 5:30.  With just shy of 3,000 people showing up for this race, the crowds were spectacular.  Get into transition, check bike, load it up with last second nutrition and find my parents who are volunteering.  It was great to have them in there, behind the scenes.  Made for a calming and entertaining wait for the swim.


Wetsuit on, Steve King on the PA, and over to the swim start!

Lining up with Faith, well, a few rows back from Faith, she's WAY too fast, we take the inside line to the right of the buoys.  The countdown goes down and we're off!  Walking a few steps since its waist deep, and getting enough room to actually swim from the people in front of me.  Probably should have been a few more people deep because got hammered a few times.  Aside from some bunching and others stopping to freak out, wasn't too bad until I get hit in the goggles.  Took a minute to make sure everything was alright.  Breast stroked for about 30 seconds, then back at it.  About half way through the first straight and I make my way left to the buoy line and settle in with the crowd.  Not really pushing, but I keep losing feet in traffic.  Not good drafting on my part.  Someone kept smacking my feet though which was annoying, so a few times had to kick really big to get them to back off.  The one lap course was nice because only two turns and crowds, but got a bit boring.  Everyone behaved themselves at the turns too, then the long run back home.  Wasn't sighting very well, but had some feet to follow so I wasn't too worried.  Hopefully they were doing a good job, but my effort was much less as a result.  Coming into the finish you can see the bottom which was really fun because with all the bodies causing a current it looked like you were swimming fast as the lake floor went flying by.  Not a bad swim, but not a good one.  1:09 total, but some faster swimmers said it was slow overall which made me feel better after.

Swim: 1:09:43

On to the bike and the unveiling of Iron Kitty!  Was ready to go out and crush it on the bike after a lackluster swim.  Heading out of town was amazing with people lining the street for the first few miles.  A bit crowded as expected

Cruising through the first 40 miles was great.  Looking to find some partners to legally draft, but no luck as my slower swim left me chasing through traffic to make up time.  There were a lot of draft marshals out as well, so probably a good thing to stay completely clean riding.  Not pressing too hard and hitting a good 250 average watts, only spiking effort heading over the small speed bump hill at mile 10.  Getting to base of Richter and its a sight!  I didn't get a chance to recon this section, but everyone said its nothing to worry about, just keep your effort controlled and be ready for the 7 bitches (rollers) on the other side.  Watts were bouncing from 270 to 300 all the way up.  Getting passed by a few people, but then reeling them in when the hill flattened out.  So great having the power meter as it kept me honest and on a consistent effort even when the hill let up.

Cresting the climb and ready for some fun in a massive descent!  The race starts here is what everyone says and I'm ready for the rollers.  My approach (advice from M2) was to keep a steady effort, spinning up each roller, using all the gears I had to, and to resist mashing up and over.  This would keep enough energy to continue accelerating over the crest and keep my power consistent even during the short descents.  Worked out great!  I got passed by the same 4 people heading up each hill, then re-pass them either at the top, or through the next trough.  Finally when we got out of the rollers, all were left behind me as my legs were still intact, even while we finished the rollers in about the same amount of time.

Slight redesign necessary

On to the out and back and special needs.  Started passing the people I wanted to, and picking off Pro women at this point as well.  Getting to my Special Needs bag and they have it ready.  One problem though, my secret frozen weapon, was still frozen!  The towels around my frozen Perpetuum and Gatorade didn't thaw out in time, which left me slamming the bottles into the ground to break them apart.  Was a crazy sight!  Finally a volunteer came running up with their water that was nearly boiling from being out tin the sun and loosened up the towels so I could get the bottles out.  All in all, I lost 3 minutes.  Eh, not too big a deal since I wasn't racing for Kona, just personal goals, but that would come back to bite me.

Heading up Yellow Lake it was getting hot and the headwind was picking up too!  Much more sparse on the race course, and no more annoying draft marshals to worry about (was glad there were a lot out, but still puts you on edge that you inadvertently did something wrong).  The long slow climb was a great sight, lots of people made the trek out to watch and cheer you on.  Still controlling my effort, but losing time to my ideal bike split.  For the last push up the mountain I picked it up slightly, but not mashing.  I just wanted it to be over with.  Taking the top of the hill and looking down through the valley we would descend and you are in awe.  Such a beautiful sight.  Heading down the hill was not easy task though.  Headwind, downhill, and deep wheels makes high speeds interesting.  Over the next 12 miles there are some steeps and gradual descents.  The steeps get you up over 40 mph, and the rest, if you are brave, you can take in aero at around 35 mph.  Winds were playing tricks with my front wheel, so I played it a bit safe.  I got this far, no need for any heroics that could bring the rest of my season down for 30 seconds.  Coming down to Lake Skaha and the final 10 miles was a relief.  This wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done, but with over 5,000 feet of elevation, stiff headwinds, and rising temperatures, this course was a beast!  Letting up a bit once I got into town seemed like an eternity with a stiff headwind, but the crowd was alive cheering on the Pro's on their way out, and cyclist coming it.  Penticton rocks!

Bike: 5:13:11

Off the bike and legs are a bit jello-y.  Few steps and alright.  Mom is there in transition with my run bag, and Dad on the megaphone yelling at me!  For some reason I try to run to my bike rack like a normal triathlon and my Mom nearly tackles me and someone pushes me to the changing tent, lol.  Sitting down to change, I had memories of my legs seizing up come back from Texas, but nothing!  Sweet, run legs intact!

Out of the tent and onto the run course with my sweet singlet, er, halter top.  Michael McCormack, 2 time Canada Champion, gave me the honor of wearing his Espana/Bike Barn singlet from his 1995 race, and I loved it even while it really didn't cover much.

Heading around the mini-lap I look at my split and I've missed my personal cutoff of 6:20 swim/bike split to allow me to turn Canada into my "A" race by 3 minutes.  Crap!  Time to shut down the legs and not hurt myself.  Thinking this was just going to be a long 4 hours, I surprised myself at how fun run/spectating can be!

The crowds and aid stations gave off such great support like on the bike.  People cheering, encouraging and making everyone smile, or at least try to.  A lot of people were going to their pain cave as they passed me by.  Up front on the course people were fighting for the Kona spot available and I cheered on the AG guys I rode with as they went blowing by me!  I made sure they knew I had my spot while riding though;)  It was getting HOT along Lake Skaha and as everyone said, it was really tempting to just jump in.  To boot, there were people partying just 50 yards off the shore, blasting good music and having a few cold beverages that would be amazing at that point.  M2 rode past on my way out on the course.  He was following along with the leaders on his bike loving his own flashbacks from years ago.  It was great to see him, but he knew I was "mailing it in" at this point.  He tried to get under my skin a little to urge me on, yelling for me to "run with a purpose!", but the motivation to hurt myself was not there.  Just a fun jog through the countryside.

An amusing interaction came as I was running with one of the Pro Women, Maki Nishiuchi.  From my past blog post, I knew she was battling for a Kona spot, so I cheered for her any time I could to keep her going.  Trying to actually talk to her was another story as either she was ignoring me, or can't speak a lick of English.  I'm going with the later.  After the mid-way point she motioned for me to pick it up and go with her, but I couldn't/wouldn't and let her push on.

Cruising back I start getting people either slowing or actually running my speed and not passing me any more so I get to actually talk to some guys.  Great way to speed up time and we had some fun conversations about life and really kept off the subject of tri's except for mini histories.  Getting to see all my friends on the way back and cheer for them was a blast too.  Everyone looked so strong on the run and you can see how they improved throughout the year.  In the last few miles I was happy to see one training partner Peter get out on the run course.  He was so worried about the cut-offs and I was pumped he got off the bike.  Unfortunately he was one of the people caught out on the course when water ran out which seriously effected his run and he missed the finally cutoff by a few minutes.  In great form though, he finished, and Steve King stayed to cheer on the final few races out there.

The finish along the lake for me was fantastic.  Getting to soak it all in was a new thing for me and the finishing shoot was a lot of fun, giving high-fives and a big smile on my face.  Very happy to have finished and even more excited to have this new racing experience and really enjoying myself, cheering for everyone.  Penticton is a special place as everyone has said.  This is a must do race for all IM athletes with the beautiful location, and deep history. 

Run: 4:08:56
Total: 10:37:57


Now its time to prepare for Kona.  A lot of swimming in my future, along with a condensed block of training.  M2 and my run coach Tom from Focus-N-Fly are excited to help me recover and get real work in over the next month and I look to get my best effort in on the Big Island!  

Welcome Home! Pittsburgh Triathlon!

The family and I were all fired up for a return to Pittsburgh to visit my brother and sister-in-law's home with triplets and all.  They are getting big and I was a bit afraid Charlie, Katelyn and Sarah were going to wear me out at the pool before the race even started like they did in Kona last year.  Getting back east is always a treat though and I was happy to do it while it was actually warm out and enjoy some things I never get to do living in SF where it is perpetually 60 degrees it seems.

Off to packet pickup Saturday, and I love getting into the burg in the summer time. Everything's so green and down by the ballparks has been done over to be a great place for a race.  The Olympic race has a third upstream, then two thirds downstream, finishing in front of Heinz Field.

Swim start up-stream to Roberto Clemente Bridge

Dad and Chuck are happy the Sprint only goes down-stream

Finish at the old railroad crossing in front of Heinz

Back home and dinner with all the family then to bed early with a 3:30 am wake-up call.  Race starts at 6:45!  Only had that form IM's, but that's how they roll out here where it gets hot and humid.


Morning comes and my normal bagel with peanut butter and honey.  In the car and down to the burg we go.  Nerves were building on me as this race has two of my favorite things going for it.  Non-wetsuit in fresh water did not agree with me in Texas, but I've been working hard in the pool for the last month, so lets see how I hold up.

Heading into the Allegheny for a deep water start, everything was mellow and it was really cool to be out in the middle of the river.  The Allegheny is the "cleaner" of the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, but we found out later that they found a body in the river in the wee hours of the morning.  (Glad they kept that to themselves)  Not much of a current which was both good and bad.  Good for heading up-stream, but bad for any major swim PR for the down-stream portion.  3, 2, 1 and we were off.  I charged in on the right side for some clear water, but a pack of seriously fast swimmers were charging up the middle and took off.  Felt better in the water than Texas, and I was staying flat in the water!  Around the bouy at Roberto Clemente Bridge, cruising downstream, and swim straight toward Heinz Field.  Out of the water and nothing spectacular, but  happy with a 27 minute non-wetsuit swim.
Time - 27:43, 93rd overall

Up next, a rip-roaring roller coaster ride on my bike.  This course involved the blocked off section of the HOV (Carpool lane for all the West Coasters).  Grind uphill for nearly six miles, then downhill for another six.  Completely fun 2 laps except for the amount of lap traffic you run into with three races going on at the same time.  Add to that rumble strips.  Wow, hitting a rumble strip at over 30 MPH nearly shakes your teeth out.  With the setup of the cones separating incoming and outgoing racers, it made a lot of people crowd near the cones, fearing the strips which made me do a lot of yelling "ON THE LEFT!" which I hope they heard, but near 40 MPH at times, I don't think they could.

Crushing the course and averaging 300 watts (350 up, 250 down) I started looking at my splits and an hour bike leg for an Olympic race was in reach!  Letting up a little on the short flats before finishing the second loop I see that opportunity slip by, but I still have to run 6.2 miles.

Bike - 1:00:27, 3rd Overall

1,400 feet gain

Feeling great off the bike, it was time to put in some work in the pain cave.  With a flat out and back along the river I knew I could open up and hold an crazy pace and not die, so it was on.  Passing a few guys here and there, but I'm not sure if they are in the Sprint or Olympic race so until I hit the 5k turnaround where people peel off, its just all mental and pushing.  Once at the Sprint turnaround there is a spotter who tells me I'm 7th and 7 minutes back from the leader.  There is a long straightaway ahead of me and I can't see anyone!  Head games start in to "take it easy", but I didn't fly all the way out to Pittsburgh to mail it in at the last minute.  All or nothing.

Finally after pressing for another mile I start seeing the leaders returning, but also catch someone on their way out.  Success!  With about 200 yards to the turnaround I see another runner and that is where I set my goal for the day, CATCH HIM!  Taking in some Gatorade at the aid station, I don't want much in my stomach for fear of puking on the way in.  I look at my watch and its going below 6 min pace.  I see my Mom out on the course here and she gives a great cheer.  Maxing out my effort and I finally see my target at around the 2 mile mark.  I plan to reel him in over the next mile and make the catch at the 1 mile marker and I do.  Unfortunately I start grunting when I'm over exerting myself and it gave me away withing 10 yards which gave him the opportunity to pick it up.  He turned when he heard me and it was a race.  Both of us are at our limits and we go blowing by my Dad finishing up the Sprint.  He gave me a "GO GET HIM BRETT!"

With the last 100 yards coming up, we were withing 10 yards of each other, but  the extended effort had finally taken its tool on me, I couldn't accelerate for a final sprint.  This was a great experience to actually race hard for the last mile of a tri, but it wouldn't be my win.  Crossing the line it was still a successful trip, 6th Overall and 3rd Age Group! (They gave me the 2nd place medal because the top Overall people are taken out of the AG standings).
Run - 37:28 2nd Overall

The guy I raced against is Ben Erdeljac who my Dad and I talked to after the race.  A good guy who is on his way to Vegas for the 70.3 Championships.  He'll do do great out there and here is his race report where he shares his bit from our battle mile.

The fun graph for the day, heart rate for the run!  I think I finally nailed down how to pace for an Olympic and not have anything left at the end.  Its been a while since an Olympic has been my A race, as I've been training for longer distances, and ignoring speed, but over the past two month I've gone back to shorter, more concentrated workouts to help build speed and threshold pacing.

Next up is Canada and then Kona.  Its been a long, but great year so far.  Canada won't be anything spectacular unless a miracle happens, but all plans go towards a strong and healthy Kona.  This was a great way to cap of the "fun" portion of my year and I was glad to do it with family.  Mom and Dad were out, along with my brother.  His family and in-laws were out to cheer us on too so all in all a great day.

Breakthrough! - Vineman 70.3 Race Report

Racing close to home with no camping is such a great feeling for a big event.  My friends even did me a HUGE favor when they bought a little "fixer upper" getaway house in the woods in Monte Rio because it has made Vineman my new favorite event.  This race turned into a "B" race for me after a bit of training turmoil from post IM problems from Texas, and a sub-par performance at Treasure Island last weekend.  There have been some personal life decisions to be made as well, that I am quite happy about, but training took a back seat for a bit too.  After slamming my body for a few days, a two day taper, I felt good going into the weekend, but unsure if I was ready for the distance or the fact I'm carrying 5 pounds extra right now.

Race morning came along, Dan and I got up early fixed our breakfast, caught some of the Tour de France, did our final preparations and off we went to the race start.  We had a short 4 mile ride to Guerneville from Monte Rio which was perfect to keep my nerves at bay.  Getting into T1 and its just chaos.  The good and bad thing about Vineman is that they keep transition open for everyone because it is a very tight area and so people don't have to just sit there for hours waiting for their start time.  The drawback is that people are coming and going non-stop and there is pandemonium.  Getting my bike racked, transition set up and off to do my "business" and down to the river.

The water was a few degrees cold enough for a wetsuit swim, but easily warm enough to go without.  Waves go off every 8 minutes which is nice so you aren't running over too many people ahead if you are a fast swimmer.  The speakers weren't set up towards the water so you could hardly hear the countdown, but all the other athletes were helping out by calling out the time left.  3, 2, 1 and we're off!

Sprinting out to keep away from any major bludgeoning, I have a good line and not much traffic.  Holding a fast pace for the first few hundred, I pull back a little to find a draft and settle in.  Unfortunately, the water got shallow just as I found a good swim buddy, and he was forcing me into even less water.  Having to swim with bent arms for a bit, we finally get to the turn and people are walking!  Swimming by people walking is interesting in such shallow water, but I was not risking a penalty.  Heading back to the beach and more shallow water, but manageable.  Cruise into the finish and an "average" time of 31:26 and its time to do some work on the bike!

They have you pack up your bag at Vineman so they can transport it to Windsor for you, so a little extra time in T1, but everyone has to do the same.  Up a short hill that many are just walking because they didn't put their bike in the small chain ring ahead of time.  Onto River Road and time to fly!  Trying to control myself a bit, but stressing as always to make up for a lackluster swim I'm flying by the earlier waves.  There is a HUGE shoulder to the road and most everyone was riding there, allowing faster riders to go by, but a few people had to get a "ON THE LEFT" yelled their way as there were cars on the road.  Only one guy took offense, so all in all a good bunch of racers out today.  Very sharp turn to get to Westside Road, and the major efforts begin.

Rollers make up most of the next 20 miles to the major climb over Canyon Rd.  Its such a fun ride too except for the rough patches of roads.  Pretty much the original concrete slabs with asphalt patching over the last 40 years.  Finding the best line was a chore at times, but hitting a pot-hole and flatting was not an option.  Getting through Healdsburg and onto the big sustained climb of the day.  Canyon Rd. isn't steep, but it does test your pacing.  If you aren't careful you can slow down too much, or try to power over and die.  This is where the Power Meter came in handy as I just pushed 10% higher for the climb as planned.  Cresting the top, some real fun comes along with a BIG descent into Geyeserville with speeds topping 45 MPH!.  Unfortunately there's a 90 degree turn a half mile after the bottom, but still got a good run at it.  Finished my Perpetuum bottle and switch over to Gatorade and water from the course along with a GU Rocktane.


Cruising through the second half of the course you get some flat-ish sections through the river valley with nice scenery, but all the sudden it starts to rain!?  This was definitely a weird Vineman.  Pretty happy with the rain drops cooling me off, and the roads stayed dry enough to hold speed when cornering.  Traffic was increasing on miles 30-40 and you could tell people were a bit agitated getting through.  I don't know what one care was doing tailgating two cyclists, but I had a head of steam near 30 MPH on a slight downhill and was forced to make a pass.  Not one of the brightest moves of my life (very stupid to be honest), but I didn't cross the double yellow;)

Coming into Chalk Hill the legs still felt good, but all day I'd been having 10 minute bursts of over 300 watts, then 260.  Not on purpose as I was trying to hold a 300 average for the race.  Hitting the hill, I knew it was short, but steep, so taking a controlled push over was the objective.  Cranking out 330-370 watts over the climb worked great, and left me with enough pop to push over and gain some good speed into the three mile downhill.  Relaxing and resting the legs for the final six miles to transition.  The course is a gradual decline back home, so spinning high cadence and getting my legs ready to run was my only thought along with finishing any Gatorade still on the bike.

Bike - 2:24:01

Into transition, legs feeling good, change the shirt, got my shoes on, visor, and I'm out on the course like I was shot from a cannon.  I had the same sensation in Texas after overcoming my cramping issues, and with the cloud cover and only 70 degrees there was a confidence to go for it and not have the life sucked out of me like in the 90 degree heat.  After a mile I settled into a good pace and was happy with the effort.  Such great support at this race with well stocked aid stations and a great course.  Rolling hills, with a few short steeps that bite the legs.  Getting to my club's aid station, I could hear them before I even crested the hill between us.  Rocking out and loving the energy from them, pushed me to a near sprint on a downhill and off to the winery a mile away.

The loop around La Crema was good to get some change of scenery and running surface as you were running through their vineyard.  The dirt service roads were a much needed respite for the feet, and a nice mental break from asphalt.  Heading back on the course I was charged up for some "Pain Cave" time as I could see an even split would land me easily under 4:30!

Blowing through the SF Tri aid station, getting some needed adrenaline from them, as well as Golden Gate's, with Buzz Lightyear, my pace kept steady and getting ready for a final 2 mile charge.  I had no idea where I was in the race and with a split start for my Age Group, it didn't matter as someone could have beat me and not even know it from the earlier start.  There were a few from my start I passed in the beginning of the run, but I didn't see anyone for a long time.  Finally after I crossed the 11 mile marker, and starting my kick, I see at 34 on a calf!  Yes!  Finally get to catch someone, and he is hurting.  I fly by and try to offer some encouragement to bring it in strong, but no response.  Some others from other age groups are walking and I yell to get them going as well, but they respond as there is only a mile left.  Felt good and was feeding off their energy as well.  Finally see the school and all out sprint through the chicane to the finish line and Eric Gilsenan see me and gives me a great finish line memory over the loud speaker where I finally got to use the finish line tape!

Run - 1:27:24
Race - 4:28:41 5th AG - 22nd Amateur

Hanging out at the finish I got to see some good friends set some great overall and personal race goals too!  Its a big race for old friends to escape the heat in Scottsdale, and its great to see the random friends pop in.

Dwight and Eric

PODIUM!

This was a great day out and a comfort that I was finally coming back to form.  Looking forward to another "fun" face in two weeks in Pittsburgh, a hard few weeks training, then off to Canada with a surprise new race kit to unveil:)