Chisago Lakes Triathlon

I think triathlon is the only place where adults have there parents yelling, chasing, and cheering for them. It is fantastic.

It was a pretty nice morning and a pretty good day.

I pushed the swim hard, time was not great. It was good to go out and be aggressive.

I would like to continue to do that for the rest year. Bike was good. Run was a little painful, stomach hurt a bit. A little slower than I would have liked to go 7:30-7:45.

Race number 12 this year and all went well.

I am enjoying this year.

Swim (440 yards) - 9:18 (2:19 min/100yds)

T1 - 1:54

Bike (17 miles) - 45:39 (22.3MPH)

T2 - 1:09

Run (3.1 miles) - 24:25 (7:52 min/mi)

Total - 1:22:25

Age Group - 7 of 51

Overall - 68 of 779

Here is a comparison to 2007, I would say I was significanlty faster than last year.

Note: Bike was longer last year, but speed was up this year

Swim (440 yards) - 11:47 (2:41 min/100 yds)

T1 - 2:56

Bike (20.1 miles) - 57:16 (21.1 MPH)

T2 - 1:27

Run (3.1 miles) - 25:37 (8:16 min/mi)

Total - 1:39:02

Age Group - 17/55

Overall - 142/801

Refocus or just Focus

Last weekend it was my 31st race (14 duathlons and 17 triathlons) in less than three seasons. So I am taking some time to reflect. It has been a great two and a half years of racing. I have learned a lot about myself, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have lost quiet a bit of weight, and I have gotten much faster and stronger, I still think I have a ways to go. I can get even faster and stronger.
Mentally, I learned that I can overcome pretty much anything put in front of me. The only fear I have faced is the bike at Alcatraz, and I don't consider that a big deal. I have not "hit the wall" or "bonked" during a race, so I have not had to deal with that mental/emotional situation, yet. I will deal with it when it comes. I have used the Tuesday Night Time Trials (T'N'T) to work on my mental toughness for the bike, and I think it has helped a lot. I think I need to improve my mental effort when I swim train, it is very difficult to do laps by yourself, 2-3 times a week. Running and biking, and just have to remind myself to remain focus, and not get lazy, which is not too hard. I think my biggest challenge is yet to come with the my first half-ironman in TX at the end of the season.
Emotionally it has been strange. I sometimes feel like crying before and after races, mostly out of happiness, which is a good thing. Occasionally out of lonliness, a desire to share this with some one else. Kind of like when I seen amazing and beautiful things by myself while traveling for work, I wish I could share the moment with someone else. Otherwise, all of this effort has had a very positive emotional, not to mention mental and physical, impact on me.
It has definitely made me a stronger person.
My friend Matt asked me wondered how I would handle it when I finally hit my physical limit, speed on bike, run, swim at any given distance. Not something I have thought about, not really sure it is something I need to think about. See what happens when it happens.
Another thing I would like to focus on a little more is writing more than just race reports and posting race pictures. Writing more things like this to it. Trying to be a little more creative with it. See what I can do.
I have 8 races left this season. Over the halfway mark, and I am still pretty excited. Training sometimes gets me down a little, but the race help motivate me. I still love it, I still want to learn more, experience more, do more. I think that is the most important thing. When that stops happening, then there is a problem.
So far there is no problem.

Heart of the Lakes Triathlon

Cool, kind of humid, foggy on the lake.  It was a very good day to race, and I had a very good race.

My fastest bike split, finally over 23 MPH in a tri.  Fastest run split over 5K.  I like this course and will probably do this race again.  

I had a good day.    

Swim (880 yds) - 16:42 (1:54/100 yds)

T1 - 2:57

Bike (21 miles) - 54:13 (23.2 MPH)

T2 - 2:02

Run (5.3 mi) - 40:58 (7:44 min/mi)

Total - 1:56:50

Overall - 151/460

Age - 14/39

Lifetime Tri

It was kind of an average day, it felt worse than an average day.  Weather was pretty good.

Swim went well.  Bike hurt, legs were tired, neck ached, pains in my side (side stitch?), abdominal, stomach area.  Dropped water bottle, had to stop and pick it up, did not want a penalty and need the fluids.  Run hurt, much like the bike.  I was a little disappointed, but when I think about it and look at my times, it is really not that bad.  I wanted to do better, I think that is where the disappointment comes in, but it is gone.  It was a good day.  

Swim (1640 yds) - 31:53 (1:56 min/100yds)

T1 - 2:51

Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:12:49 (20.32 MPH)

T2 - 2:11

Run (6.2 miles) - 53:03 (8:34 min/mile)

Total - 2:42:07

Overall - 327/1148

Age Group - 51/156

Minneman Surprise

It was a beautiful day, lately they have all been beautiful days.  Great course, I can see why this has been voted the top triathlon in MN the last 2 years.  My goal was to go under 1:15, I went 1:11 and surprisingly got 3rd in my age group.  Somewhat unexpected, I thought I would be competitive, but I didn't think I would get a top 3 finish. The Speedo Fastskin I got is fantastic.

Next weekend Lifetime!

Swim (.3mi): 10:19 (1:58/100 yds)

T1: 2:27

Bike (13 mi): 35:01 (22.3 MPH)

T2: 1:16

Run (3 mi): 22:32 (7:31 min/mi)

Total Time: 1:11:32

Overall: 45/350

Age Group: 3/30

Wavy Waconia

Beautiful, windy, day in Waconia.  I had bad swim.  Mainly due to the waves and my inability to learn from past mistakes.  Instead of adjusting my breathing and stroke more, I tried to muscle through the oncoming waves and swallowed a lot of water.  Requiring me to stop a couple of times and get my breath and clear myself.  Once I corrected, everything was good.  The damage was done though.  I had a very good bike on a long and hilly course.  I had a pretty good run on a fairly hilly course.  All in all I really cannot complain.  The good part.  At each of the 10 races in the Midwest Events Series Gear West gives away 6 great raffle prizes.  I won the gear bag with all the gear inside (worth 800 bucks!).  The big prize in the bag is the Speedo Fastskin II suit.  That makes up for any bad day.

Total- 188/431

Age - 22/38

Swim (880 yards) - 24:33 (2:48/100 yards)

T1 - 2:34

Bike (24 mi) - 1:07:57 (21.2 MPH)

T2 - 1:35

Run (4 mi) - 32:09 (8:03/mi)

Total - 2:08:45 (really wanted to go under 2 hours, always next year)

High Cliff Sprint

No pictures, forgot the camera.  Too bad it was a beautiful day.  Almost perfect.  

It was a great weekend in the Appleton area, nothing like the Darboy Chicken Festival to get your weekend going with the music stylings of Ryan Cabrera (no idea who he was until that morning before we went to the Chickenfest, could have spent the rest of my life not knowing).  Back to the race.  Water 70 air low 60s, nice fast swim, shallow water.  No more wet suit if going under half a mile, takes too long to change, I think.  Hill out of T1 was pure hell, High Cliff Road, after that it was rolling hills, not too bad.  Fastest bike split yet.  Run was a little tough, had to run up the hill we biked up, little cramping in the lower stomach area part way through.  Still pretty good.  Great day all in all.

Overall - 86/494

Age Group - 8/30

Swim (440 yards) - 7:51 (1:46 pace, pretty close to a PR)

T1 - 2:51

Bike (22 mi) - 1:00:45 (21.7 MPH)

T2 - 1:19

Run (3.1 mi) - 25:32 (8:14 min/mi)

Total - 1:38:17