Alex McDonald Pro Triathlete

I have start off by saying that I knew my race in Lubbock, TX was going to be fantastic, or horrific…I just wasn’t sure which.  Unfortunately, it was the latter.  However, there were 8 Timex Multisport Team member racing and part of the great things about being on a team (aside from sitting around the pool drinking beer post race) is that when one member has a bad day (i.e. me) the other members pick you up by having great races!  Tim, Dennis and Chris swept the M35-39 age group, Cindy won her age group,  Barry was smiling all day, Andrew and Laura had solid races in the pro ranks as well…all in all a great showing for Timex.

As many of you know, my wife is 8 months pregnant and I wanted to get in one more big race before I take a mid season break and adjust to life as a father.  However, I had been on the road for 12 days the prior weeks, and I wanted to be around as much as I could to take care of her in the late stages of pregnancy I decided to make this trip as short as possible.  I landed in Lubbock at 8:30 Saturday night 10hrs before the race began.  My awesome host family picked me up helped me build up my bike and even fed me.  Thank you!  I had a feeling the stress of a last minute arrival, travel and the prior weeks of racing and traveling would either leave me exhausted or I would simply be racing on pure adrenaline due to all the chaos.  Unfortunately it was the former.  That is not to say that I am not glad I came, I am actually very glad.  As I had mentioned in my Eagleman race report, at this point in my triathlon career I need to race as much as I can to get the necessary experience.   My goal was to come to TX to race, good, bad or ugly, I came to the race with high hopes, but no expectations and I think it is safe to say I achieved my goal, I raced and I learned.

Swim: 26

I hate beach starts, but there we were standing on the beach about to start the race.  I began aggressively and jumped out and got into the mix of some of the heavy hitters at this race, but my arms did not feel much like swimming and I was quickly shot out the back on the lead group.  In retrospect I was hammering away trying to go as fast as I could, but doing so at the cost of proper form and technique and as a result I ended up in a small pack a few minutes behind the main group.  Lesson learned, swim form always triumphs arm turn over.

Bike: 2:24

Not a horrible day out on the bike.  I certainly felt better than I did at Eagleman, however, not stellar.  A crash lost me some time and hurt my ego, but I continued on.  Having not driven the bike course did put me at a disadvantage, but I’m not here to make excuses.  The bike course has a little of everything, some short steep hills, flat straight sections, a few technical descents (hence the crash) and on this particular day…wind!  The winds began to pick up throughout the ride and began to wear on me mentally.  I had made up sometime and a few places on the bike and was ready to hit the run.

Run: 1:32

The wheels didn’t just come off, they exploded.  I must admit at mile 3 and 4 I have never wanted to quit a race so badly in my life.  The first 3 miles my legs were exhausted, my lower back was seizing on me and I was running low on perseverance.  I actually stopped and stretched out my back a little and did some of my physical therapy exercises.  They didn’t really seem to help right away, but I continued on, because as much as I wanted to, quitting was not an option.  I took in as much nutrition as I could and began to just jog along.  I slowly began to feel a little better and by mile 6 I had found my running form and some semblance of a rhythm.  I decided to try to pick up and decided to salvage what was left of the race and give it everything I had.  I am a goal oriented person and at the turn around my Timex Tap watch read 3:43 race time and I said to myself, ok 4:25 is the new finishing goal!  With my mind newly focused I began feeling better and to my surprise I actually ended up passing a few of the runners who had previously passed me.  I crossed the finish line without my usual enthusiasm and went to the medical tent to clear off some of my road rash and have some food.  However, the clock read 4:25…one small victory accomplished.

Nutrition:

The race day conditions were hot, although wind, high cloud cover and arid climate made it deceptive and if you did not pay close attention and stay on top of your nutrition and hydration then you paid the price.  I did my normal halfironman nutrition approach with a few hickups: 8oz EFS and ½ scoop PreRace 15min before the swim.  On the bike 24oz bottle with 4 scoops EFS and 1 Liquid Shot flask mixed with water and 6 salt tabs.  I also filled and drank water from my aero bottle 4 times. Running out of T2 I grabbed my fuel belt with each 8oz bottle containing a scoop of EFS with a scoop of PreRace, I knew I was going to need a little extra help on the run.  I began my normal routine of a salt tab and Clif Shot block every even mile marker and sipping from my fuelbelt and grabbing water at the odd mile markers.  However, as I began to break down at mile 3 I went into survival mode and drained both my fuelbelt bottle between miles 3 and 4.  After I started running again, I then grabbed water, sports drink and coke at the aid station.  I realized around mile 10 that I was pretty dehydrated, I was no longer really sweating and my arms, mouth and hands felt bone dry.  Because of the deceptive conditions as well as my nutrition/hydration and run plans going out the window I had fallen behind on hydration.  At the next aid station I slowed down and took in as much fluid and salt as I could and continued onward.  At that point it was late enough in the race that I was able to make it through on fumes.  I took 3 scoops of Ultragen right after crossing the finish line along with some salt tabs and water and I was feeling much better!

As I write this I am left with a mixture of frustration and excitement on my mind.  I am frustrated, because know exactly what parts of my day I would do differently if I had the option to do it again.  This is part of gaining the race experience I need in order to improve.  However, I am also excited because I learned a lot from this race and I know that I will carry these mistakes with me make sure they do not happen again.  Additionally, I learn more and am more motivated after a “bad” race than a “good” race.  Races such as this, initially are pretty disappointing, but long term I think they do more for me long term.  This race has light a fire in me and will help me to become more dedicated and more focused each and everyday on being the best athlete I can.  So watch out!  Next time I do a major race, not only will I be motivated by my new daughter, whom I will be racing for, I will also be more focused and more dedicated than ever!  J

This race report is a little over due and as such I’ll make it brief.  I last raced Eagleman in Cambridge, MD in 2006, where I first punched my ticket to Kona as an age grouper.  Needless to say I have fond memories of the race and the city of Cambridge, so I thought I would venture back and see how big a difference 4 years and racing as professional can make.

I drove up to Maryland so I did not have to hassle with bike boxes, airports or packing everything I need in the smallest space possible, a rare and welcome change from my normal pre-race routine.  I was hosted by a great family who lived right on mile 2 of the run course and it made for a very comfortable and convenient location.  Not to mention they spoiled me with a huge pasta and crab dinner on Friday night after my arrival!

Swim: 30

The water temp was almost 80 degrees, so no wetsuits for anyone, especially not the pros.  The swim start was delayed for 10-15min because of some buoy misplacement.  However, I think they were still wrong and the course was a little long, because all the swim times seemed a little slow.  The good news is that had a solid swim and I exited the water at the front of the main pack of pros, something which I have been working hard to do and in a non-wetsuit swim no less.  All those hours in the pool and work on form and technique are finally paying off.

Bike: 2:16

I had no juice in my legs on the bike and watched many of the other athletes ride away from me.  As hard as I tried and as much my legs were burning I could not produce the power I am usually able.  My PowerTap wasn’t lying, my legs were still pretty tired from all the downhill pounding the prior month at Ironman St. George.  The wind, desolate bike course and isolation made for some tough racing conditions, however, I pushed forwards.

Run: 1:25

Not a very impressive run split, but the heat (90 degrees), humidity and wind were getting to all of us out there by this point in the race and the run became a  proverbial “death march.”  I tired as best as I could to put a pretty weak bike leg behind me and focus on the run.  The first few miles I found my rhythm and my legs were happier on the run than on the bike.  I slowly began to pick people off ahead of me.  At the 6.5 mile marker I found myself in 11^th position with a several minute gap up to 9^th and 10^th a seemingly insurmountable distance.  I began to enter “survival mode,” wanting to slow down and simply make it to the end, however, I fought off the desire and tried to stay smooth and steady all the way to the finish.  My approach paid off and I moved into 10^th position just before the 13 mile marker.  Like I always say, never give up!

Nutrition:

The heat and humidity made for some tough race conditions and hydration became an issue earlier than normal.  I did my normal half nutrition approach with a few changes: 8oz EFS and ½ scoop PreRace 15min before the swim, on the bike 24oz bottle with 4 scoops EFS and 1 Liquid Shot flask mixed with water and 8 salt tabs, (I added 2 more than usual).  I also made sure to try to fill and drink water from my aero bottle 4-5 times as opposed to the normal 3-4.  Running out of T2 I drank 8oz EFS with a scoop of PreRace.  On the run I took a salt tab and Clif Shot block every even mile marker and sports drink from the aid stations on the odd mile.  I found that this protocol kept me pretty well fueled and hydrated as I was able to run the second half a little faster than the first while many of my competitors faded in the last miles.  I took 3 scoops of Ultragen right after crossing the finish line and I was good to go!

I would say that I am happy with my race at Eagleman, however, I am far from satisfied.  I know that I have the ability in each sport, yet I have yet to put together a single race where I acheive my full potential in all 3 elements.  I think it is a matter of simply practicing, racing often and most importantly, being patient.  Rome was not built in a day, and neither will my triathlon career.  Persistence, patience and repeatability will pay off eventually.

First off let me start by saying that this was by far the most difficult race I have ever done…I found a depth of mental and physical pain that I had never encountered previously.  On the other hand, this course also consists of the most spectacular views and scenery that I have ever seen.   The race course took you past red rock cliffs, white stone canyons, high dessert plains and even black lava rock, not to mention expansive vistas.  It was amazingly beautiful!  St. George is also a great town, small enough to be a great Ironman venue, but large enough to have hotels, restaurants and shops to support 2,000 crazy triathletes.  Additionally, everywhere we went the whole town was a buzz about the Ironman and the community support really showed.   This was my first Ironman since Ironman Arizona in 2008 where I DNF’d, and in hindsight the beginning of my stress fracture, which sidelined me for most of 2009.  Ironman is my bread and butter distance and where I feel like I perform best as an athlete and I was really excited to get back to the distance I love after an 18 month break.

I arrived in St. George on Tuesday with my Timex Team mate, and fellow North Carolina resident Tim Surface.  We were hosted by Tim and Jamie who were the best homestay hosts I have ever had…incredible!  Not only did they volunteer at the race on Saturday, they also did everything in their power to make sure we had everything we needed to race to our potential.  So, thank you , thank you, thank you to them!!  It also gave me a chance to catch up with old friends and make a few new ones.  Edde Burgess from InsideOut Sports drove my bike and some equipment out along with his demo fleet for the expo, which was a huge help and a big stress off my mind.  Robert Kunz, from First Endurance took myself as well as a few other First Endurance athletes out to lunch as well as dinner on Thursday, which was great.  I have known Robert by phone and e-mail for almost 4 years, however, not until now did I have the chance to meet him in person and it was a real treat.

Getting to the race a few days early was fantastic, however, it also gave me plenty of time to read about all the talented athletes that were racing in the pro field, including numerous Ironman Champions as well as a number of very talented international athletes.  I tried not to worry about who else was racing and simply focus on my own race.  I previewed the course and knew it was going to be an epic race and I was right.

Swim: 0:56

The water was a crisp 58 degrees, and was a little chilly, but my new Aquasphere wetsuit fits better, and I felt pretty good once I got going.  I lined up right on the starting line next to the first buoy and took off!  I settled into an up tempo rhythm to start and found a pretty good group to swim with.  The sun did not actually rise until about 10-15 minutes into our swim which made sighting a little difficult at first, but I simply did my best and followed the bubbles in front of me.  As we made the first turn we were swimming directly into the sun and I couldn’t see much.  However, I noticed a gap open up a few swimmers in front of me.  I thought about trying to bridge the gap, but though my energy would be better saved for later in the day.  I swam second in a group for the rest of the swim and simply kept a relaxed effort making sure to stay in the draft to save energy and honestly it was one of the easiest Ironman swims I have ever done.  The swim did seem to be a little long to me, and based on everyone’s times it may have been a little slow, or long, but that is simply my opinion.

Bike: 5:13

The air temp at race time was around 46 degrees, so needless to say, getting out of 58 degree water and onto a bike with an air temperature in the high 40’s was…well…COLD!  In T1 I threw on arm warmers, a skull cap and, per advice of my coach and former pro cyclist, put a single section of newspaper under my jersey to cover my chest.  This ended up creating just enough of a barrier to kept me warm for almost the entire bike ride…in fact I was getting a little warm by the end of the bike as the temperatures reached into the 60’s.

I was cold the first 20min of the bike, so I took it out pretty hard, around half Ironman race pace just to get going and warm up.  Then I settled into my prescribed watts and rhythm.  There were a few people who passed me in the first hour or so, but I knew that it was going to be a long day and being patient and riding conservatively would pay off.   As I began the first loop the road winds through some hills and gradually climbs up with several thousand feet of climbing.  The scenery was beautiful, the road was a little rough and there was a head wind, which made finding a rhythm difficult.  I honestly didn’t feel comfortable on the bike most of the day, for some reason I was not able to really settle, but I stayed relaxed and kept my eye on my PowerTap.  A few miles before I reached the summit of the climb, a couple of other cyclists caught up to me and we rode together for several miles.  Then we began the screaming descent back into St. George, I hit 50+ mph at some points…it was awesome!! J   The second loop felt pretty similar to the first, I felt a little flat and had trouble finding a groove.  This time around it was not nearly as lonely or desolate as there were many age groupers on their first loop of the course.

Run: 3:09

I didn’t realize how much the bike course took out of me until I tried to pull my CEP compression socks on in T2…my hands were not working very well and I was tired.  I got my socks on, grabbed my FuelBelt and headed out the door onto what I knew was going to be a very difficult run course, and it was.  Although my marathon time was over 10 minutes slower than my PR, this was by far the best run I have ever had in an Ironman; yes, this course is that hilly and that challenging.  The only portion of this course that is flat is the first 150 meters heading out of T2 and then the terrain immediately turns up and there was a head wind the first few miles to make matters even more enjoyable.  The first 3 miles were really tough, my lower back was really tight and began to cramp a little.  I had flashbacks to my DNF at Ironman Arizona in 2008 and negative thoughts immediately crept into my head.  Additionally, the 3 athletes that passed me in those first 3 miles didn’t help matters much.  I have to admit the thought of quitting did enter my mind, however, I banished it just as quickly as it had arrived.  Again, I was patient and persistent, simply focusing on form, putting one foot in front of the other and said the word “easy” to myself with every footfall.  I immediately continued with my nutrition as well to help take my mind of the pain, more on that below.

Before I knew what had happened, my breathing settled, my lower back released, my stride lengthened, my Brooks Ravenna seemed to have a little more spring with each step and I began reeling in the runners in front of me.  As I re-passed the three runners in front of me, I knew I had a chance at finishing in the top ten.  I told myself to just “run easy” the first lap as I knew the second lap was going to be incredibly difficult, heck, the first lap was incredibly difficult, the second lap was insanely difficult.  I did not even bother with pacing as I normally take my mile splits, but on this course I knew there would be no point.  I ran by feel and focused on getting to mile 20 without pushing the pace too much, again that word “easy” was repeating over and over in my brain.  Besides, the race does not begin until mile 20 of the marathon.  My and my coach’s Ironman race day strategy is to get to mile 20 while expending as little energy as possible and then “emptying the tank” from mile 20 until the finish and believe me I emptied the tank more than I ever have before.

The last 4 miles of the marathon course are predominantly downhill with a few short kickers, to make life as miserable as possible.  I gave everything I had and the last mile felt like the longest mile I had ever run in my life.  My quads were burning, my feet were screaming and the downhill pounding was taking a toll on my body.  In the past, I have found myself wanting to slow down or give up when the going got tough, however, not at St. George.  Never before have I been able to dig myself into such a place of discomfort and pain.  As my coach refers to it, I was deep in “the pain cave.”  And as I found myself deep, deep in that “cave” I began to focus on many things, but thinking about my unborn daughter helped to bring me strength on this day.

After what seemed like forever, I crossed the finish line, but as I tried to stop running, my body simply rebelled, my quads seized up and I literally collapsed to the ground.  A few friends were making fun of me and said I was simply being dramatic, but I assure you I have never been so glad to cross a finish line in my life.  My legs were simply no longer willing to support me.  But for all the “drama” of my finish, it did get photos into the local St. George paper, The Salt Lake Tribune as well on the Triathlete Magazine website J.

I spent the next hour or so in the medical and massage tents trying to encourage my quads to stop cramping and encourage my legs to support my body weight once again.  Additionally, I began to get very, very cold and could not stop shivering, which didn’t help matters any.  Some fantastic volunteers, staff and friends helped coax me back to lucidity and I cannot thank them enough.

Nutrition:

The critical 4^th discipline of Ironman was even more important on such a demanding course.  With help from Jessie Kopelnicki at QT2System, I have a very methodical race nutrition plan, which actually begins 48 hours before the race.  On Thursday, I began to cut down the amount of fiber in my diet as well as increase the amount of carbohydrates I ate.  On Friday morning, the day before the race, I had a huge breakfast at IHOP, including pancakes, eggs, homefries, toast, however, no whole wheat, whole grain or high fiber foods.  This breakfast was a lot of fun because it was with some great friends from FuelBelt and other QT2 atheltes, include Jessie himself.  I then ate a few smaller snacks tapering off my eating throughout the day.  I do not have dinner the night before a race to avoid stomach distress and unnecessary bathroom breaks.

Race morning I woke up at 3am and ate my pre-race breakfast of applesauce, a banana, Ultragen and supplements (Multi-V, Opygen, PureOne Omega-3 and ARX).  I usually can’t get back to sleep after this, so I just laid in bed feeling uncomfortably full.  About 30min before the start of the race I ate about ¾ of a PowerBar.  Then 15min before I have a scoop of First Endurance EFS and a scoop of PreRace.

Once on the bike I drank water for the first 5-10min to let my stomach settle a little bit, however, I soon began to sip on my mixture of EFS and EFS Liquid Shot along with some added sodium.  I mix all this together in one 24oz bottle and sipped on it throughout the first half of the bike ride chasing it with water from my aero bottle.  This makes for a pretty easy system, one just one bottle of nutrition to deal with and simply filling up my aero bottle at each aid station.  I tried to front load my nutrition on each lap of the bike course, because you never know if you won’t want or be able to eat later on.  At the special needs station half way through the bike I grabbed another bottle of the same concoction, however, this one included a scoop of PreRace as well.  Also, in my special needs bag I grabbed a de-fizzed Dr. Pepper, I never drink regular soda, but I find it to be a great source of quick acting carbs and caffeine that in much needed around mile 80 on the bike.  I finished my nutrition about 15 minutes before T2 and this helped to allow everything to settle and makes the transition to running a little easier.  I did take a gel right before T2, to give my body some carbohydrates without a lot of volume of fluid to fuel my body until I was able to get into a run rhythm. 

On the run course I wore my 2 bottle Helium FuelBelt with a scoop of EFS each and sipped from these at every mile marker.  At each aid station I mostly drank water and a few sips of sports drink as I felt I needed it.  At the run special needs I reloaded with the same supplies, only this time the FuelBelt bottles had a half scoop of PreRace added.  By mile 20 I had trouble thinking about anything other than my aching legs and began simply taking in whatever water and sports drink I could at the aid stations and drained my fuelbelt bottles.  I felt pretty well fueled at this point in the race and did not feel like I was running out of gas, as I have in the past, I was simply beat up from almost 9 hours of racing.  Towards the end of an Ironman I usual feel very bloated and sick and/or running on fumes, none of which occurred at St. George.  I had been much more meticulous in my race fueling protocol as well as practicing it extensively in training which paid off on race day.

I am very satisfied with my return to Ironman racing and know that I left it all out there on race day.  However, this is what I love best about Ironman, pushing our minds and our bodies farther than we ever thought possible.  As always there are far to many people to thank, but on this particular trip, my wife, Ashley, my coach, my hosts Tim and Jamie, Timex, Edde Burgess, Robert Kunz and my unborn daughter top the list.  As I write this, I am not even 48hours post race, at least I can sit still without pain at this point, however, I find myself already beginning to think about the next race…I think I need a psychiatric consult.

Let me start by saying that New Orleans is a very cool city… neither my wife nor I had ever been here and since her birthday was the monday following the race she decided to take some well deserved vacation time and we as well as her parents came down for the race and to spend a few days enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and (most importantly) tastes of The Big Easy…I’m still not sure why they call it that.  The high points, Beignets from Café Du Monde, Gumbo, boiled seafood platters, jazz at Preservation Hall, the spectacle of Bourbon street, walking around the garden district and stumbling across a guy riding a bicycle with a parrot! J  There are certainly a lot of areas of the city still devastated after hurricane Katrina, but now I have a glimpse of what people are referring to when they speak of the spirit, history and energy of this city, it is truly a unique and special place.  Anyone who said this city should not have been rebuilt after the devastating floods clearly had no appreciation for the beauty, culture and historical significance of this great city…and the most recent super bowl champions…but I digress…you want to hear about the race!!

Let me start by saying that NOLA was a “training race” for me.  It was the final icing on the cake of my training for Ironman St George, just 2 weeks later.  As many of you know my bread and butter is Ironman racing and this was the culmination of several months of hard work.  In the past I have raced a half iron distance race 2 weeks out from a major Ironman and it seems to work very well for me.  It gives me one last fitness boost as well as the mental confidence knowing that I can race well despite being fatigued.  That being said I only took a few days of light training leading into this race, a 105 mile ride on Tuesday and a hard hour tempo run on wed had certainly made me a little unsure of what to expect on race day, but three days of relatively light training and traveling seemed to do the trick.  Overall my day had some hiccups (mainly the swim), but it was a great race and a great confidence boost!  The main focus of this race was to run well.  I know my swimming is making huge strides with my new masters group and my cycling fitness is coming a long nicely, both evident by my race at California 70.3 a few weeks prior.  However, I wanted/needed to prove to myself, and my coach, that I could run again after coming back from my season ending stress fracture last year.

Pre-race

I got up at 3:30 to have my usual breakfast, Ultragen, banana, applesauce, vitamins (Optygen, Multi V, Pure One Omega 3, ARX) and some electrolyte tabs.  I tried not to wake up my wife (it didn’t work.)  We went back to bed for a few hours and rolled into transition around 5:30, perfect.  I have to say how much nicer it is to go to a race with Ashley.  She has a tough day while I am racing (she’s a professional spectator you know), but this time she was 6 months pregnant and had an even more difficult day than usual, I am continually impressed by her endurance.  I got all my gear set up, ate half a Powerbar 30min before the race start, went for a short jog and swim and then drank 12oz of EFS with a scoop of pre-race 15min before the start I was ready to go!! J

Swim:  30:35 - Badness

The water temperature was 73.5, so no wetsuits for the pros, and the swim being my weakest legs of the race, I knew this put me at a disadvantage.  The pro wave splashed, bounded and dolphin dived into lake Ponchatrain just as the sun was rising and the wind was beginning to pick up at 7am.  Between the sun, 1-1.5 feet of chop on the water, wind and current, as well as the general chaos of a triathlon start I had no idea where I was going at several point of the swim.  I found some feet for the first ¼ of the swim, but he kept veering of course, or so I thought.  I decided to not waste energy, do my own thing and swim as best and as straight as I could while use as little energy as I could fighting the choppy water.  I exited the water a little frustrated, but knowing it is a long day I remained focused, put it behind me and moved through T1 as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

Bike: 2:11 – Pretty good

The first 5 minutes of the bike in any race is always a little tough, but I quickly found a rhythm and started into my nutrition early to try to get it all into my system well before T2 and avoid sloshing on the run.  On the bike I carry a 24oz bottle with 4 scoops of EFS, 1.5 flasks of EFS Liquid Shot and 1200 additional milligram of sodium.  This is about 256g of carbohydrate that I nurse over the course of the bike and I also drink plenty of water from my aero bottle that I refill at aid stations.  I knew it was going to get hot on the run and I wanted to make sure I was well hydrated.  I found myself cruising eastward and allowing myself to push pretty hard until the 1hr mark of the bike, my usual race strategy.  The only problem was the wind was blowing from the northeast and made it deceptively hard at times.  My legs were moving well, but I certainly felt a little flat, they did not have the usual pop and my power numbers were a little low, but I didn’t really worry too much about it, I rode by instinct and feel the first hour and then settled into my own race after that.  Aside from a few bridges and overpasses this bike course is dead flat…the only problem is the wind!  We are not talking Kona winds, but still…I would compare it in many ways to the Eagleman 70.3 bike course, for those of you have done that race.  There were a few out and back sections of the course where I got to see where I was and I was anywhere from 11-15^th place over the course of the ride.  Also this provided some respite from the head wind as the tail/cross wind was a welcome change.  The last 8 miles of so back into T2 it seemed I was barely pedaling, yet I was moving 30mph with the tail wind! J  I rolled into T2 with a couple other guys and was ready, both mentally and physically to lay it all out on the run course.

Run: 1:18 – Solid, 6^th fastest of the day and a new PR

I was 13^th off the bike, quickly settled into an up-tempo pace and passed two guys in the first half mile…then I was alone…seriously, aside from aid station volunteers and the occasional cop at an intersection it was 11 lonely miles, followed by 2.1 miles of misery, with what I think were spectators and people cheering…I can’t remember… it was a blur.  The run course is beautiful, but desolate though some sleepy neighborhoods and New Orleans City Park, additionally, there was not a whole lot of shade in many sections and the day was beginning to heat up.  I drank my fuelbelt flask of EFS and Pre-Race within the first mile of the run and then settled into my routine of water and sports drink at the aid stations as well as 8g of carbs every 2 miles of so to try to keep my fatiguing muscles well fueled.  As I said, it was lonely, and I was running well and didn’t see any other racers, even on the long stretches of flat straight road until mile 5.  Miles 5-8 are through the park where there are a couple out and backs and I finally saw some other races, and at one point I measured almost 5 minutes between myself and 10^th place.  As I said, anything can happen down the road, keep going.  At mile 10 the course moved out of the park and began a long straight 2.9 mile stretch down to the French Quarter with a right turn then with the finish line in front of Jackson Square (a very cool finish line…more on that later).  This part of the course was well shaded, but I was certainly getting tired and the legs were beginning to tell my brain they had enough. However, I wanted to finally put down a good run split from start to finish, something I had not done in a long time.  I found myself literally yelling at myself “come on!” “don’t give up.”  Then, way, way…WAY down the painfully long and painfully straight road I began to make out a figure, which at first I thought was an aid station volunteer standing in the middle of the road. However, it was the guy in 10^th.  He was not moving very fast…see anything can happen…don’t ever give up!  However, he saw me coming, “You got him running scared” as one spectator yelled and as I gave my legs everything I had, he did too and he crossed the line just 7 seconds in front of me.  See, I told you anything can happen, so don’t ever give up!

Missing the top ten by 7, painful, seconds was certainly a tough situation, however, given the caliber of the competition, my bike and run legs and my main focus being St. George I am very satisfied with my race here in New Orleans.  All in all a very solid day and having my wife and in-laws here to share it with me made it all that much better.  The finish line was a great place, tons of people, jazz playing, restaurants and bars everywhere, all right on the banks of the Mississippi river.  After the race I had a serving and a half of Ultragen, another helping of all my vitamins, a beignet from Café Du Monde, CEP compression socks and soaked in an ice bath…in a kiddie pool…hey I need to recover fast I have an Ironman in 2 weeks! J

As always a huge thank you to everyone out there supporting me, there are FAR too many of you to list here, but you know who you are…the one exception, who I must mention here is my wife and our unborn daughter! J

This year marks the 4^th year in a row that I have started my season in Oceanside, CA, at the Ironman California 70.3.   Being one of the first major US races of the season there is always a large amount of very talented athletes who show up and this year was no different.  Because I have done this race so many times, it has become a bit of a barometer for me.  To some extent I can subjectively compare year to year as well as get the first race of the year under my belt and see where I can improve and focus my training.  However, this year not only did it serve the usual purpose, it also was my first race since my stress fracture last spring.  I had not raced for 10 months so, yes there are certainly things I need to work on, manly my running, however, given the circumstances I am pretty pleased with my race and the results.  I finished 20^th in a very strong male pro field, however, and most importantly I ran without any pain in my hip at the site of my (former) stress fracture! J

I arrived in sunny SoCal a few days early, and stayed with my friend Leslie in Solana Beach, THANKS LESLIE!  Oh, and by the way, it is official, I love San Diego!  On Race morning I woke up for my usually pre-race 3am breakfast of  24oz of Ultragen, a banana and apple sauce ( I was trying something different and skipped the tomato soup…sorry L).  I got to the race site around 5am with plenty of time until my 6:40 swim start.  I prepped my transition area, said hello to several friends and competitors and went for a short warm up jog with fellow Timex Team Member Tim Hola.  Had half a PowerBar, 20oz of First Endruance Pre-Race/EFS and before I knew it I was in the 59 degree water and ready to go!

Swim 26:40

A little slow, but I have been working very hard on my swim with Dave Williams of Triangle Multisport and fellow pro triathletes of the triangle and it is certainly paying off.  I had taken care putting on my Aquasphere wetsuit to make sure that it was well positioned on my body and it felt pretty good and certainly kept me warm in the chilly water.  A few sighting and tactical errors caused me to loose my group for the last quarter of the swim, but I felt strong and smooth throughout the whole swim, certainly an improvement! J

Bike 2:24

 I had only ridden my new Orbea Ordu a few times, however, it felt great out on the course today, very stiff and very smooth.  Also I should note this was the first time I had raced in the new Rudy Project Wingspam helmet, it was fantastic!  The first hour of the bike, as we cruised up the coast, I really pushed the pace and was very aggressive with my pacing.  I was taking in as much of my First Endurance EFS/Liquid Shot mixture as I could, however, it was tough while riding at this pace and I was getting very bloated.  I backed off on the caloreis and began to feel better.  My PowerTap was showing me numbers well above 300w for most of this portion.   I was really suffering for certain periods of this hour, however, I knew I needed to be aggressive to get into a strong, non-drafting, group of riders to help push each other.  At the 1hr mark I found myself with 4-5 other riders and as we turned away from the coast and begin to climb the hills of Camp Pendleton, I settled into my goal half-Ironman pace/power and rhythm and began to take in more nutrition.  The hills on the backside of Camp Pendleton were tough as always, however, the wind was stronger than in years past and made it tough at times.  I made a few surges though out this section to make sure I maintained contact with the group and it may have taken a little more out of me that I would have liked, but hey…it’s march.  At mile 45 one of the rides in our group took off ahead and I decided to go with him, however, by mile 50 I was riding harder than I wanted to at that portion of the race, so I eased off and cruised into T2 at a slightly more relaxed pace.

Run 1:25

Yeah, this was the one point of the race that I certainly need to improve on, however, again, given my injury last year, simply completing the run without hip pain is a big improvement.  As my wife said to me before the race, “anytime you feel horrible and want to stop, just think, last year you couldn’t even have tried to race, so be grateful and don’t give up!”  I found myself thinking of these words a several times on the course, but particularly the run.  The first half of the run my low back was very tight, which I have learned, from my Physical Therapist, is an indication that my running form is poor and I am placing undue stress on my hip, which often begins to hurt shortly after my lower back begins to tighten.  I thought I was going to have to go into “survival mode” as they call it.  I slowed my pace a little and focused on my form.  My lower back slowly loosened and my stride became more fluid and efficient, I found some energy and I actually got to take advantage of the quick toe off of my Brooks Ravenna running shoes.  The second half of the run felt much better, I was running pretty well and came pretty close to negative split on the run.  I continued to sip nutrition from my FuelBelt and I caught up to and passed a few guys.  In the last mile there were 3 of us who were all within 20-30 seconds of each other, they surged ahead and I had nothing left in the legs, I was moments away from running out of fuel as I crossed the line.  In retrospect I forgot to take my gel at the end of the bike heading into T2, not sure why I forgot…I guess I am just of out practice.  I think this, along with my concern about my hip, may have been my mistake, lesson learned.

All in all, not a bad day in Oceanside.  I celebrated my return to racing with a fish taco and a carne asada burrito and washed it all down with an extra large portion of Ultragen, it was delicious!! J  There were some highpoints and there were some low, but more importantly I am back to racing and on track to have a great season.  As always a huge thank you to Timex, my coach Kurt Perham, my teammates/training partners and all my sponsors and partners who help and support me along the way.  However, most importantly a huge thank you to my wife, Ashley, for being so understanding and patient with me through the last painful (physically and emotionally) 10 months.

I decided to make the trip up to Middlebury, CT to race the inaugural Rev3 triathlon. I was planning to race Ironman Cor d’Alene in just 2 weeks and decided to approach this race as a practice race/learning experience, especially given the depth of the pro field. Additionally this was my 3rd half Ironman in 5 weeks, on top of the fact that I have not officially taper for any of them due to my focus on Ironman CDA. In retrospect this may have been a bit of a stretch, however, you are never really sure where the line is until you cross it.I flew up to NYC where my mother-in-law picked me up and then lent me one of their cars to drive up to Middlebury. An easy drive on a Thursday afternoon and I arrived at my homestay with plenty of time to relax. Gina, her 2 dogs and cat were great hosts! Also, for those of you who do not know, Middlebury, CT is the headquarters of Timex. Keith Meyer and several other folks at Timex hosted several of us on the team on Friday and it was great to not only see several teammates, but also the Timex staff.Let me start by saying how well the Rev3 staff was at taking care of the pro athletes who were racing. We were provided complimentary pre-race massages, and personalized banners at our transition spots, just to name a few. For example, the shifting on my bike was a little off after the plane ride and I had no idea where a bike shop was in the area. I e-mailed my contact at Rev3 about the problem and 2 minutes later, literally 2 minutes, I got a call back from them.As for my race I knew it was going to be tough. I had been nursing a hip injury and was pretty sure that I was not going to run in an effort to save myself for IM CDA. As I said I was approaching this as a practice race so I was not too concerned or putting too much pressure on myself. However, I perhaps was not putting enough pressure on myself and I found that I was mentally having a hard time getting “psyched up” to race. I think another factor in this equation was the cumulative fatigue in my body from 2 months of solid Ironman specific training and 2 halfs. Unfortunately, this mental flatness translated into physical flatness on race day as well.I have been very happy with how my swimming has improved over the last several months, yet I am still having difficultly mastering the race tactics and sprinting involved at the beginning of a race amongst the pro field. I really wanted to have a good swim at Rev3 like I had at Cali 70.3 earlier in the year. I sprinted as hard as I could for 5 minutes and then my arms and shoulders seemed to decide that they were done. I had nothing in the tank and it was all I could to simply keep moving forwards on the course. The thought of simply quitting did enter my mind and right up until exiting T2 I was debating whether or not I should even ride. However, I decided to approach the bike as an up tempo training ride.The bike course at Rev3 is beautiful and very challenging. It seemed I was either mashing up a hill at 10mph or coasting down at 35mph. I focused on keeping a steady up tempo effort and felt ok a moments but the flatness in my legs remained.I rolled into T2 in 12th place, much to my surprise and decided that I would at least practice my T2 and try to run. After running out of transition and 500 feet down the road the pain in my hip was not horrible, but I did not want to set myself back for IM CDA, so I pulled out and headed to the massage tent.Although this race was probably one of the worst of my career thus far, the lessons continue and I certainly learned a thing or two about the mental aspects of racing. I found that racing without a goal, or without any pressure on myself that there was nothing pulling me forwards or encouraging me to dig down and find the energy and strength to fight on. This is really the first time that I have mentally given up in a race and it is a slippery slope. I find that when the pain and desire to quit creep into your mind during a race it never lasts very long. However, when it is coupled with self-doubt or lack of self-expectation is very easy to give in and say to yourself “you’re right, I can’t do this” or “I’m not good enough.” This begins the negative downward spiral that in many ways becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The trick is to give yourself little goals, such as “one more hill” or “1 more mile.” Most importantly, however, stay positive, no matter how much your doubt yourself and your body is screaming to stop, smile, focus on staying relaxed and stay positive. It really does wonders and soon you will feel better, I promise.In summary, my race a Rev3 was pretty horrific, yet is certainly an organization where I will considering racing again in the future, only hopfully under very different circumstances.

One year ago this past weekend I graduated from medical school and made the uncharacteristic choice to take a break from my medical career and challenge myself in new and painful ways in the sport of triathlon. I have now been training and racing as a professional triathelte for 1 year and the lessons continue to arrive fast and furiously. This past weekend at Ironman Florida 70.3 was no exception…in fact it was probably one of the most glaring examples of what I have learned over the last year.

First off, racing at Disney World is fun, although next time I need to bring Ashley…and maybe the kid if we have one by then. I arrived on Friday, got everything taken care of and was ready to test my fitness, just one week after racing a previous weekend at the White Lake half triathlon.

As a professional triathelte the swim can make or break your race and unfortunately on this day it broke mine. I have been working very hard on my swim over the last 6 months and have made huge improvement, both in terms of my speed as well as my swimming endurance. I had put together great swims at IMAZ last fall and this spring at California 70.3 and was excited to put together another solid swim thinking I had figured out how to do it. The pro wave went off at 6:20AM and the sun was not even up yet. I had made the mistake of wearing tinted goggles and I had trouble seeing the buoys as well as other athletes. I began swimming very hard, as I usually do, and found some feet and then settled in to a steady rhythm after a few minutes. However, I got over confident and before I realized what had happened I had veered off course a little, the pack surged and I was left swimming alone. This has happened before, but this time it was not because I was not a strong enough swimmer, or I didn’t know what I was doing, it was because for a brief moment I lost concentration and stopped fighting to stay with the group. Lesson learned, never stop fighting to stay with pack, never! In that brief moment when I let the pack slip away my desired top ten finish also became much more difficult.

I stayed positive and came of out the water with a small group and jumped on my Trek. The bike course is smooth and fast and after a few minutes I found a great rhythm and a group of athletes and we help push each other along as we tired to chase down the main pack of 12 cyclists. However, despite a solid PR ride I remained about 2-3 minutes behind the group the entire way into T2.

The run course consists of 3 loops, which was a nice change from the “out and back” routes most courses have. The first mile I felt pretty good and was happy with my sub 6min split knowing I would catch several of the athletes ahead of me if I was able to maintain it. However, the middle 2 miles or so of the loop was on a wide grass trail and I had a very difficult time getting into a rhythm on the soft uneven footing. In addition to the grass the temperature and humidity began to climb and the sun began to feel very intense sapping my energy. I managed to stay relaxed and smooth and I was able to pick up the pace a little on the last lap where I passed a few guys and moved up to 17th overall.

The process of training and building fitness and seeing improvements is hugely gratifying and I have seen great improvements over the last year. However, I am still leaning the best way to execute a great race as a pro and give myself every opportunity to put that fitness to use. Many top athletes have told me the best way to become the best in the world is to train a lot, but race even more, and I am beginning to believe them. Every time I race I learn something new and especially when I am racing against some of the best in the world. Some people ask me why I constantly enter races that have a very deep pro field or that I probably won’t win. The answer is that I want to be one of the best in the world and the only way to get there is to continually, challenge myself and race the best in the world. I know that I now have the fitness and ability to race against some of the best athletes in the world, now I just need the experience! Next up Rev3 and Ironman CDA!

Sometimes races do not go exactly planned…. In fact they rarely go “exactly” as planned, but it’s how you respond to the adversity and handle yourself physically and mentally, that dictate the result. Lets just say that White Lake #2 was a great test. 

First off SetUp Events put together a great race in a great location! This race has been so popular in the past that they split it into 2 weekends Whit Lake ½ #1 was 5/2 and the sprint was 5/3, and White Lake #2 was 5/9 and the sprint 5/10…. I did the second weekend.It was an early morning for me, even by race day standards, because I decided to save money on a hotel room and got up at 2:30am to drive the 2 hours to the site that morning. What can I say…I am poor and cheap! I got there in plenty of time to register and got all my stuff together without any rush or unnecessary stress.The swim was in beautiful, clear and smooth White Lake (hence the name of the race). The water temp was 77 degrees, just barely wetsuit legal for this race, but it was going to be 90 degrees and sunny so I decided to go with the swimskin to keep my core body temp as low as possible for as long as possible. Also I wanted to challenge myself. Swimming in a swimskin is certainly slower than a full wetsuit. I had a decent swim, not exactly what I was hoping for, but it was difficult to see for the first 1/3 of the course and many of us swam a little farther than necessary. I exited in about 29min and was in 8th place, about 4min behind the leader.

Another advantage to the swimskin was my T1, itwas the fastest of the day and I was cruising on the bike course before I knew it! I had decided to push pretty hard for the first hour, not even look at my PowerTap, and see what happened. I had moved into second position by mile 10 and kept my foot on the gas, so to speak. This bike course is pretty flat, has a few small undulations, but is basically pancake flat so I could see the other competitors on some of the long straight away and knew I was catching the leader. At about mile 23 I moved into first position and was feeling great! However, about 2min later I heard a clunk and my chain feel off. My first thought was to stay came reach back down and put it back on. However, the chain had gotten jammed between my 11 cassette and rear seat stay, so I had to get off yank the chain out and I was off again. Ok only about a minute lost, and I thought to myself “no big deal, stay focused and relaxed. Note to self, never do your own bike tune up before a race…leave it to the professionals!” At this point I knew the leader was well aware of me and I have a feeling he pick it up a little, because it took me almost another 5 miles to catch up. I cruised past, a little more aggressively this time and around mile 40 there is an out and back where I clocked about a 1:30 lead. However, about a minute after that I heard that dreadful noise…KA POW! Tsss…Tsss…Tss…Tss and I knew this was not my day…to add insult to injury it was my rear tire also that had flatted. At this point I muttered a colorful metaphor to myself and for about a sixteenth of a second I thought about quitting. However, I that is not my style, I hit my watch to time how long it was going to take. After what felt like forever I was back in the saddle and rolling along. It took about 4min which I was pretty pleased with. I knew the leader was a good runner and at that point I decided that I would cruise into transition and see where things stood at that point before deciding my fate. I finished the bike in 2:15, which was the fastest of the day, including my mechanicals and flat, I was very happy with that.

I rolled into transition with my flat tire around my neck, since I didn’t have anywhere else to put it and didn’t want to leave it in the side of the road. Immediately my wife saw it and asked what had happened. I told her about my bike adventures as I took a somewhat relaxed T2…rushing never helps anything. As I headed out my wife also told me I was about 2min back, good to know. I was out on the run course with just my thoughts the sun and the heat before I knew it. I am racing Florida 70.3 next weekend and my plan at White Lake was not to run myself into the ground so that I would be fresh for next weekend. I was a little frustrated with how the day was unfolding, but I decided to focus on the beautiful weather and the fact that I was doing what I love, racing! I got myself into a positive frame of mind and felt great, physically and mentally. I found a slightly up tempo pace that was pretty comfortable that I knew I could sustain for the rest of the run and not kill my legs. A few people gave me splits along the route and I realized that I was closing in on the leader, not very fast, but I was closing. I decided to continue in my rhythm. At the turn around he was 1min up and knew I was closing. I decided that I would at least make him work for the win, so I picked up my pace for a few miles, but I kept getting 45 second splits. At that point I was going to have to run much harder to catch him with only a few miles left and I had bigger fish to fry next weekend, so I continued my pace and cruised into to the finish line in second place about 40 seconds behind, with the fastest run split of the day.

Believe it or not this was the first time I had ever flatted during a race and although I must admit that I am a little disappointed with my luck, I am very happy with the race and the lessons learned. There are several aspects of this race that I am very pleased with, not the least of which is how I responded to the events of the day. I reacted and responded to the situations around me in a calm and collected manner and I ultimately raced my race and stayed positive throughout the day. White Lake certainly tested me both physically and mentally and I am very happy with the outcome. Now for some new tires and tubes on my Bontrager Aeolusrace wheels, a visit to see the mechanic at Inside Out Sports and then off the Disney World for Florida 70.3! ☺

I have kicked off the last 2 season in Oceanside and 2009 was no different. The Timex Multisport Team holds it’s annual training camp in Carlsbad following the race and aside from getting some California sun, going to team camp, and having some fun racing, it is a great chance to test my early season fitness against some of the best athletes in the world. This year was no different, only instead of just 1 or 2, there were several world champions and Olympians racing.I arrived in Oceanside Tuesday night and was hosted by a great family, along with 7 other athletes racing! It was a fun environment to be in prior to the race and we were very well fed. A huge thank you to Felicia! ☺My race week was unremarkable and I was excited to race and see the results of my training the last 4 months. A visit to the expo, a few short loosen up workouts and lots of lying/sitting around. It was especially fun to see some great friends who were also racing/spectating whom I had not seen in a long time.
I arrived at the race site at about 5am, plenty of time park, get settled and do a short mental prep. It was about 45 with a pretty stiff wind and I was freezing and not at all looking forward to getting into the 59 degree water.

However, before I knew it I was in my wetsuit and standing on the boat ramp. I felt pretty good in the brisk water, I lined up right on the front and off we went. I found a pretty good group and cruised along expecting about a 27 minute swim, however, I was VERY pleasantly surprised to read the clock at 25min as I exited the water. Over the last 4 months I have been working very hard on my swim with the help of the NCAC masters group at UNC as well as on my Vasa Ergometer.
Cali 70.3 has a great bike course and I felt phenomenal during the first 45min or so as we flew up the coast with a slight tail wind. This winter cycling has been a key piece of my training, however, I was not expecting anything amazing. I pushed pretty hard these first 45min and then I settled down a little and still felt great. The back side of the course is rolling and has a few climbs, but some newly paved roads made for a very enjoyable ride. The last 15min or so of the bike I again let my power fall a little to make sure that I had something left in the tank for the run. In many of my races recently I have pushed pretty hard on the bike and I think that my run has suffered a little. As a result, I decided to give up a few minutes on the bike in order to run well.

I was into T2 and onto the run course before I knew it. My T2 was a little slower than I would have liked, but it was primarily a result of taking a few extra seconds to put on my CEP compression socks, which certainly allowed me to more than make that time up on the run.

I knew the run was going to be fast, especially give all the ITU athletes that were racing, so I dug in and kept my cadence up. There was section of beach that we had to run on (4 times) and it was miserable, but aside from that I was pretty satisfied with my run, not quite where I wanted it to be, but I was pretty satisfied.I finished in 4:13 which was about 10minutes faster than last year and was good enough for 21st place overall. Given the fact that it is only April I am happy with my results and it is a sign of very good things to come this season.

Making this race even more special is that my wife and dog were able to watch me race! My dog was also very thirsty after so much excitement so she helped herself to some water from my Fuel Belt.

My rookie pro season ended on a mixed note in Tempe, AZ on Sunday. It was a last minute decision to race one last Ironman after Kona this year. Given the length of the season, the proximity to Kona and other factors I knew my race was going to be ridiculous…the only question was if it was going to be ridiculously good or ridiculously bad. It may sound obnoxious, and apologize if it does, but at this point in my career finishing an Ironman is no longer the goal, finishing an Ironman as fast as I can is the goal. Unfortunately, my race was ridiculously bad and my day ended with a DNF in the medical tent, although there were many silver linings.

I used this race to test my limits and see where things shook out. My goals were to swim hard, bike hard (harder than I usually do) and see what was left for the run. Quite frankly I accomplished my goals, so I can’t complain too much. I set personal best times in the swim at 52 minutes, exiting the water with the main group and then had the 14th fastest bike split of the day in a time of 4:39, another PR by about 16 minutes. I learned a lot and have certainly gained some confidence and insight that will serve me well in the future and will ultimately help me to become a better athlete. Enough about that…onto the days events.

The swim was a little chilly to begin with, as the sun was not even up at 6:50 when the pro wave started. It was actually pretty hard to see while I was warming up because of the tinting on my goggles. I lined up right on the front line behind some top swimmers and began hard right from the gun, yet made sure to not red line for too long as I have done in the past. I also made sure to stay focused and if I was not right on someone’s feet then I pushed the pace to make sure I did not lose the group, as I have done so many times this season. It was certainly a break through swim for me and I was able to figure out a strategy and pacing that works for me which will help me swim with some of the best in the sport.

As anyone who I have spoken to about IM biking pacing and power I certainly mixed thing up and tried a new strategy in this race. Part of my reason for this tactic was because of the nature of this course. IMAZ bike is a 3 loop, out and back course where there is a gradual 500 foot climb, which happened to be into a head/cross wind on the way out on race day. I had decided to push hard the first hour, around 80% of my FTP to try to get into a group and then let others dictate the pace on the way back into town. If the group slowed down too much then I would ride hard for 5-10 minutes to the next group if I could make it. I continued with this strategy until the last 5 miles where I just cruised in an attempt to prep my legs for the run. Despite this bike pacing I virtually evenly split all three loops at 24.09, 24.03 and 24.06 mph respectively. There were some very tough moments on the bike course, particularly into the wind and up the hill, however, I felt pretty good on most of the bike and my total AP power was actually pretty conservative, however, it was not nearly as steady and consistent as I normally ride and I think this high variability was part of my undoing on the run course.

I was 19th out on to the run at a race time of 8:35 with a top ten finish and a 20-25min Ironman PR within my grasp if I was able to run my “normal” IM run. However, I was not taking anything for granted. The first mile of an IM run is usually pretty uncomfortable but then things loosen up and I am able to settle into a rhythm. However, around mile 2 I knew I was in trouble. My lower back is normally a little tight for the first mile or two of the run, however, today the spasms set in pretty early, began getting worse and was effecting my run stride. A very similar problem occurred at my first race of the 2008 season at California Ironman 70.3 in April. I continued on hoping that things would work themselves out, after all as I constantly tell myself on race day “it’s a long day and anything can happen.”

At mile 16 the spasms in my lower back became unbearable and my run stride had turned into more of a hopple/shuffle. As a perfect example of how interconnected the entire body is, due to my odd “running” form and interconnectedness of all the muscles in the kinetic chain involved in running my quads and hamstrings began to seize up as well. I began limping, and at this point my run had turned into a side ways shuffle/limp. Additionally I began shivering despite the sunny skies and temps in the mid 70’s. I knew at this point I was in serious trouble and if I continued I was in danger of doing serious damage to my body. I walked/limped for about a mile and a half before I finally made the decision to throw in the towel which was a very difficult decision, I could have walked the remaining 9 miles or so, but at what cost? I deiced to limit my injuries and live to fight another day…and went to the medical tent.

This was the first race I have ever DNF’d, in fact it was one of the first time I have ever quite anything I started. I am certainly disappointed in myself, as I have mentioned in the past, quitting is just not my style. However, given the situation, as painful as it was both physically and mentally to drop out, I know that I made the right decision. The worst part is that, I feel like I let down, my family, coach, friends and everyone who has supported me in my passion to reach the pinnacle in the sport of triathlon.

I know this race and a DNF will only fuel my fire and I know that this race in general, the good and the bad, has put me in a much better position to take 2009 to a new level, as my coach said, “sophomore year will be much better.” Additionally, my sister-in-law, who deals with famous, professional athletes on a daily basis, put it all into perspective. “Pros get injured and sick but the rules are different since they do it all in the public eye. What separates champions from the rest is the ability to refocus and learn from the imperfect days. Tiger Woods has had rounds he’d like to forget. Brett Favre has had games with multiple interceptions. This is a great experience for a young pro….you went out too hard and now you know what happens. You will have that perfect race and when you do, you will appreciate it all the more.” I couldn’t have put it any better myself.

A huge thank you to Timex, Team Sports, my sponsors and all the people who have supported me this season…there are just far too many to count. Thanks for reading…now a few weeks of down time and then back in the saddle with renewed focus on 2009.

http://www.nasports.com/results/results.php