Alex McDonald Pro Triathlete

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

For the second time this year I successfully defended my title at a regional half ironman. Last September I was here in Durham, NC completing my final prep for Kona and now that I have officially moved here and racing the Duke ½ and Kona worked so well last year, I though I would do the same this year. Also it is a great way to meet other triathletes and get into and involved with the triathlon community in the area, which by the way is huge!! In the triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) there are at least 4 triathlon clubs…and those are just the ones I know about…I’m sure there are others. I was excited to race having been focusing on solid training since IMLP in July and also being able to compare my times to the same course as last year. Setup Events does a lot a races and does a great job, this race was no different.

Enough babble…onto the race!

It was a beautiful warm morning when I arrived in transition, about 70 degrees with no breeze and the sun had not even begun to come up yet. Before I knew it, I was in the water warming up. The 79 degree bath water was not wetsuit legal, but I had planned to wear my Blue Seventy PointZero3 regardless of water temp in prep for Kona. Everything I planned to use in Kona, I used at the Duke ½.

The Swim: 29:57, 5th out of the water
The gun went off and so did the “open wave,” that is those not racing age group. The starting line was a little vague and there was no real group, it was just a long line. I wasn’t sure who the fastest swimmers were, but I took it out pretty hard and found myself in back of a small pack pretty quickly, but then they moved on and I found myself in front of the main back, but behind about 4 other guys who were pretty strung out. I honestly felt great in the water, I kept it smooth strong, yet relaxed. I find that the more I struggle the more the water pushes back. I came out just breaking the 30min mark, which was my goal. Although I was not blazing fast I have never felt that good and relaxed in a race! Thank you North Carolina Aquatic Masters swimming!

Bike: 2:17, 2nd out of T2
I was 2 minutes behind the leader leaving T1 and excited to ride hard, but consistently. I quickly found myself in second position and riding some beautiful scenic roads all alone with just me and my PowerTap , again good practice for the desolate roads of Kona. I focused on holding a steady effort despite the small rollers and some head wind. I held a higher power than last year and completed the course over 2 minutes faster in warmer temperatures and tougher winds! 2:17

Run: 1:24, 1st across the line!
I exited T2 4:30 behind the leader, who I knew at this point was Eric Bean, a great cyclist and solid pro triathlete (later I found he was doing a Kona prep race as well). My T2 was a little longer than usual because it takes a little more time to put on my compression socks , which I was skeptical of at first, but I think there really is a benefit. In all honestly, begin 4:30 back I was a little scared but I put it in gear and “ran like I stole something,” as I like to say. This run course is beautiful, but difficult, it is 90% on gravel roads and grass trails (I hate running on dried pine needles), also it is pretty hilly. To make things even more interested, but also great prep for Kona, it was getting up to 95 degrees on the run, and although there was some shade, it was still getting pretty nasty on the run course. At the halfway point my deficit was down to 1:10 so I confident I could make up the rest, but I knew the race is not over until I crossed the finish line. I moved into first about 2 miles into the second lap and kept up the effort until about mile 10, however, at the second out and back I just cruised to the finish it an effort to not be totally beat up for the next 2 weeks of solid training heading into Kona. So although my run time was pretty slow given the course, weather and race conditions I was satisfied with the result.

All in all a solid race!  I beat my time last year by 1:30 and set a new course record in certainly more difficult conditions.  Things are certainly on track for another great race in Kona.

Full Results

Thanks and train hard!

In summary Ironman Lake Placid 2008 was a memorable day. It was very, very wet…in fact in retrospect I should have just wore my wetsuit the entire race. With 3 inches of rain over 14 hours my times were slower than I wanted, but given the circumstances I’ll take it. I finished 8th and on the podium in my first Ironman as a professional, all in all a very satisfying feelingl.

Swim: 57:46, 91st overall
I’m still not sure what happened here. I swam really hard for the first 5-10minutes and then tried to settle but I was never able to find a steady rhythm. I think I probably pushed a little too hard at the beginning. I found a good draft group toward the end of the first loop but then lost it shortly into the second lap as they surged and I couldn’t stay on their feet.

T1: 3:33
Those of you have been to IMLP know that T1 can be a bit of a haul. After a disappointing swim where I was already pretty tired in combination with completely rain soaked carpeting and grass I didn’t try to go too fast and focused on moving thru smoothly and steadily.

Bike: 5:08:52, 14th overall
This course is unforgiving for those who over pace themselves on the bike, especially the first lap. As a result I pushed a little for the first 15min to find my rhythm and after that I settled into what felt like a pretty relaxed effort. I just kept my cadence up and power steady regardless of terrain. There were several people who passed me, especially up the hills, however, my mantra on race day is “the race begins at noon.” That is, for the first five hours of the race it is just a steady up tempo training day for me, then at noon if there is anyone around, then I can start racing and that’s just what I did. I saw several of those same guys who I re-passed on the second lap of the bike or the run. Additionally making this course more interesting and challenging the roads were completely drenched and there were rivers running down the road in some sections. I played it a little conservatively on the corners and the down hills as I knew losing a few seconds to minutes was preferable to crashing. My Trek performed perfectly and certainly helped me to maintain an upright position throughout the ride. The day was beginning to grind on me around mile 100 as I began the climb back up to town from Wilmington and found a little trouble concentrating and keeping my power steady. All in all I was pretty happy with my bike split and my power, although not super human it was respectable at 250w, along with a VI of 1.03, which for that course is very satisfying.

T2: 1:19
Fastest of the day…this is my 3rd Ironman in a row where I had the fastest T1 overall (including Kona last year)…so it’s fun to see how fast I can get thru! Again, not a sprint just a steady smooth relaxed process. 

Run: 3:01:36, 5th overall
I felt ok for the first few miles and then I began to settle into a rhythm and got going after mile 4 or so. I knew that there was still plenty of racing ahead and beginning the run in 18th position I was confident that I would be able to make up spots. At the special needs station at mile 13 I couldn’t get my bottle and lost most of my intended calories for the second half of the run…crap! I stayed calm and instead of my usual race day nutrition, I just drank and ate as many carbs as I could at the aid stations. Then the run began to get interesting. At about mile 16 or so a spotter told me I was in 10th position, at that point I wasn’t really sure how many guys I had passed. I thought to myself, “dig deep,” as this was really my goal in the run portion. I wanted to leave everything I had out on the race course, I didn’t want to walk away with any regrets wondering what if I had pushed harder, like I often do. At mile 22 my arms and hands began to tingle and turn numb. At mile 23 I was informed that I was 40 seconds behind fellow Timex Team member Dave Hardju (a former Ironman Champion) and I was trying as hard as I could to run him down. The last hill climbing back into town nearly destroyed me, but I kept pushing and the last mile my feet were turning numb as well. I crossed the finished line and collapsed, something I have never done before. According to my Kurt Perham, my coach, I looked like death…well let me tell you, I felt like it also. After a little while in the medical tent I felt better and then I took the greatest hot shower I think I have ever experienced.

Honestly I have mixed reactions on the day. Having finished on the podium in my first Ironman as a professional as well as obtaining a spot for Kona I am ecstatic! However, my swim was very disappointing…3 minutes slower than last year, that one I cannot blame on the weather!  Also I know that I can run faster as well. So I walk away with feelings of pride and satisfaction as well as a little disappointment and feelings of missed opportunity. At this point in my career I know that the big improvements are very few and far between, therefore I need to focus on the little victories. After placid I am taking a “mid-season break” both mentally and physically for about a week to 10 days. Then I will be ready to hit the last several months of the season with renewed motivation and my sites set on the Big Island in October.

Lastly, a big thank you to all the folks who braved the rain, rain and more rain to cheer us on all day. In particular my coach Kurt Perham , who gave me splits all day, as well as worked the phones with my wife, giving her updates and words of reassurance all day.

Normally I like to include some pictures of the day, but due to the rain and soggy illegible race numbers there were almost none taken!!  However, this one at the finish line sums up the day pretty well.

Ironman Lake Placid 2008 Results

When my buddy Ryan called me in April saying that he would be racing Ironman Kansas 70.3 and “strongly encouraged me to join him” I was unsure if I would be able to go. However, when the guy who convinced you to do your first triathlon, who you haven’t seen in over a year, calls you and tells you to race…you better go race. So that is exactly what I did. I was also looking forward to racing some of “the big boys” after a disappointing race at Ironman California 70.3 earlier in the year.

I got to Lawrence Kansas on Friday and was greeted by what seemed like an army of volunteers (really just a big family) to pick me up at the airport and take me to my home stay as well as registration. They also took me out to dinner on Friday night with Jo Lawn, her husband Armando, Lindsey Corbin and Paul Ambrose. They were certainly VERY hospitable, which really allowed me to focus on my race and I am very grateful to them all.

It was great to see my friend Ryan and my dad came out to watch the race as well, an unexpected surprise, but it was great to see him and (appropriately) spend father’s day with him. At the pro meeting we found out the water temp was 75 degrees, so there would be no wetsuits, which mean that I would be at a disadvantage not being the strongest swimmer. I went through the usual pre-race routine and got ready the race. Race morning nothing too exciting to report. I got my stuff set up and jumped in the water for a warm up.

The Swim: 33:30, 20th place
What a horrific swim…not because of anyone’s fault but my own! I missed the first, and second and third swim group. Not to make excuses but I don’t have much experience with beach starts or with the frenzy and pace of the start of a pro race. I began hard and thought I had found “the group” and began to settle into my rhythm, when I looked up and there was a 5M gap, I swam hard to try to close it but they were gone I was left to swim 1.1 miles on my own, which is exactly what I did. I came out the water and there were not too many pro bikes left on the racks…the thought of droping out did cross my mind for a nanosecond.

The Bike: 2:16, 14th place
Rolling out of T1 I knew I had work to do, so I put my head down and rode at my goal power. Having a PowerTap is really critical to my race as it helps to push me when I am all alone and helps to hold me back when the competition gets the better of me. The first 15 minutes of the bike my legs were screaming at me and I was afraid that racing Mooseman a week earlier had taken too much out of me, however, I was able to find my rhythm and ride. As usual I was all alone for about 90% of the bike ride, the good part is that 10% of the time I was passing people. The hilly and windy course made for some challenges, however, I was loving it and felt great all day and even better toward the end of the bike. I had ridden myself into 14th place.

The Run: 1:20, 10th place
I wanted to run myself into the top 10 and thought it might be possible if I was smart. I ticked off the first few miles at a great pace, then the heat and dirt roads began getting to me and my pace slowed a little, but I kept telling myself that anything can happened and push through. At one of the short out and backs I saw Timex teammate Andrew Hodges and knew that he would catch me, but I kept my pace and was pleased to hold him off until about mile 6. I thought that if someone was going to pass me “at least it is a great guy and teammate.” I pushed through the second loop and saw a few other Timex athletes and by buddy Ryan. As I approached the finish chute I heard the announcer say “rounding out the top 10…” I wasn’t exactly sure what place I was in, but was very happy to hear that I met my goal!! 

All in all a great race and I got to see a bunch of Timex teammates, a friend from med school who first got me into this crazy sport and my dad!! The post race festivities were cut a little short due to some thunder and lightning but it certainly worth the trip to Kansas.

Ironman Kansas 70.3 Race Results

I returned to Bristol, NH for the third time on June 7th to race the third annual Mooseman ½ Iron triathlon. Keith Jordan and the folks at Endorfun extended a generous invitation for me to return as the defending champion form 2007.

There was an Olympic distance race on Saturday so Ashley and I arrived Friday night to enjoy Saturday’s festivities as well. However, before I get to the race I need to share a little experience that my home stay host provided. A common friend of mine put me in contact with Jim as he is a triathlete and lives less than 10 minutes from the race site. He provided an amazing pasta dinner Friday night for Ashley and I, as well as a few other triathletes racing. During diner the topic some how arose that Jim built a cannon…that’s right a homemade cannon. After quite a few questions clarifying this “cannon,” as well as a few stories involving the police and fire department investigating an “explosion” the first time that he set the cannon off. After all this we needed a demonstration which Jim was happy to provide…all I can say it wow! The noise was amazingly loud and the 3-4 feet of flames that shot out of the cannon were incredible.

On to the race! Returning as the defending champion added a little more pressure, but it was the kind of pressure that I love. There was also a small prize purse this year which I knew might bring a little more competition. Also I had not raced since Ironman 70.3 California at the end of March, so I was excited to see where my fitness was after some solid training. Race morning was my normal routine, except I made a major mistake!! I left my nutrition in the refrigerator at Jim’s house, of course I didn’t realize this until I got to the race site. Ashley saved me by going back and getting it for me, which meant waiting in long lines of traffic. Thank you Ashley!

The Swim: 25:55, 5th position
The water temp was only slightly above 60 degrees and it made for a chilly start. However, my Blue Seventy Helix felt great and not only kept me warm it also helped me to catch a good draft group and come out of the water in a great position.

The Bike: 2:19, fastest split of the day
After passing a few people in T1 I set out on the bike in 3rd place 2:30 back from the leader. The New Hampshire roads had taken quite a beating after the winter and the pavement was pretty rough in some spots. The course also has several rollers and a few short steep climbs that required patience in order to be able to run well. My goal was to hold a steady power throughout the ride and be patient. After seeing a few cyclists on the first loop I began the second loop still in 3rd position 2:30 behind the leader…I wasn’t gaining any ground, but I wasn’t loosing any either. As the race progressed the day began getting hotter and hotter (eventually hitting about 90 degrees) and I was working pretty hard to keep a consistent pace/power, but my patience began paying dividends. As the second loop continued people would shout my position and the gap up to the leader, “3rd place 2:15 back”…”1:50”…”1:30”…”1:10”ect. I began catching glimpses of the 2 riders ahead on the long straight stretches. The three of us rolled into transition together.

The Run: 1:19, First Overall
The two other guys had very fast transitions and left transition about 10-15 seconds ahead of me. The first mile they set the pace pretty fast and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to keep this pace. It usually takes me ½ -1 mile to settle in and find a good rhythm and as a result I let the two guys open up their lead a little. However after about 1.5 miles I moved into second place, giving my friend Charles a little encouragement as I went. At that point I found a steady pace and caught up to the leader at about mi 2.5. We ran together for a few miles at a hard pace. I noticed that I had a little more power up the hills than he did and as a result I used a hill to surge ahead and didn’t look back. At the half way point at ~6.5 miles I had a 30 second lead. I kept the pace steady until the last turn around at about mi 10 where I had a ~1min lead and knowing that I had to race Kansas 70.3 the following weekend I cruised in the last 3 miles enjoying the experience…after all racing hurts, but I love it, but that’s why I work so hard the other 355 days of the year.

I had a great day at Mooseman and I was able to see a lot of the New England area triathletes who I will not see together for awhile since I was moving to North Carolina. I also later found out that the reason the 2 guys with me in T2 had such fast transitions is that they did not put on socks, a decision they regretted. I, by the way, always wear socks in anything over a 10k.

Mooseman ½ Iron Race Resutls

Wow what a whirlwind week!  I raced Mooseman half Ironlast weekend in Bristol, NH for the 3rd time and claimed my second win!  As the returning champion I knew there would be some pressure and stiff competition, especially with a prize purse this year, but I was excited to race!  Needless to say it was a great day despite the 90 degree heat and sun.  I am in Kansas right now getting ready to race Ironman Kansas 70.3 on Sunday and with my move to Durham, NC on Monday and preping for Kansas I am a bit to preoccupied to write a full race report, so I’ll have to get back to you on that one.  Check back soon for a full race report!

Train hard! Rest harder!

Well it has been a VERY busy and whirlwind week!

The Brief Version:

I had an amazing race here in Kona finishing as the amateur champion and 29th overall in a time of 9:00:09…I know 9 seconds…don’t ask! Then on Tuesday I got married to the most amazing woman (Ashley), in the most beautiful and picture perfect ceremony on the beach in North Kona.

The Long Version:

Ash and I arrived in Kona on Oct 2 with plenty of time to take care of wedding stuff that week and race stuff on …well…race week. Having spent the month of Sept in Durham, NC and 90 degree heat, definitely helped as it did not take long at all to acclimate to the conditions in Kona. Even though this was not my first experience here in Kona, I was still blown away and a little bit intimidated by all the über athletes that can been seen at all hours of the day all over Kailua-Kona. At any rate it was great watching the town come to Ironman-life as race week approached. Of note, the day before the race, my now sister in-law who has a business relationship with Oakley, introduced me to Greg Welch, VERY COOL!! J

As usual I was not able to sleep much the night before the race but used the time to visualize the perfect race. The clock hit 3:30am, breakfast time, and before I knew it I was walking to the pier. WTC and the Kona volunteers are amazing and the whole pre-race process, including bike check-in the day before, went very smoothly. Ashley was also able to secure some pier passes so she was able to walk out onto the pier to give me one last good luck kiss and take some fun pre-race picture, including a shot of my “lucky sea turtle.”

Swim: 59:29, 212 overall

I got into the water just before the pros started and did a quick warm up to ensure I got a good spot right at the front of the starting line next to the pier. As more and more swimmers approached the starting line I felt a strong nudge, ready to return the nudge and ensure my spot in the increasingly crowded water I turned to find fellow Timex team mate Luis grinning at me!! J As the anticipation mounted Mike Reilly called out 4 minutes and then within a minute or 2 the cannon went off, caught off-guard the thrashing began!! I was able to escape relatively unharmed and get into a pretty good draft group and swam right along the buoy line. After the turn I lost a little steam and fell off the pack I was hoping to stay with, but overall I was satisfied with my swim breaking the 1hr mark.

T1: 1:58,

Aside from a few rude people cutting me off, nothing special just went through smooth and relaxed, it’s a long day!

Bike: 4:56:26, 57th off the Bike

I was looking for vindication after what I viewed as a sub-par bike at Ironman Lake Placid earlier this year. Although I biked only a minute faster than last year on this course the conditions were more difficult, although not as bad as they can be. Especially the climb up to Hawi the head and crosswinds were taunting us making things interesting. I tried a slightly different tact on the bike here using my power tap to race at Half Ironman power for the first 20 minutes until I got out of town, then settled into my steady IM power and kept it steady for the rest of the ride. For those of you who are power savy, I averaged 237w with a VI of 1.03 for the ride. I saw several Timex teammates and other friends out on the course which was a great pick me up in the middle of a lava fields.

T2: 1:51, fastest in the WORLD!!

I just went, again I thought about being smooth and relaxed but efficient (I have a great transition coach) J Also I passed 7 age-groupers in transition, free speed.

Run: 3:00:27, 4th fastest amateur run of the day.

I was hoping to break 3 hours, but I need to save some goals for next year! J Leaving T2 Ashley told me I was the 10th amateur and was 13:30 back. As I had done at Ironman Lake Placid I knew that I could make up a few spots as long as I was smart and ran strong. Once I established a rhythm the first 10mi down Alii drive felt pretty good, and I was passing a few people, but it was hard to tell who was a pro and who was an amateur until I was right next to the person. At about mile 10 just before I began running up Palani hill Ashley again saw me and said I was in 7th about 3:30 back. “Wow!” I thought to myself “lets keep it steady but relaxed.” Running out to the Natural Energy Lab (NEL) on the Queen K there was a tail wind, which made the heat pretty noticeable, but I wanted to save a little for the trip back into town, so I allowed my pace to slow a little. Running down into NEL I passed a few more amateurs and right in the middle of the NEL just after the 17mi check point I moved into first. At this point there was a tail wind while climbing out of the NEL which felt good, and I kept telling myself a good mantra I once heard “champions are born or crushed in the NEL.” OK that maybe overly dramatic, but it was working. By the time I got back up to the Queen K highway at mi 19 I had a 30sec lead. This is what I had been preparing for all day that last 10k of the race so I picked it up. There was a head wind the whole way back to town and my legs were on fire, but I kept going!! At mi 23 my watch read 8:39 and I really wanted to break 9 hours so I turned it up a little more, although kept going the same pace and I knew it was going to be close. At the top of palani hill I gave it all I had, my then future father in–law was at the top and yelled at me “7 MINUTES!!” As I turned right on to Alii drive for the final several hundred yards I was overcome with the power and magnitude of this race and what I was about to do…I began sprinting as fast as my legs would carry me. The only problem is Samantha McGlone came into view ahead. She had such an incredible race and is such an amazing athlete in her first ever Ironman that I did not want to be one of those obnoxious amateurs who blows past a person at the last minute and wrecks their finishing picture…so I slowed a little…it was not a difficult decision and my legs almost did it for me. I knew that I had a large enough lead over the second amateur or any other pros that I would not jeopardize my finishing position. Shortly after the race the 9 seconds did not bother me, but the next day they did!! I just have some work to take care of next year!!

All in all it was the race of a lifetime and my last race as an amateur for awhile, the only problem is I am never satisfied, even if I did miss my time goal by 9 seconds!!! I could not have raced so well with the constant support of my now wife Ashley, the Timex Multisport Team, my coach Kurt Perham, and a slue of friends family and volunteers.

As for the post-race festivities, Ashley and I got married on Tuesday at Sunset in a small intimate setting with just our families at Kikaua beach just north of the airport. The bright blue water, black lava rock, white sand, bright green grass and the most beautiful woman I have ever met made for a fairytale wedding! I know it sounds cliché but it was really an amazing experience!! We’ll post pictures shortly for those of you interested. This is a whole separate post and I’ll post it at my website http://www.alexmmtri.com/ in the near future.

Thanks for an amazing season I have been indulging a little as you can see I ate a cinamon bun from Lava Java the size of my head!! Now I’m excited to spend a week in Kaua’i with Ash and I’ll keep you posted with all my off season adventures, only next time I’ll try not to be so long winded!!

Thanks

After the race many people asked me why I came all the way to Raleigh, North Carolina for the Duke Liver ½? Well, the truth is I am living with some friends down here in Durham, NC doing some “heat acclimatization” and my final build up for Kona. The 50-60 degree weather of Vermont is just too much of a jump to Kona’s 90 degrees. But I digress, onto the race report!
The race was put on by SetUp Events and they really did a great job. They had done some publicity before the race saying that I was coming down to race “fresh off my win at Ironman Lake Placid.” As a result I was a marked man on the course, but at the same time everyone knew who I was and were all very supportive. I had a great time during the race, but an even better time after the race meeting people. Thank you to the entire North Carolina triathlon community for being so welcoming.
Since I came for the heat, obviously on race morning it happened to be 50 degrees. During the race it was sunny and in the mid 70s, basically perfect race day weather! I was hoping for it to be 95 and humid just to practice racing in the heat. I’m sure I was the only one who was hoping it to be disgustingly hot!
I did not even bring my Helix wetsuit on this trip expecting the water to be well above 78 degrees. However, because of a few cooler days before the race it was a wetsuit legal race, measuring in at 77 degrees. I had decided regardless of water temps to wear my Blue Seventy Point Zero as I have yet to wear it in a race and wanted to before Kona. The water level in Jordan lake was about 2 feet lower than normal due to the drought most of North Carolina is experiencing this summer. As a result the swim was an out and back instead of the preferred triangle shape course. To add to this there was a pretty strong headwind creating a very rough and choppy swim particularly on the way out. As a result my swim was significantly slower than I was hoping and a little further back, 30mins, 8th place and 5 ½ minutes behind the leader.
After a quick T1 I headed out onto the bike. This bike course is absolutely beautiful through rolling farm land with a few small climbs and very few cars. At one point during the race there were about 10 wild turkeys in the middle of the road, at the time I was traveling about 30mph and had to swerve and fortunately avoided them, needless to say this experience was a little scary! The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. I was working pretty hard and found a great rhythm until the last 10 miles when the slightly rougher road and head wind began to make it a little tough. I pushed through and finished 2nd off the bike in 2:19.
I cruised into T2 just as the leader was heading out onto the run course. After another quick transition I began my pursuit about 2 ½ minutes down.
This run course is two loops on a series of hilly, dirt and grass trails located in New Hope State Park. This run course is hard, but very beautiful and peaceful through a forest and overall a really enjoyable run. I began the run with several tight muscles and twinges after a solid bike, but after a mile or 2 I began to loosen up and found my stride. I caught up to the leader at about mile 4 and kept up the pace because there were some very talented athletes in this race that I knew would keep the pressure on. I finished the run in 1:22.
I finished first overall in 4:13 which I was told is a new course record. This was a great confidence boost and measure of my fitness heading into October and I’m getting very excited! Lastly, I really like this area of the country and the triathlon community is pretty impressive. There is a chance I may move here next year…we’ll see! J

Results Page

Thanks!
Alex M-M
www.alexmmtri.com

I had heard about a bunch of crazy people who do a swim across lake Champlain from Willsboro Point, NY to Burlington, VT, a distance of 8 miles. Although 8 miles is a long way to swim and I knew it would be tough, this event had always peaked my interest. However, it is not well publicized and I always heard about it after the fact…not this year. Well, barely, I found out about it around 20hrs before the event! Although it took a little scrambling to raise the funds and find a support crew (thank you everyone, in particular a bunch of friends from the Green Mountain Multisport club YOU GUY RULE!!) some how I managed to pull it off.

I arrived at the boat launch at ~7am, where a few more logistics were ironed out we loaded up the small fleet of boats and took off for the NY shore, with about 34 swimmers each with a support kayaker. The wind and resulting white caps on the lake looked menacing, but I figured it wouldn’t be that bad. About 15mins into our trip we (most of up were on a bigger yacht) got a call from the small pontoon boat, which was loaded with 17 kayaks, that they where having trouble navigating the waves. We swung around, threw them some lines and began towing them. After about 5min of towing a wave hit the pontoon boat just right and one of the pontoons when under and the thing literally began to sink! Fortunately, this caused about half the kayaks to fall off and the pontoon boat began to right itself. However, about 10 kayaks were floating away! Myself about 3 or 4 other guys took the initiative to dive off and went kayak chasing, fun! After about 15min, we loaded several kayaks onto the bigger boat, shortened the lines and again began heading for the NY shore, only this time with a little more caution! We were about 20-30min behind schedule by the time everyone was in the water, with their support kayak, but no worries! Let the swimming being!

The first hour felt pretty good, I wasn’t trying to kill myself, just survive the event. Then the swells and chop got to me and I began feeling very sea sick. I felt pretty bad, but I wanted to at least make it to the 5mi mark at a small island in the middle of the lake. At that point I told myself I would stop, giving myself a slightly easier more immediate goal to work towards. I made it to the island around 2:15 or so but them my stubborn drive got the better of me. I told myself I had made it this far, I could continue on! I made it only a short distance, then the vomiting began… I had made it this far and I knew if I didn’t finish I would, be really mad at myself and have to try again next year (I said I was stubborn) and at that point I never wanted to do this again!! Therefore I told myself I have to finish! However, at about mi 7 I began dry heaving…of course I couldn’t stop I HAD TO FINISH!! The last hour was probably the most miserable experience I have ever had as an athlete. I completed the event in 4:18, not exactly what I had hoped for, but I was happy to be on dry (and stationary) land!

I knew this swim as going to stretch my abilities and put me out of my comfort zone as an athlete, however, I think that is what keeps us improving both as athletes and people. Reflecting on the day I wouldn’t say that I had a good time, but I was glad that I did it! As the day progressed and my goals changed from racing, to participating, to just completing the event, I learned a little bit more about myself and about what drives me. My fiancé had said to me before I left that morning, “you can quit and I won’t tell anyone,” to which I responded, “but I would know!” I think that there is a little bit of pride in all of us that pushes us towards that finish line, however, for me it is more about setting a goal and not letting myself down, after all I am my toughest critic. I think that having a “bad race” or a race that does not exactly go according to plan, although can be very frustrating, ultimately it helps us all to become better athletes both physically and mentally.

After telling this story several times, everyone keeps asking me “Why did you do that to yourself?” to which I respond “because it was there.” I can now check this 8 mi swim off my list and NEVER DO IT AGAIN…well…at least not for awhile!

Thanks!

Ok, somebody pinch me!! It’s been 4 days and still does not seem real, I have to keep checking the results to make sure it wasn’t a dream!!

I drove over from Burlington, VT to Lake Placid on Thursday evening. It felt very odd packing my car to drive to an Ironman. No need to box up my bike or make sure my bags weren’t over weight! It was also really exciting knowing that because this was a “local race” there would be tons of family, friends and Green Mountain Multisport team members there.

I had high expectations for this race, knowing full well that I needed to execute the perfect race to meet my goals. I always try to focus on race execution rather than time or placement and I find that the time seems to almost take care of itself. Being the women’s professional championship many of my friends had told me that I was going to be first across the line, but anyone or anything can happen on race day and I wasn’t going to expect anything, I just wanted to execute.

The weeks of cloudy and rainy weather leading up to race weekend were beginning to get to me and I was starting to get down, along with the usually woes of taper. However, race weekend came and the excitement of Lake Placid quickly lifted my spirits as well as the break from the gloomy weather! On race day there were sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70’s - 80’s…not ideal, but I’ll take it! The days leading up to the race were filled with meeting other athletes, sponsors and participating in the Timex panel on IMTV, which was really a lot of fun. Especially since I was able to share my pre-race meal and admit to my pre-race psych up music (80’s hair bands!!). My fiancé and I ended up staying in Wilmington, a good 12 miles from town, so it was a little tough driving back and forth, but it was also nice to be out of the chaos of downtown LP on race weekend.

I’m the kind of athlete who would prefer way too much time on race morning rather than not enough. As a result Ash (my awesome fiancé) and I arrived downtown at about 4:50am race morning. I usually can’t sleep anyway, so getting going early is actually easier than lying in bed. I was able to get body marked, check my bike, walk through transition several times, hit the porto potties and be at Mirror lake at 5:30. I put on my tunes, laid down, closed my eyes, relaxed and visualized my day for about 30min, which is a pre-race routine I highly recommend!

Swim: 54:11 I got in the water and warmed up for about 10mins right after the pro women started at 6:25. Then I found a spot to hang onto the end of the dock for the next 20 minutes. By 6:50 the water and dock were ridiculously crowded with people hanging onto people hanging onto the dock! With about 5 minutes until race start I moved away from the dock and positioned myself as best I could right at the front and on “the line” to swim the shortest distance. The gun went off and the pummeling began. I received quite a few blows in the first few hundred yards and continued to have quite a bit of contact for the first lap. I swam hard and made sure I was always in someone’s draft, trying not to work too hard, but just cruising. I was able to cruise with ease and spot really well as my Blue Seventy goggles and wetsuit worked perfectly and were amazing comfortable. The second lap I caught onto the feet of the swimmer leading the second major pack and went along for the ride as he bridged up to the next group, we only caught them toward the end of the second lap, but none the less I was pretty happy with my swim. I got out of the water in 24^th place.

T1: 3:18 As many of you know you have to run about a 1/4mi from mirror lake to the oval and then through the transition area. I had practiced my transitions in person and in my mind multiple times and it paid off with the fastest T1 of the day and I began the bike in 10^th place!

Bike: 5:17:54 The bike was tough for me, I was never able to get into a rythum and go. Honestly, I thought given good conditions I should be able to bike 5hrs. I had done quite a bit of training on this course and knew it would be a tough, but realistic goal. The first lap felt ok, but never the way I wanted it to and as I passed back through town completing the first loop in 2:33 I was hopeful I could make the second lap just about as fast. However, the wind began to make an appearance as there was a head/cross wind from LP to Essex and then a head wind from Essex to Jay along the flat and “fast” section of the course. As I began climbing the hills out of Jay I came to the realization I was not going to bike 5hrs. But I kept telling myself “that’s ok, it’s a long day and I still have to run a marathon.” I kept my cadence high and relaxed and made sure not to push too hard on the return back to town. I got off the bike in 5^th place about 12:30 down from the leader.

T2: 1:04 Again rehearsal and mental practice paid dividends as I swiftly moved through transition to make up a minute of my deficit and claim the fastest T2 of the day.

Run: 2:59:36 My fiancé was waiting for me at the beginning of the run and yelled “you’re in 5^th place 11:30 down, RUN!!” As I ran out of town I thought to myself, “it’s a long day anything can happen.” I ran at a comfortable pace and at about mile 2 moved into 4^th place. I began to see a lot of friends and spectators out on the course, who were giving me splits and telling me that I looked great and the guys ahead were fading. As I made my left turn onto river road at about mile 3 I saw Belinda Granger with the lead biker and gave her a big cheer, (she’s awesome!). But I had work to do and I remained focused. At about mile 11 I moved into third position, right in the middle of town. Being the under dog everyone was cheering for me and they were amazing, I felt like a rock star! I used the energy of the crowds to push me and I moved into second at about mile 16.5, I was running steady and giving encouragement to everyone out there to help keep my mind-set positive. At the turn around on river road around mile 19 I saw the Timex team manager, Ben Harper and he informed me with a big smile on his face that I was 28 second behind the leader. At mile 20 I moved into first place and turned in on a little bit. My goal for the entire day was to run a solid last 10k and that time had arrived. Up until this point I had been running “moderate-steady” knowing the last 6.2 miles were critical. I had been sipping my concentrated calories from my awesome new Helium Fuel Belt since the start of the run and now was the time to use that energy. I began to pick a pace that was slightly out of my comfort zone and just went, I was too afraid to look back! I began the “short” out and back on Mirror lake drive, which seemed very long this time around, and the crowds were amazing! With one particular spectator shouting “I knew you were going to catch them, I knew it! You look awesome!!” As I entered the oval I could hear Mike Reily calling my name and I was overjoyed! I finished in 9:16:02 as the Ironman Champion!!!

As I crossed the line and 4 days later I am still filled with so much energy and gratitude for everyone who helped me get to that finish line. My coach Kurt Perham, my fiancé Ashley, the Timex Multisport Team, all my sponsors and most importantly all the people out on the course, friends, family and random stangers!! It sounds really cheesey, but I said it at the finsh line and I’ll say it again, it does not take a person to win an Ironman, it takes a community and I have the best community I could imagine!

Thanks!

Alex M-M