Alex McDonald Pro Triathlete

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!

After 5 years and I lot of blood (literally) sweat and tears my wife Ashley and I graduated from medical school this past Sunday!  So, now I can remove that asterisk from my name when I say “almost a doctor!”  Now Dr. Ashley, Zoey (our puppy) and I have to pack up our lives and spend the next 2 weeks homeless, bumming off of family and friends, attend our 5^th year undergraduate reunion at

Connecticut

College.  In the same 2 weeks I’ll race Mooseman buy our new Prius and then drive down to

Durham, NC! J  It has been a busy week and there is no end in sight!  I’ll keep you all posted!

 

Graduation garb is pretty ugly and uncomfortable…but I at least perfer this hat!

 

 

Coming from Vermont and racing California 70.3 has been an interesting experience the last 2 years. I arrive knowing that I am not in top form yet, but excited to kick off the season. To make things even more interesting this year I was making my pro debut. Lastly, adding another level of complexity to the race was the fact that the participant list read something like a world championship race!

I arrived in Oceanside Thursday, got a quick tune up from Doug, the stellar Timex mechanic and a quick ride, the first outside on my new orange Trek TTX 9.9 SSL , man that bike is fast, hence forth referred to as the flaming rocket! 

My home stay host Rob, his girlfriend and her son were incredibly gracious and welcoming, giving me a great pasta meal, a private bedroom and bathroom as well as anything else I could have needed. Thank you again!

Race morning the water temperature was 60 degrees, significantly warmer that I expected, yet still a little chilly. I placed myself right up front opting to BE swum over rather that have to DO the swimming over. I wasn’t able to get the first pack, but caught the main group and was following a good draft until the turn around where the group began to spread out and swimming into the rising sun made for some guess work on exactly where to swim. All in all not a stellar swim, but respectable exiting with the main group around 27 minutes. I definitely need to work on my swim start and hanging on a little longer to catch the faster feet.

Running through T1 I saw many familiar faces and got some great encouragement from a lot of the age groupers lining up for their respective swim starts. I was off the back of the main pro field, but used my PowerTap , to focus on a consistent/steady effort at my goal power. This bike course is great, the first half is pretty fast and flat with a few small climbs and on the back half there are a few tough climbs, this year there was a pretty stiff head wind on the back side of Camp Pendelton as wel,l which made it slightly more challenging. I was able to pace myself well and pass several cyclists in the last 10 miles of the race. Overall normalized power of 288w with a VI 1.02.

I was feeling very good heading into T2 and ready to run hard to see if I could make up any ground. However, within the first few hundred feet of the run my lower back began to cramp very badly and I was forced to hobble most of the run. Many of my friends and family who were watching the race commented on how “not myself” I looked while running. Let me tell you, I didn’t exactly feel like myself either. This cramping was probably due to a combination of an early season race where my body was just not accustom to the high intensity efforts, lack of stretching over a very busy previous month and just bad luck. My goals changed and it became a survival run to just finish. I have never considered dropping out of a race before, however, at mile 3 I was seriously considering it. I always finish what I start and in addition there are many people who struggle through a triathlon and just because I was having a bad day I was not going to let myself quit. I pushed a little bit the last 3 miles to try to salvage what was left of a frustrating run.

Disappointing as it was, I finished 25th in a field of almost 50 pro triathletes and ultimately, I am pleased considering it is only March and I have a long season ahead of me. This race was not perfect and as a result it has only sparked my motivation to train even harder which will ultimately make 2008 a great year. Lastly, even though it was a “bad day at the office” it is truly a privilege to be following my dream racing as a pro triathlete.

Train hard, train smart!

 Ok so I haved blogged anything since October!! It’s been a busy winter and now that triathlon season is upon us I’ve decided that I need to do a better job keeping up with this blog. Soooooo…I officially kicked off my pro triathlon career and my 2008 season this past weekend at Ironman California 70.3.   Although I had a great experience and finished with a solid effort, it was not exactly what I was hoping for. I had a pretty good swim exiting with the main pack and had a solid bike considering it’s only March. I rode myself into 15th position after the bike. However, exiting T2 my lower back cramped pretty severely and I shuffled 13.1 miles in quite a bit of pain, almost 10 minutes slower than I know I am capable. I finished 25th in a field of almost 50 pro triathletes and ultimately, I am pleased considering it is only March and I have a long season ahead of me.   Full race repor to follow.

After the race I was in Carlsbad for 3 days for fun in the sun at the Timex Multisport Camp, which was a blast.  The people that compose this team, both athletes, managment and the Timex corporation are all truly great and inspiring in so many ways.  I’m very excited to be back on the team this year and looking forward to a great 2008.