Quad Cities Marathon Pacer

For the 3^rd year in a row, I had the privilege of pacing the 3:40 (8:23/mi) group at the Quad Cities Marathon. With the race being 2 weeks after Ironman Wisconsin, I had a rough time closing out those final 6 miles in past years. As a precaution, I worked with the pacing director to have someone take over at mile 20 this year.

Attempting to spew wisdom on my fellow athletes at the expo =)

The weather was looking pretty rough with a 100% chance of rain from 3AM-6PM. As we were driving to the start, there wasn’t any rain. As everyone lined up in the starting corral, still NO RAIN! It wasn’t until 6 miles in that any rain fell, and at that point it was perfect for cooling us off.

Using that pacer sign as a prop for photographer

For me, this was one of those days that I didn’t internalize I was running a marathon until the Anthem was being sung. I found myself lost in conversation with my pace group, and after a few introductions the cannon went off. The first few miles are always a little tense as I focus on hitting the pace, but once we settled in, we were on target. This year, my group had TONS of energy and positive vibes. We learned everyone’s name, where they’re from and who had the most interesting job (hypnotist and poison control were the top 2). We even talked about how most of our conversation will probably be forgotten (as I now struggle to remember what else we talked about). The rain came heavy at mile 8 and everyone’s shoes were soaked, but I just kept hearing how good everyone was feeling. I have never had a group so positive.

Leading my tribe through the rain

I always try to do a little coaching and encouraging as we are running, giving advice on breathing, run cadence or staying on the tangents. Every mile I’d update the group on our previous split and where we stood on pace. Up until mile 17, I had 3 guys, 1 girl and a relay runner going strong. At that point the group started to get a little quiet and I was doing most of the talking. We had 1 slowly drop off at 17 and another around mile 20. I always struggle seeing someone fall off knowing I can’t slow up for them. Up until this point, I was feeling strong, but some GI issues had been nagging since mile 15. Once I got to mile 20 and handed the pacer sign off, I took care of business. I caught back up to my last 2 runners with 5 to go. At mile 25 I told them to leave the nest and to soak in their finish.  Within a minute, they were fading off in the distance

Jay ran a 3:43 last year and wanted to PR by
running under 3:40. Way to crush it!

Why I love being a pacer.

The opportunity to help others reach a goal

Getting to know fellow athletes that I wouldn’t normally meet

Supporting the local community (go QC!)

FREE supported training run!

Not sure why I'm grimacing so much at the finish 

At the end of the day, we couldn’t have asked for better conditions considering the forecast. This was my 3^rd year pacing the marathon within 2 weeks of an Ironman, and I felt so much stronger than the previous years. I think this is an indication of how much stronger I am and how much harder I’ve been training this year. Louisville is in less than 2 weeks now, and I’m ready to being my final taper.

Giving Credit

A lot of my posts have been about me and what I’ve accomplished so far. I reach my goals through hard work and sacrifice, but I’m not alone in this. There are many people chasing this dream alongside me, and that’s what this post is all about. Here are a few special shout outs.

God

I thank God for giving me both the body and mind to do what I love. 95% of my training is done alone, and I spend a lot of that time with Him. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” Without getting too preachy, it is my prayer that my training and goal setting inspires others to become the best possible version of themselves, however that looks for them.

Ty - Girlfriend

My girlfriend of almost 2 years has been my rock on this rollercoaster of training. I have my good days and bad days, but her support and encouragement remain the same. Most days she has more confidence than I do. She rides with me on long runs to provide nutrition, music and moral support. She even knows when to let me be pissed about a poor workout or to shake it off. I have remained mostly* injury free this season with her fixing me up every week.

Mom and Dad

I am beyond fortunate to have an incredible relationship with my parents. When I visit they alter schedules, Sherpa my long rides/runs and give up valuable time with me so I can train. They are truly my biggest fans and are fully committed to seeing me achieve success. Whether it’s booking the hotel room, driving the bike course, or wearing a ridiculous inflatable costume, they will do whatever it takes to get me to Kona. 

 

This message from my mom sums it all up and reminds me that I’m still their baby.

Family and Friends

The biggest group by far. I have two older brothers that remind me how proud they are. My friends and extended family send encouragement before a big race, and so many others follow every split while I compete. To say it means the world is an understatement. I push that much harder knowing so many believe in me and are out there watching. 

And finally, to everyone reading this, YOU keep the dream alive by letting me ramble on and on and on. I hope to one day have sponsors that believe in me the same way you do.

Thank you so so much <3

Ironman Wisconsin: Race Report

There is a lot to unpack from my race this past weekend, so get ready for a long read!

Finish time: 10:00:33    /    5^th place age group    /   51^st overall (including Pros)

Overall, I cannot believe my own performance. I hit every goal except for improved swim time, but I’ll dig into that later. The weather was perfect and favored some very fast times. I didn’t think I would be in contention for a Kona slot this race. It turned out that 3^rd place got a rolldown, and I was 36s behind him. A tough one for me to swallow, but it's additional motivation going into Ironman Louisville this October.

Race morning:

I learned from my race last year that I needed to get to the start sooner to self-seed for the swim. I arrived with plenty of time, but the gates opened up on the opposite side. I was boxed out from the faster swim groups and ended up starting with athletes closer to a 1:30 projected swim time instead of 1:05. With a few hundred slower swimmers seeded in front of me, I knew my swim was going to be affected.

Swim: 1:06:17 (115^th overall)

As I mentioned earlier, my swim time was affected by the poorly designed self-seeding. Aside from that, I thought I had a great swim under tough water conditions. With 2ft waves and slower swimmers in front of me, sighting was extremely difficult, and I accidentally swam to an orange kayak at one point.  Overall, I’m happy with that swim and know I can do better when properly seeded.

T1: 5:44

First transition is always long at IMWI with the parking garage helix. Looking through other T1 times, I was one of the fastest athletes through transition. Unfortunately, my bike was on the first rack in a 200 meter long transition area, so I had a long way to run with it. Last year, I opted to carry my shoes to my bike and put them on there. This year, I ran with my shoes and bike until I was closer to the mount line, leaned the bike against a garbage can and slipped my shoes on. This was a huge time savings since IMWI doesn’t allow flying mounts unless you are a pro.

Bike: 5:30:14 (83^rd overall)

This was where I put most of my focus all summer.  I interval trained to simulate hills and did everything I could to get my strength up and hit higher speeds. I went out a little strong at the start, but even by mile 40 I was still feeling fresh. It was also at that time that I discovered I was 5^th in my division! With that boost, I kept pushing and wouldn’t back off. Around 70 miles the hills started taxing my legs and started to become a concern for the run. I backed off slightly and just tried to maintain my goal of 20mph. The last 5 miles I backed off even more to prepare for the run and was very satisfied with almost breaking the 5:30 mark.

T2: 2:48

Once again, the flying dismount came in handy running barefoot and not removing shoes in transition. Something I hadn’t experienced before was lower back tightness and I couldn’t run. I did an awkward speed walk to the changing tent, got my shoes on and speed walked out until my back loosened.

Run: 3:15:30 (51^st overall)

Usually my time to shine is the run, but I had struggled the past 2 years running a 3:47 both times. Despite knowing not to go out too fast, I clocked back to back 6:45 min/miles out of the gate. I ran the first 8 miles around a 7:00 avg and knew I needed to back off to avoid walking. Once I calmed myself down, I tried to hold 7:45. Several times my legs started to lock up and I thought I was done. Each time, I pushed through and focused on form until they loosened. I finished the first half in 1:35 and knew I was well ahead of pace. As everything was starting to shutdown on me, I looked to Red bull and bananas at the aid stations. I also focused on getting to my family and other high energy places on course. My parents did not disappoint wearing an inflatable ostrich costume as well as my brother in his batman footy pajamas. Even though they barely got a smirk from me, it pulled me away from those dark places.  My last focus was to get within 5k of the finish and push it from there. It wasn’t until 1.5 miles out that I boosted my pace, and my last mile was around a 6:40.

Finish: 10:00:33

It’s amazing how much pain we are willing to put ourselves through. It’s even more amazing how all the pain melts away as that finish line comes into view. After the race I saw my final time and 5^th place age group. As friends and family surrounded me, I just broke down at the accomplishment and being with those who supported me through the entire journey. I wasn’t expecting to qualify for Kona at this race, but to come that close makes me that much more hungry for Ironman Louisville.

Training Update: 1st Taper

Freedom Run 10K: 4th Place Overall

It’s been a while since my last post, and nothing too exciting has been happening. I am currently gearing up for Ironman Wisconsin in 10 days, and taper has officially started.

Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho: Mile 19/20

2 weeks ago I finished my last 20 mile run, and last weekend I completed my first (and only) 100 ride. I haven't been as good about getting the longer workouts in this season and with Ironman Louisville as my A race 6 weeks out, I will not be doing a complete taper. I plan on partially tapering down for IMWI, but will be using it as a building block going into IMLOU.

I don’t normally share my personal goals before a race, but here is what I want to realistically achieve.

1.    Top 10 Age Group finish

2.    Finish under 10:20 for both a course and Ironman PR

3.    Improve swim from last year (1:05)

4.    Hold 20mph on the bike

5.    Run under 3:30

Bib #: 1220 for tracking! #MaximumEffort

Spirit Lake, Idaho: OWS Training

Race Report: Crossroads Sprint Triathlon

This was my second time racing the Crossroads Triathlon in DeWitt, IA. It was the first (and only) sprint I have won, so I returned to defend my title.  Despite having completed multiple races, I still had some pre-race nerves. That all went away as I jumped off the dock to start my swim.

Swim 500 yards: 8:13, Rank 5

Last year, I didn’t swim straight and cost myself some time. I made it a point to sight more often and not swim extra. Even with my new strategy of backing off the last 50 yards of the swim, I managed to drop 22s by swimming straighter.

T1: 57s, Rank 1

It was unfortunate that my bike was on the first rack with farthest distance to push it, but I still put down the fastest T1 of the day. While my T1 was great, I made a huge mistake with the flying mount. I left my shoes Velcroed shut and had one heck of a time getting my feet into the shoes. I shaved 21s from last year.

Bike: 38:24 (23.4mph), Rank 3

The time I saved in T1 was probably added into my bike split as I fumbled to get my shoes on for the first half mile. While I was fumbling, my buddy Matt Drobney blew past me and yelled pick it up! Once I got my shoes on I sprinted after him, but could only hold on for a mile. I slowly watched him drop me until he had a solid 2 minute lead going into T2. I dropped 34 seconds from last year despite my mounting issue, but this was most likely due to less wind.

T2: 36s, Rank 6

T2 was executed incredibly well for me, and I took a slight risk going sockless. Dropping some baby powder into my shoes before the race definitely helped. I sprinted out of transition and started to chase down Matt. Saved 34s from last year with a flying dismount.

Run: 17:40, Rank 1

By far the best run I have put together in a sprint. I ended up catching Matt around the half mile mark to take first. I was led by an old motor scooter that made breathing a little difficult running through the exhaust the entire time. I felt strong and I knew I was holding sub 6:00 min/mi, but I wasn’t expecting to see a 5:42 avg! I dropped a whopping 54 seconds from last year.

Finish: 1:05:50, Rank 1

There wasn’t a tape for me to break this year, but I finished incredibly strong. Within a few minutes of finishing, I had my trainers on and was ready for a quick 4 mile cool down. I love running back onto the course to cheer on the other athletes while they’re out working hard.

Takeaways:

I need to pay closer attention to detail when I am setting up transition. I forgot to open my shoes and spin my wheels

All 5 splits were faster than last year thanks to training and experience. I AM getting faster, and I AM improving my race strategy.

Overall great execution and a great race! Maybe I’ll go for the 3-peat next year =)

Muncie 70.3 Race Report

Going into this race I had 2 goals:
1.    Top 5 Age Group spot 
2.    Break 4:30

Swim: 34:23 (64^th Overall)

It was a hot day, but conditions were ideal for racing. I did not have the swim I wanted (going a little off course), but overall I was happy considering I raced without a wetsuit. The water was 79 degrees and felt great.

T1: 2:16

This transition was almost a ¼ mile and uphill. The importance of having race experience was paramount here.  I took what I learned from my slow transitions in the QC sprint tri and applied it to this race. First, I held back the last 100 yards of the swim to catch my breath before exiting the water. Instead of sprinting for a better swim time, I saved my energy for the transition run. I may have lost a few seconds on my swim, but I saved many more using my feet. I also learned how to do a flying mount and my time savings showed.

Bike: 2:23:40 (56^th Overall)

I knew this course was going to be flat and fast, but I didn’t anticipate holding 23.3 mph! I held a faster pace than the QC sprint tri AND it was for 56 miles.  It was a very hot day, and I knew I would struggle to take in enough fluids. I took 2 large drinks of water/Gatorade every 10 minutes and salt and shot blocks every 20.  I also skipped 2 aid stations to save more time.  As I was nearing the last 15 miles, my girlfriend told me to punch it if I wanted to stay in contention for an AG award. I was a little concerned about saving enough for the run, but I took her advice and pushed that last 15.

T2: 1:44

Again, transitions were something I really wanted to focus on after my QC results. I struggled to pull my foot over the top tube of my bike last time, so I drilled new holes into my nutrition box and shifted it forward to help me clear it. I also transitioned my base salt to my jersey pocket while still on the bike to avoid picking up an extra item.  Overall, my 2 transitions were nearly the fastest in the race.

Run: 1:28:28 (15^th Overall)

Typically my strongest of the 3 disciplines, I still wasn’t sure how I would handle the heat and that last push on the bike. Out of transition, I was 5 minutes back from 5th place and at 3 hours and 2 minutes of race time. I started pacing out at a 6:40 (1:28) in hopes of catching 5th and breaking that 4:30. Thanks to aid stations every mile and the best volunteers, I was getting sponges, ice, Gatorade and plenty of water as I cruised through each one. I admired Patrick Lange’s ability to not break stride during his 2:40 Kona marathon, and strived to be as efficient.  With 6.5 miles to go, I was still 4 minutes back and my pace was starting to slip. I held a 6:41 on the way out and hoped to hold on for a 1:30 half marathon. I hugged every tree line to stay in the shade and did my best to relax and hold form.

Finish: 4:30:31

As I gritted my way through the finish, I couldn’t even see the clock. After catching my breath, I found my supporters and they told me I took 5th in AG. Because of the rolling start, I still could have been bumped. I refreshed the Ironman App every minute for the next half hour just to be sure. Attending the awards ceremony, my time held up and I took 5th in my Age Group and 25th overall. I also qualified for 70.3 worlds in New Zealand because a slot rolled down, but I had to decline =)

Key takeaways:

Trusting and executing my race plan led to a very successful race.
None of my individual race splits were in the top 5 for my AG, but my transitions and well roundedness in all 3 still earned me 5th.

Feedback from my support crew during the race gave me the insight I needed to execute the plan.
Based on pacing and hitting that top 5, I have more confidence in my ability to qualify for Kona some day.

Boundary Waters Training

Absolutely loving my vacation (and training) in the Boundary Waters! Yesterday was a 2.4 mi OWS, and today was one of the toughest workouts I’ll do all year. A simulated 70.3 Iron-Brick (no swim). Pacing on the bike and run were slower than I would have liked for a race, but I gave everything I had. It was a tough workout, but I’ll reap the benefits on race day.

Lessons learned:

1. I need to drink more fluids on the bike despite feeling alright, so I started the run dehydrated.  Working out in varying temperatures and humidity is necessary to determine ideal fluid intake. Today I learned the hard way.
2. Attempting to train like an elite athlete requires strong support from friends and family.  My dad chased me around for 4.5 HOURS while I trained today. He gave me much needed encouragement as well as additional nutrition and some sweet footage.
3. I can’t get hung up on the numbers when it comes to my performance. Conditions vary and preparations for a particular workout are not always ideal. Putting forth my best effort will always yield positive results.

Besides the physical benefits, lessons learned are just as critical when it comes to training.

Enjoy the footage =)