2022 Recap

2022 recap by the numbers! I am going to attempt a quick recap of my 2022 racing season with all of my stats and highlights. 

Swim: 565,000 yards / 155 hrs

Bike: 8,500 miles / 415 hrs

Run: 1,450 miles / 182 hrs

Strength: 52 hrs

Total: 10,200 miles / 804 hrs (33.5 days)!

Ironman: 4* - if you include my indoor at the Y

Ironman 70.3: 4

World Championships: 2

Going through all of my Blog Posts from this year, here is each race along with the highlights =)

Road to Kona Indoor Ironman: What started as a joke turned into me swimming 4,250 yards in the pool (they opened early for me), riding 112 miles on Zwift in the weight room, and running 26.2 miles on a TREADMILL, all at Two Rivers YMCA. I had so many friends join me and bring snacks/beverages throughout the day. This kept me entertained, and it turned out to be a very fun day. 

2021 Ironman World Championship, St. George Utah: (9:55:04 - 10th AG)

2 weeks before the race, I was nursing a calf injury on my left leg. I stopped biking and running and only swam. Not being able to bike or run key parts of the course wasn’t ideal. Going into the race, I simply hoped to finish. The venue was electric, the sites were beautiful and I was just happy to be there. I also received my first ever random drug test (PASSED)

I had a great swim with a 1 minute PR, and it was the coldest I had done at 60 degrees. 

I “conquered” the tough bike course with 7,300 ft of gain and some intense winds on the final descents.

I jogged through a brutal marathon in 90 degree heat and 1,500 ft of gain.

I had adjusted expectations with the calf injury, and I set the “new” goals of breaking 10 hours and top 10 AG. It came down to the final miles of the marathon, and I made it thanks to my wife Ty. 

Chattanooga 70.3: (4:18:30 - 4th AG / 7th OA)

15 days after Ironman St. George, I wasn’t feeling myself. I went into the race excited about a new venue and hoped to grab a spot on the podium. I learned a very important lesson about starting up front because I was around 1500 people back, yet finished 7th overall. Needless to say, I had to pass A LOT of people.

This was one of my best swims relative to the field landing 9th in my AG (best I’ve seen so far). 

On the other hand, I had a poor ride and fell into a lull the last 10 miles, losing time.

Flip flop again and I had a very strong run with a 1:22 and 3rd fastest in my AG. The highlight of the race was passing Miranda Carfrae on the run. Overall, I was proud of my run and for pushing the highest HR I’ve seen so far in a half Ironman.

Steelhead 70.3: (4:11:21 - 2nd AG / 4th OA): 

A 4 second PR and my highest placement in an Ironman Event! This was a race I felt ready for. 

The roughest swim I had completed to date, but happy with where I came out of the water. I had also learned from Chatt and started inside of the top 50. This worked out perfectly as I came out in 32nd place. It made for a very lonely race, but that helped more than hurt. 

My best bike performance to date! 24.9mph average at 237 NP. Aside from losing time both mounting and dismounting, I had a very strong bike and pushed beyond what I thought I was capable of. 

I had my first battle on the run from mile 8 to the finish, and came so close to cracking that 1:20 mark.

Overall I was very proud of this effort, and this was the best race I’d put together since IM Tulsa. 

Route 66 and Great Illini 70.3s: (1st OA - 4:30:36 / 1st OA - 4:12:23) 

These were two small town races that I had won back in 2020, so I was excited to be back.

At Route 66, I was given a HR cap on the run to avoid over-racing before Kona. I had a great swim and strong bike to build enough buffer to keep the lead and take the win again. Highlight from this race was my brother Scott completing his first Olympic Triathlon! 

At Great Illini, I was allowed to go full gas. There wasn’t much competition and I took the lead a few miles into the bike. I won by a little over 40 minutes, so it was quite the sight. Highlight again was my brother Scott completing his first Ironman 70.3!

2022 Ironman World Championship, Kona Hawaii: (9:29:42 - 30th AG) 

The race I had been waiting 3 years for! The island did not disappoint and certainly lived up to its expectations. I had never felt so prepared for a race. My coach Brent truly had everything fall into place for me, and I had experienced the 2 toughest parts of the course during my final training days. 

The swim was PR by another minute this year! I was so close to breaking that 1 hour mark, and I am very happy with how I performed here. 

The bike went as expected except for the last 20 miles into a headwind. This hurt the split a bit, but my power numbers were very close to the targets. The course suited me incredibly well being a simple out and back with some steady climbs. 

The run felt like a cake-walk through the first 7 miles before getting onto the Queen K. With the aid stations spaced out more than normal, I melted and fell apart in the Energy Lab. I learned a little more about myself, and came out of there broken. Even after getting back onto the Queen K, I had lost my ability to fight. I let 2 guys pass me without even attempting to stay with them. 

Overall I can’t be too disappointed with 30th in my AG even though I was hoping for top 20. After this race, I found that I am much farther away from my goals than I had realized and that several things would need to change. More on that in my final thoughts at the end.

Ironman Florida: (9:14:23 - 2nd AG / 4th OA)

This race was meant to “simply” grab a Kona Slot and end my season. In the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to win but lowered expectations with the incredibly long season I was closing out. 

The swim was the toughest I had done given the water conditions and jellies. I was only 20s off my Kona swim, so pretty happy with where my swim ended the season. 

The bike split was my fastest by ~15 minutes. It was the flattest and easiest bike course I’ve ever ridden, averaging a little over 23mph.

The run was my biggest disappointment even though no one broke 3 hours. I got to battle another athlete again, but that did more harm than good since I burned matches early on. 

Overall, I got the Kona slot and was happy to end the season on a good note. The Age Group and Overall win continue to elude me, but I’ll be gearing up for a few attempts in 2023.

Final Thoughts on 2022

I’d say this year was another step in the right direction for me. I am still getting faster and placing higher each race (4th overall twice now). I'm swimming close to an hour flat and biked just under 4:50. The improvements are becoming less and less, which is expected but still tough to see.

There are certainly a few things I plan to address for 2023 and they are as follows: 

My swim is no longer “good enough” to reach my new goals. Even if I had the strongest run in the field, I’d have too much ground to make up. I'd like to be under 28 in a half and 58 in a full to stay competitive in 2023.

Next is my run, which hasn’t really improved since 2019 when I ran a breakthrough 3:14 at Ironman Wisconsin on a tough course. 3 years later, I ran that same split in Madison again (2021), St. George, Kona and Florida. What used to be my weapon is not enough to get me to 1st.

The final is my bike, which I’m listing last because it’s shown the greatest improvement over the year. My power numbers are up and the bike splits are reflecting that as well. Kona was actually a PR bike split before racing Florida. But despite the improvements, I am still losing too much time, and I need to make an identical (if not greater) jump this year.

As always, thank you for following along and reading through the rambling. For me, it’s a great way to look back and reflect on what I’ve done. And in turn, reminiscing will be the catalyst for improvements in the years to come. CHEERS!

Ironman Florida Race Report

Final race of 2022 is done and dusted! I am so relieved to close the book on my 2022 race season and put my feet up for a while. I’m sure I’ll go stir crazy after the first week, but I am certainly ready for a short break.

Jake and Brooke

Pre-Race: This was one of my favorite trips to a race venue. Normally 16 hours in the car wouldn’t sound like fun, but I had great company. A large part of my success this weekend was thanks to Jake and Brooke (two athletes I coach). They drove the entire way down to Florida, and I just focused on relaxing. Everything went according to plan from check-in, final tune-up rides/run, and getting to the start line plenty early. I am also very thankful for my Dynamo teammates helping me fill tires, carry gear, and get my wetsuit on. 

Swim (1:00:30 - 32nd OA): This was the toughest swim I’ve done in terms of water conditions (and jellyfish). Kona was tougher from starting in the last wave. Thanks to my teammate Robert, I started very close to the front (probably 30th into the water). Being with the faster swimmers and not having the course congested made the swells and waves much more manageable. On loop 1, I went out hard into the waves and eased up after the first turn with them at my back. My first little jellyfish sting was on the palm of my right hand, and it just tingled for the rest of the swim. After loop 1, I was told 29 minutes (on pace for an hour), so I was very happy to get that feedback. Starting loop 2, I stayed inside of the buoys to avoid as many loop 1 swimmers as I could. I found some feet to lead the way and stayed on them until we had the waves going with us again. Somewhere in there my right foot got stung on the top and the bottom, but again just tingly after. On that final stretch to shore, I got stung on the face and was mostly just wanting to itch my nose after. Finishing the swim, I was happy to be close to the 1 hour mark.

T1: First transition was pretty smooth. I got my wetsuit down to my waist before the peelers, and had it off and handed back quickly. It was a long run on concrete, and I felt pretty winded for most of it. I didn’t have the fastest time, but I did move up 14 places. I opted to carry my shoes (no pre-mounting in this race), and I ran with them and my bike until the mount line before quickly slipping them on. 

Running Mitch's disc

Bike (4:49:24 - 13th OA): Early into the bike, I felt ok holding my power target. I made a few passes in the first 10 miles, but also had several guys blow by me. I was fortunate to have a very gusto cyclist pass me as we started into 10 miles of headwind to the first turnaround. I opted to keep my power slightly under goal and sit 20 meters behind him. We had the bike marshal buzzing around us constantly, so I was sure to be plenty far back. He skipped the first 2 aid stations, so I put in some surges to stay with him. After we turned, he started to fade and I went back up to goal watts without anyone in front of me. We had a long section coming up with a tailwind heading north, and I knew we’d have a strong headwind coming back. I opted to lower my watts again with the tailwind and sat up every so often to get the body ready for a long stretch staying as aero as possible. Going into that final turnaround, I was concerned to not see my buddy and competitor Robert on his way back. I figured I had just missed him, but really expected him to be leading the race. More to come on that. After I turned, I bumped the power back up and was ready for a solid hour into that wind. After turing out of it, we had 1 last out and back section that was by far the dumbest bike section I have ever seen in an event. I felt like I should have been on a mountain bike to navigate it. After surviving that, it was a final 6 mile push into the wind to get to T2. In every Ironman I have done, this is where I let up a bit to focus on the run. Instead, I held power and leaned into the effort the rest of the way in. I was very happy with a 17 minute bike PR (easy course I know) and 23.2mph.

203W average at 208NP with an avg HR of 150bpm. Goal was 211-216W.

T2: Flying dismount was successful and I got my bike to a catcher right away. I was quick through transition with 2 guys in the change tent. On my way out, I was about 50 yards behind one of them. He looked like he could be my age and was moving fast.

Hanging with Thiago

Run (3:14:03 - 6th OA): This is going to be a jumble of thoughts because that’s how this run went for me. Good luck following along! Starting out, I felt like I was running slow but saw 6:45 pace on my watch that first mile. I took the first 2 miles to bridge up to the next athlete, and was already at my HR limit. I thought I heard I was in 2nd place AG, but wasn’t sure how far back 3rd was. I didn’t see my Dynamo teammates for splits, and this made me more concerned about not seeing Robert. Before I made any conclusions, I decided to wait until the first run turnaround to see him. At this point, I was flying a little blind and just wanted to put down a solid run. On my way out to the 6.5 mile turnaround, I ended up running shoulder to shoulder with the guy ahead of me. We didn’t say a word, and I didn’t want to ask his AG. As it turned out, this was Thiago, an athlete from Atlanta that knew my teammates. After that introduction, we started talking and found out we were different age groups. We got to the turn around and never saw Robert. Based on this, I knew there was an accident on the bike, but there was nothing I could do. I just wanted to finish and find out if he was ok. I also knew he would want me to close it out and grab that Kona slot, so that’s what I aimed to do. Around mile 8 I really started to struggle. My effort felt harder, HR was dropping and my legs didn’t want to go. I was on top of my nutrition and salt, so I thought maybe I needed more fluids (despite carrying a bottle out of T1). I told Thiago that I was suffering and thought I needed to start walking aid stations. He told me to wait until lap 2. I kept pressing on and we took turns leading. We started the 2nd loop and still no sign of my Dynamo fam, and it started to hit me a little harder. I hung with Thiago until mile 15, but the elastic started to break. I had no response and started walking the aid stations. At this point, I was still averaging just under 8 minute miles even with the walking. I told myself, you can run 10 minutes and then walk. Turns out this is just what I needed as my pace slowly dropped back down to the 7:30 range. I hit the final turnaround and felt like I was moving decently well. Focused on ice and fluids during my walk breaks, I got to that final 5K and started to pick it up even more. With 2 miles to go, Thiago came back into view, and I actually felt motivated to put in the effort to catch him. With one mile to go, I gave him a fist bump and he told me to finish it. I brought it in around 6:30 pace, and probably showed the most emotion I ever have on that red carpet. I’m not normally one to beat my chest, but I took in several high-fives and came across pumping my fist. Far from the win, I’m not sure what got into me.

Finish (9:14:23) - 4th OA: 

Overall, I ran my way to 4th place, held onto 2nd AG and was the 1st American across the line. I was very happy with my swim considering the conditions, and I believe I landed as expected placement-wise. I am also happy with my bike power and speed, but I gave up way too much time to the leaders. Even if I ran the time I thought I was capable of, I’m not sure I would’ve run them down. Despite my run being 1st AG and 6th overall, I’m pretty displeased with the time and how I fell apart. Before beating myself up too much, I am proud of how I rallied back to close that last 10K around 7:15 pace. I punched my ticked to the Ironman World Champs for the 3rd time as my primary goal this race. Secondary was an AG win and third was the overall. I am continually humbled every time I race, but that will simply drive my hunger next season.

Without saying too much, I’ve alluded about my friend Robert Swan. He was in fact hit by a car while Leading the race at mile 50 with a ~2 minute gap. He was brought to a hospital before I even got to where he was (yeah, I was getting my butt kicked). I can say he is back home now and recovering, but will leave the rest for him and Devon to share via social media. @devonandrobertcoaching. This is the first time I’ve been directly affected by one of these incidents. I am so heartbroken and cried several times post race. I was told one of his goals was to beat me, and I have no doubt he would’ve been waiting for me at the finish.

Had a crowd for my post race massage

For me, that is a wrap on 2022 and I am so happy to be taking a break. I knew I had a season of fatigue during this race, and it thankfully didn’t really hit until mile 9 on the run. With Kona secured, that will be my only full and sole focus for next year in the 30-34 AG. 

As always, I appreciate everyone for following along and motivating me every time I toe the line.

Kona Race Report

Going into this race, I was more prepared than I have ever been. My coach Brent Pease trained me well, and gave me a few final tune up workouts on the island to ensure I was ready for the toughest 2 parts of the course (Hawi and the Energy Lab). Other than stepping on a bee 2 days before, I was feeling pretty good.

Pre-Race: The day before the race was executed perfectly. After dropping off my gear at 2pm, we picked up dinner on the way back to the AirBnb and I had my feet up from 3:00-bed. I went over the course maps and my race plan a few times, ate at 4:00, and had lights out at 7:30.

Race morning, I got to transition plenty early, and my rear tire blew when I started inflating it. Bike tech didn’t have a line yet and they got my tube swapped in under 5 minutes. Hurt me knowing I was running a butyl instead of latex, but I am sooo thankful that happened pre-race and not when I mounted my bike. After my gear was set, they closed transition and my age group had over 90 minutes to kill after the female pros started. I had a front row seat as the top few came through transition while we waited. I definitely waited too long to get lined up, so I was about 3 deep at the start without much time to tread water.

Swim (1:00:13 - 59th): The mass start was hectic and stayed that way for the entire swim. It was difficult to navigate through the waves that started before us, and they were definitely getting agitated as we passed. I spent a good portion just weaving through traffic and couldn’t quite go the pace/effort I wanted. I stayed on some feet a few times and let some guys from my wave make the opening for myself. When I got to the pier, I checked my total time and saw I had a shot at breaking an hour. I decided to save my energy for T1 and ended up with an Ironman swim PR! I was stoked to be a few minutes faster than I was expecting. 

T1 went very smoothly. I was able to work my way through the older athletes taking their time and only left myself a water in my bag (helmet was required to be left on the bike). I did miss the bag at first pass and a volunteer helped me out. I threw my swim gear into the bag and used that water to rinse myself off as I ran to my bike. Mounting my shoes was the way to go because I just had to put my helmet on and grab the bike. I was stuck behind some slower athletes with their bikes but made a few passes when it opened up. I was efficient climbing the first hill on top of my shoes, and got my feet in quickly once it flattened out. Very happy with how this went.

Bike (5:07:32 - 59th): Early into the bike, I had to hold myself back a bit to keep the power where coach wanted it. If I didn’t have those numbers, I’d have gone out way too hard. The first part of the bike was mostly head and crosswind, but seemed to go by fairly quickly. I was hitting the numbers I wanted and feeling good. I also now understand everyone’s annoyance with the draft packs on the Queen K. With how windy it was, it’s clear why they do it… I literally watched 2 guys ahead of me take turns pulling each other. Plenty of officials out there, but I only saw 3-4 athletes in the penalty tents. The ride up to Hawi was easier than I had thought with the riders to my right blocking some of the wind as I went by. The decent back down was tough in the crosswinds and I mostly just coasted with my legs pinching the top tube. When I had 30 miles to go, I was expecting a slight tailwind and net downhill to the finish. When I found the wind against me again, it was a huge mental drain. I had to stay aero longer than expected, and that started to take a toll. I also had a guy sucking my wheel for about 30 minutes, and I just couldn’t drop him in that wind. Unfortunately I burned a match or 2 trying… Another kind athlete yelled at him on my behalf, and I finally ended up dropping him on a long steady climb. I was about 10 minutes slower than expected after battling the last 30 miles. I was very happy to be off the bike when I coasted down Palani. 204W average at 213NP. Goal was 211-216. 

T2: Flying dismount was very successful. I probably pulled my leg over a little too soon, but it was all downhill. I was quick through transition again other than being behind a slower runner again, and I struggled to find my bike rack since they changed them to just hold your rear wheel. A volunteer helped me out again and I was good to go. I started the run with a bottle to toss, and I’m thankful I did.

Run (3:15:29 - 20th) Starting the run, I didn’t think my legs were going to be there. Turns out they just needed 1 mile to warm up. 1-9 were the highlight of my entire race. We had some soft cloud cover, occasional shade, and 2 guys with hoses spraying us on the out and back. I was running low 7’s feeling very comfortable at goal HR. Once I got up Palani to the Queen K, the race had finally started. The sun was in full force, and the aid stations were ~1.8 miles apart. It was around mile 12 that I started to suffer and dehydrate quite a bit. I caught up to one of my Dynamo teammates Robert around this time and we just ran together in joint suffering and silence for 2 miles. At the halfway point, we got to the energy lab, and this is where it got real. The aid stations couldn’t come soon enough and every minute felt like 5. At the 16 mile turnaround I took a quick stop to pee since it had been nagging me for 2 hours. I assume it was under 20s. Getting my run special needs around 16.5 was not the boost I thought I’d get. My water was 90+ degrees and didn’t seem to help. Now, the worst part of my day was the long steady climb out of the energy lab. With the wind at my back and sun beating down, the air was just stagnant. I have never experienced heat like that before, and I was determined not to walk. I plugged along at a 10min mile just waiting to turn back into the wind. 

The first time I walked was the aid station at mile 18. With so few volunteers, they couldn’t keep up with the athletes and I needed to go through slowly enough to get what I needed. Looking back, I wish I started that strategy around mile 12. I got back onto the Queen K, and I felt like the sun was finally weakening. The struggle was real as 2 athletes passed me at 22, and I had absolutely no response. I just kept doing mental math on my total time and marathon pace. In that final mile, I nearly took a spill down Palani when my hammy locked up. After that it was just grit to the finish. I was stoked to see my Dynamo teammates ¼ mile out, and from there the pain started to melt away as you come up to that red carpet. 

Finish: If I am being completely honest, the finish was not what I had expected it to be. Maybe I needed to slow down more to take it all in. I felt like I had left everything out on that course, but could have pushed a little faster with better hydration on the run. Despite carrying 2 of my own bottles, it just wasn’t enough. 

Thanks Coach

Overall, I landed in 30th place for my age group in the world. Always wanting and expecting more, I am trying to figure out where I could have dropped just a little more time. I will say, I did have some fun afterwards with plenty of tequila shots and beer.

Shots for days!

Up next is Ironman Florida to end my season that started with St. George on May 7th. Then, I’ll be ready for a nice little off-season. Mahalo!

Dynamo Training Camp

My first triathlon training camp was a success! As part of Team Dynamo, the coaches put together a camp at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA. Even though I am a remotely coached athlete (of the legendary Brent Pease, seriously look him up), I was highly encouraged to attend. This required packing my bike and flying down from Moline Thursday night and returning home Monday afternoon. Luckily my teammate Nick let me crash at his place and shuttled me around all weekend.

Fueling Stop

I’ll go into a fair amount of detail farther down, but I wanted to put my “Cliff Notes” up here to share the highlights for a quick read.

First off, Team Dynamo is an incredible community. Other than Nick (who I only met once for beer after IM Tulsa), I didn’t know any else. After that first 80-mile ride, I felt right at home. Even though I wasn’t the strongest rider, they let me pull and made sure I had a wheel to hang on if needed. Racing with them on Saturday, I’ve never felt more relaxed (other than coach Rebecca yelling at me in T1). We all wanted to win, but at the same time were looking to bring the best out of each other. Robert, Nick and myself ended up sweeping the podium in that order, and I was actually “somewhat” content with 3rd. Then if it weren’t for the team, I wouldn’t have gotten back on my bike to knock out another 80-mile ride after destroying myself that morning. And to cap off the week, we all got up early on Sunday to close out camp with a 120-mile ride. Just shy of 300 miles in 3 days.

What made this camp special was the community and coaches. Lain (under no obligation) showed up with all sorts of food so we could cook a giant dinner to fuel up. Coaches Alec and Rebecca provided the best SAG during those 80 and 120 mile rides. They literally bent over backwards to ensure our success out there. Knowing they were waiting up the road kept me going. Then my teammate themselves took me under their wing to teach me about proper nutrition and fueling. I’m hoping to make some adjustments there, and they will be game changers for me in Kona.

 

Long Winded version:

The weekend started out with a 5:45AM swim with the Dynamo Master’s group. A humbling experience to be the slowest swimmer in the largest lap pool I’ve ever seen. I was literally thrown into the deep end and tried to keep up during a fast-paced 5K workout. By the end of the session, I understood why Dynamo athletes are the best swimmers in triathlon (I’m working on it!) I also received some on deck feedback from coach Rebecca to apply to my training back home.

After the swim, we all drove down to Pine Mountain for our first of 3 long rides. Day 1 was an 80-mile self-supported ride that let us scout the Olympic triathlon bike course before riding up and down Pine Mountain. Being new to the group, I hung back for most of the ride and let my teammates set the tone and effort. It wasn’t until the way back that we started a pace line and I took a few short pulls. During that portion of the ride, we had two wheels touch and a rider go down at 24mph. It was scary, and we immediately thought the worst. Luckily it ended up being road rash and a few bruises (bike was nicked, but no fatal damage). We got him in a truck and finished a fairly quiet ride back up Pine Mountain to get home.

The next morning, the team geared up for an Olympic triathlon in the area. I knew I was going to be playing catch-up after both the swim and the bike, but I ended up being 6^th out the water and had less ground to make up than I had thought. The bike course was very technical with some cross traffic, and I was quickly gapped by my teammate Nick. After passing 1 other rider, I found myself in 3^rd, but was losing ground to him, Robert and Ben. I started the run hard, but couldn’t see anyone for ½ mile up the road. It wasn’t until the 2-mile turnaround that I saw Robert leading the race with Nick 1 minute back. I was about 3.5 and 2.5 minutes behind, respectively. We ended up sweeping the podium in that order with 1 minute between the 3 of us. After the race, I received some critical feedback from both a coach and my teammate Juan (all to make me a better athlete). One critical point that was made is how much hip and upper body movement I have on the bike. This is no doubt something that I will need to address through bike-fit and strength. We believe I am losing both aerodynamics and efficient power transfer.

Callaway Olympic Overall Podium

After the race, we refueled and hopped on the bikes again for another 80-mile ride. This time in the heat of the day. We climbed Pine Mountain for the 2^nd time, and this one stung a bit. Out on the route our coaches Alec and Rebecca were already parked and ready with cold Gatorade and assortment of nutrition for us. After a quick refuel, we road to the turnaround and back for 1 last stop before heading home. I have never had such incredible support on a training ride, and it helped me realize the importance of a support system. And to make it even better, Juan (who crashed the day before) road the full 80 miles with us and did most of the pulling! That’s a tough and dedicated teammate.

Juan and Nick leading the way

The last day of camp we got up early to start our 120-mile ride with the last 40-50 miles at Ironman Effort. It was very foggy so we made sure someone with a light was always in back to keep the group safe. Thanks again to our incredibly SAG support, I was topped off on nutrition and actually felt stronger during this ride than the previous 2. So many times, I just wanted to stop riding, but I had the accountability of my teammates and coaches to keep me going. After that last push at Ironman effort, we all averaged over 21mph for that ride (Ironman efforts were all individual without drafting). Nick and I capped off the weekend with a hard 3-mile brick.

Walking away from this massive weekend prep for Kona, I am ready to make the final push in September. Many Dynamo athletes will be racing Kona, so I’m excited for that reunion on Kailua.

If you’ve thought about joining a team or are looking for a top coach, Dynamo is the place to go.

https://www.dynamomultisport.com/

 

Summer Races 3 for 3

In the busyness of my Kona build, coaching, and work travel, I haven’t gotten a race report out for my last 3 triathlons. Even though they were all small-town races, I am stoked to have gone 3/3 winning each race.  Instead of full-blown race reports, I’ll attempt to write a short-ish recap of each.

DeWitt Sprint (1:02:20):

4-peat! And this race has gotten faster every year. The first time I raced in 2018, my winning time was 1:08:34. That would’ve only placed me 7th this year, so it’s been exciting to see athletes coming from places like Dubuque and Iowa City to this small-town race.

I was 21s slower than last year, most likely due to a 100 mile ride the day before and higher heat/humidity this year.

Swim: A few seconds faster thanks to getting onto the lead swimmer’s feet.

Bike: Just not there this time. My legs couldn’t produce the power I know they’re capable of, and I was 30s or 0.5mph slower than last year. Splits were slower overall, but my bike should have been stronger than last year.

Run: Faster than last year by 10s, but the course was almost a full 10^th of a mile short. Based on GPS, I was ~8s/mile slower. I think the higher heat and humidity had a direct impact on my run performance as well.

Overall, I am stoked to have won my 4th straight DeWitt title. I once again took 2nd in every discipline like last year, so at least I am consistent! After the race I got to enjoy a hot/humid 90 minute long run, so I apologize to my friends and competitors for not being present at the post-race party.

 

Route 66 Lake Springfield 70.3 Triathlon: (4:30:46)

I was battling a summer cold going into this race and almost didn’t start. I figured all my gear was ready and set-up, so I might as well jump in the water and see how getting to the first buoy went. Conditions were calm and the temps stayed below 75. Humidity was reasonable, and the wind never exceeded 3mph.

Swim (30:09): No one stepped up to start the swim first, so I ended up being the first athlete in the water. It was incredibly calm, and I swam in the lead until the final turn buoy. I swam a little wide and another athlete came from the inside to pass me. I just got onto his feet and let him pull me to the swim out. Overall a fast time for me in my swim skin, so I’m hoping the distance was accurate.

T1: I was up the boat ramp before the first swimmer and left transition as he got to his bike. I didn’t see anyone else within a minute of us, so I had a healthy lead starting the bike.

Bike (2:21:45): The bike was strange because I felt like I had an easier time hitting my power numbers than Steelhead. I was still sick and not tapered, so something felt off. My speed of 23.9mph was also a little slower than I would’ve have thought for 239W avg and 245 NP. There was a packed gravel section that lasted about 1 mile that we did twice, so it may have contributed to my slower pace. At Steelhead I was 24.9mph at 8W less, but the roads were a little better there.

T2: Going into T2 was a little different as well because I had instructions to stay Zone2 for the run. Knowing this, I gave a little extra at the end of the bike to try and increase my lead.

Run (1:36:56): With numerous races on the calendar and Kona being the true goal, my coach didn’t want me taking on additional fatigue. My target HR was 145-147bpm, and I was able to run around a 7:30 mile at that pace. With the multiple turnarounds, I could easily see my gaps, and that made keeping the effort down that much harder. I had an 8 minute lead that shrank by about 2 minutes every 3 miles. It was kind of fun just jogging around and thanking volunteers, but I also didn’t want to get passed. I ended up averaging 151bpm and finished about 2 minutes ahead of 2^nd. In a true race, I have been holding my HR in the low 170’s for the run.

Overall, I am so glad I decided to jump in the water because I felt better as the day went on. This was also my Brother Scott’s first Olympic Triathlon (let’s see if he even reads this), so huge congrats on smashing it.

Great Illini 70.3 (4:12:23)

I was feeling great going into this race. I had taken Thursday/Friday easy, so my body was ready to go. I was a little disappointed to find out there were only 50 registrants for the 70.3, and that took some fun out of racing.

Swim (28:49): Course was a little short like 2 years ago, but I think I would’ve been under 30 regardless. There was 1 faster swimmer that was going a little wide of the course, so I opted to stay on my line rather than getting on his feet. Around halfway through loop 1, I looked back to see I was dragging someone myself. I put in a surge to get a 10-meter gap and settled back in. By the end I was 30s ahead, so it was well worth the short effort. I ended up 90s down from first, so it would have clearly been smarter to stay on his feet…assuming I could have.

T1: I got to my bike before he had left transition, so I made up around 30s there. The transition area was tiny, so I was out in under a minute.

Bike (2:20:17): It only took 2 miles before taking the lead, and I just focused on my power meter. The bike course had 5 U-turns on it, and 2 of them were tight (dropped down to 2mph). I averaged 236W / 243 NP, so close to what I did at Route 66. At each of the U-Turns I could see my gap growing, and by the 3^rd out and back, I was off the stick before 2^nd place came rolling in (4 mile lead).

Run: (1:21:23): At first I wasn’t very happy with this run, but looking back I felt like I still salvaged it in the end. The main reason is that I have been chasing that 1:20 mark, and I knew I was going to fall short after a slight bonk at mile 4. A Gu got me back on track for a bit, and I saw my lead was about 3 miles after the first turnaround. I felt like I was slogging along and targeted a 4:15 to keep myself motivated. I did close the final 2 miles in 5:54 and 5:46, so that was the silver lining. The course was slightly long, so Garmin had me at 6:10 average.

Overall, I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t go under 4:10 or break 1:20 in the half, especially in cooler weather. I do believe that competition brings out my best, so winning by 40 minutes didn’t give me that same push I had at Steelhead.

 

A busy racing season is starting to wrap up with Kona only 6 weeks out. Until then, that is my one and only goal. I appreciate the support from everyone tracking my journey, and the Road to Kona is almost at a close.

Steelhead 70.3 Race Report

A 70.3 PR and highest Overall placement yet! I felt fully recovered for this one having 5 weeks between races. Body felt good and I was ready to hit it. Beware the run section is length, but I got to enjoy my first real battle. 

Pre-Race: My dad and I made this a quick weekend by driving out the morning of. I added a little stress to my race prep by borrowing Mitch’s wheel set and only giving them a short 4 mile test drive after checking in. Got a quick run in, dropped off the bike and swam in Lake Michigan. I also had one of my best pre-race sleeps, so that was excellent.

Drobs keeping me calm before the storm (also provided the haircut)

Swim (31:10 - 32nd OA): This was the first race where I actually started at the front. I had trouble convincing myself that I belonged there, but I’ve been landing top 10 overall consistently. So, I lined up in the 12^th wave and started about 1 minute after the cannon went off. My buddy Matt started up with me and got me to the line calm and ready to rock.

The first 25 yards were shallow, so I watched how far the athletes in front of me went out before diving in. Some started too early, so I used that to determine where I’d go. The water was rough for 6:30AM and the swells made it hard to sight. A huge perk to starting up front was I only passed about 10 swimmers and had little traffic throughout. Form went out the window as my focus was on swimming straight and navigating the waves. After that first turn buoy, the waves came from the side and I felt good about where I was at. Swimming with my watch covered again prevented me from checking splits and getting distracted. Nothing exciting after that point, and I enjoyed riding the waves back to shore after the final turn.

Time wasn’t as relevant as my overall position out of the water, so I am very happy with 32^nd and 12^th AG going into T1. (Although I didn’t have the feedback during the race)

Not going to document a photo of my T1

T1 (2:15): One of my best transitions… until the flying mount. I struggled to find my breath running up the sand but made it through quick. I had no issues getting the wetsuit down and pulled it off my feet at the bike rack. Putting on my helmet and grabbing the bike went smooth, and I had a very fast run down a mostly empty row. My T1 time was quick relative to the field, and I moved up 12 positions to 20^th starting the bike. Everything was great until I went to mount and didn’t have enough pedal stroke to get moving. Ended up sitting on my top tube scooting myself along like a toddler. Shoes were flopping around, a race photographer took about 20 pictures of it, just a mess. It probably cost me 20-30s. Someday I will learn.

Bike (2:15:38 - 11th OA): By far my best bike performance. I had a watt target of 240 and held that well, after the flying mount debacle… There were a few athletes ahead of me that I could see down the road, and it felt good to slowly reel them in while only focusing on power. The effort felt too hard, and I wanted to back it off (something I’ve done almost every race on the bike). As I came up to some turns, I was able to watch how fast others took them to see what I could do. I felt like I cornered well overall but had at least 2 turns where I slammed the brakes and lost some speed. About halfway through, I couldn’t see any riders between myself and the next turn. This worked in my favor and allowed me to focus on the watts. A cramp-like muscle pain formed at the bottom of my left quad but was more of an annoyance than anything. I kept an eye on it, but it never progressed beyond that. Around mile 35 I started to catch 2 more athletes as we were going into a headwind. Once I got just outside of 6 bike lengths, I backed the power down for a minute before making a surge. Despite the effort, I didn’t break away and they held on. At mile 40, I was expecting a nice cross-tailwind back to transition. It was more of a cross headwind, and that mentally drained me. Normally, I’d relax a bit and focus on having a good run. This time, I tried holding my power until that last mile. In doing so, I dropped the guys behind me. As I approached transition, I had my 2^nd mishap of the day on the flying dismount. I got my feet set plenty early and brought my leg over the top tube only to find out there was another S-turn. I lost a ton of speed and had to bring my leg back to pedal again. I lost another 10-20s here. So between my flying mount and dismount, I missed that 2:15 bike split to average 25mph. Nonetheless, I was happy with a NP of 237W and the 11th best bike split on the day. 

Jen capturing a little float in transition

T2 (1:53): Since the dismount only affected my bike split, my transition time was fast. Somehow my shoes settled perfectly and never caught the ground. It was very smooth running to my bike rack, and I sat down to roll on my socks and slip on the shoes. I got everything set quickly, grabbed my hat/nutrition/bib and took off. Run legs felt better than expected considering how hard I road, especially with that left quad pain.

Finish Line Feels 

Run (1:20:12 - 4th OA): I wanted to go out hard on the run to make sure I didn’t leave any time in the first few miles (goal of under 1:20). I had a good sense of the HR I could hold from Chattanooga 70.3, and knew I had a little more to give early on. Despite trying to push, I couldn’t elevate must past 165bpm. Before I hit the first hill, I was at a 6:05 but quickly slowed to a 6:25 at the top. I knew I’d get that time back but wanted a little more from myself. My left calf injury from St. George flared up starting a mile 2, and overall the first 4-5 miles were tough. Instead of needing to hold myself back, I found myself just trying to hold a decent pace. I kept thinking this just won’t be my day. Without an athlete in sight, I felt like I was going nowhere.

A spectator told me I was in 9^th (gun time at least), and this was the first time I had a sense of where I was. Mile 4 is when I finally saw some guys and was able to check the gap (over 2 minutes back at first). This is where things started to improve, my cadence picked up and I started to Pac-Man my way up like I’m used to. I slowly reeled in 2 guys and was coming up on the 3^rd. *Once of the nicest interactions I’ve ever had in a race, the guy told me I was now in 6^th place as I passed him. I’ve never had someone try to help me and usually get cussed out or ignored if I dare ask someone their age… I thanked him and got his bib number, so thank you Aaron Mahoney for that needed boost.

At this point I was about to start lap 2 and saw 1 more guy on the same lap as me. After I passed him, I assumed I was in 5^th but couldn’t tell who was on their first or second lap anymore. I held steady until mile 8, which was a turnaround at the top of the course. I saw I guy behind me that I hadn’t passed, so I knew he was catching me. He had to have closed 1-2 minutes since no one was behind me out of transition. He got on my heels, and I pressed a little bit more to prevent an easy pass. From 8-10, he stayed off my shoulder and tucked behind into the headwinds. I was getting annoyed and just wanted him to pass or drop off. In that moment I made a mental switch and thought of Lionel Sanders. This was my first “battle” where I risked increasing my effort in order to compete. Instead of complaining, I wanted to make him to suffer. Prior to the race, my wife also told me to go at mile 10, so the timing was right. I pushed up the last major hill and heard his breathing labor worse than mine. I pressed more as we rounded the top and stayed on the gas. It was hard to tell where he was as we continued to lap people on loop 1, but we finally made that turn to the finish. With 1.5 miles to go and a big downhill, I opened it up and couldn’t hear him anymore. Not wanting to show weakness, I never turned to see where he was. At the bottom of the hill was another athlete, and I switched my focus to chasing him and forgot my pursuer. He was at least 100 yards up with 1 miles to go, and I slowly started to pull him in. Athletes just starting the run were yelling, “he’s yours”, “he’s fading”, “go get him!” With ½ mile to go I eased up a touch as I got to his shoulder, then put in a surge for a decisive pass. It didn’t look like he was going with me, but I started my “sprint” with 400 yards to go regardless. I came across the line putting 20s into him and 30s into my chaser. I closed those last 2 in 5:49 and 5:46 and almost broke that 1:20 mark.

Post-Race: In the end, I landed 4th overall and 2nd age group with a 4 second PR of 4:11:21. My goals were to crack top 5 overall and take the age group win. My AG winner also won overall, so it’s a tough one to swallow. I am stoked with my performance, but as always…I’m not completely satisfied.

From here on my focus is on building for Kona. I have 2 more 70.3s in July/August, but those won’t be anything more than hard training days to me. I’ll be working with Brent Pease as my coach until then, and I can’t wait to see where we land in Kona.