Updated Spring Festival Triathlon: Part 2 of 2

A very big thank you to all of those who have given so much so that all of us may live free from fear and oppression. Memorial Day is a day to reflect and give thanks to the men and women who have given so much for all of us.  We will forever be indebted to those who, and those who will in the future, do so much for others.

*Jonmark and Brown showcasing medals

In leading up to this race I decided to go “old school” and just hammer out a couple good weeks of training to get to that next level. I trained through the last three races and I am starting to feel the fitness. It’s a hard way to race, 6th place at the PEAK Tri showed that, but it is a great way to train. I didn’t plan on any tapering so I was training hard up until the race. During the week I had two workouts that I considered to be “next level workouts.”

*No one knows hard workouts and sweet tri outfits like I do.

The first was a swim workout that included a 10 x 200 individual medley main set. One 200IM after the other, bang, bang, bang. That's 2000 meters of IM! The Friday before the race I had my second “next level workout" of a 50 mile ride on the Murder Machine, I loved it. When you don’t have a girlfriend, Friday night (date night) is epic bike ride night. Despite all the training, I felt ready to race. I streamlined a few distractions recently, on race day I felt like an uncaged, race-animal.

*Kevin, Brodacious, and Jonmark

The swim start was rough, maybe the worst that I can remember. I wear earplugs in open water and didn’t hear the starter yell “Go!” When I started I was a body length late and that is not the place to be. If you want the roughest part of the swim start just behind the front lines. I was thrashed by the washing machine as I bumped and bounced all over people at the start, it was chaotic. I used a move that I term the "barrel roll" (if you have ever seen a fighter jet barrel role it’s just like that only you do it while swimming). I used the barrel roll twice to roll over the backs of two swimmers who were blocking my path to the first buoy by swimming crooked. Once I was over their backs I made my way up to the front pack.

*Start the washing machine

*Kercher and I sighting our swim exit

The remainder of the swim didn’t really settle down. First place took off like a torpedo, that’s what Casey does, and I swam side by side with John Kercher in second. There was a little wind during the swim so the chop made a water/air mixture of breath in each gasp. That is a tough way to swim, but everyone had to do it. The pace of the swim stayed red-hot all the way to the swim exit. When my hand hit the mushy bottom I popped up and made my way to transition. I had the second fastest swim, 20 seconds behind super swimmer, Casey.

*Time to ride

*Kevin lookin' sharp.

*Lock the visor, time to zoom

I scuffed off a little time in transition and left close on the leader. Right out of transition there is a huge hill that burns your legs and lungs. After we crested the hill the eventual winner, Sam Piccicci went by with Kercher close. Casey must have put in a lot of riding this winter because he too began to pull away. He is a great rider, much improved over last year. That’s a compliment. The bike was windy and I fought crosswinds that would push me right and left in the lane. At the bike turn around I took time splits. Casey had 20 seconds on me, which was about the same as his swim gap, leaving me in 4th place. I saw Jonmark in 5th place at what I timed to be about two minutes behind me.

I became a little frustrated on the return trip because I could see the leaders but I just couldn’t shrink the lead. In fact, I think all three leaders extended their leads on the return trip of the bike. I kept reassuring myself with “we will see them on the run, we will see them on the run.” I fought the wind, and made the huge sweeper into transition. Deanna and Rory, the race directors, yelled at me to “Slow down, remember what happened last time!” They were the directors of the race I crashed at and they won’t ever let me forget it, safety first.

*Kevin on the bike

*Taylor into transition!

*Ayla working the bike!

*It's time to do work, son!

*Kevin on the move

*Let the animal out of his cage, it's chase time.

Anyway, I had a fantastic bike to run transition and left in 4th place. My footstrike felt good and I quickly put time into 3rd place. At about the one-mile mark of the run I had closed the gap to 3rd place, which was occupied by Casey. Growing up doing combat sports like wrestling, MMA, and martial arts has made me comfortable being close to people and for lack of a better phrase “being all over them,” but still staying relaxed when my personal space is voided. I ran one step off of Casey’s feet (an uncomfortably close distance) for about 20 seconds before slipping hip-to-hip (also uncomfortable for most people), and then moved past him. I would like to say “good job” to him now. He said, “Good Job, Bryan,” as I passed him, but I couldn’t muster anything in return. I felt bad for that after the race, good job, Casey.

*Hide the kids, it's SCARY face time!

*I have huge muscles, but they say black is slimming, that must be it.

I ran hard through the twisting neighborhood streets while my feet pounded the concrete and my black trisuit absorbed the warm sun. I ascended the largest hill on the run course with the wind offering resistance. I kept the pressure on until I made it to the final ¾ mile of slightly down hill. I finished the run strong with a flying finish and a place on the podium. Overall it was good day. Casey had a great race finishing 4th place, and Jonmark ran like the wind to finish in 5th. I need to take notes from the master, I am a good runner, but Jonmark is the man when it comes time to run.

*Flying to the finish, literally, I'm like a foot off the ground.

*Jonmark showing how it's done

*Kevin is done

*Beat up the beat!

After the race we all rehashed the day’s events, took pictures, and collected our awards. Our entourage cleaned up with trophies, medals, and swag. My time for this year was over a minute faster than last year, and nearly three minutes faster than the first time I did the race in 2010. I was faster this year across all three disciplines in comparison to last year, which is satisfying. It’s crazy to think that putting in hundreds of hours of winter training is worth a minute in a race, but to me it is. That is what it takes.

Thank you to Heather for letting me type this race report from her comfortable living room; it’s a writer’s paradise.

*Thank you to Leanne for her pictures. 

*Thanks to Brown for the ride home.

Thanks for reading!  Again, a big thank you to those who we keep in our hearts and on our minds this Memorial Day.

Spring Festival Triathlon: Part 1 of 2

*Manly crew

In my life I have learned a few very important things. My mother and father taught me that when you find a good friend you hang on to him or her. It’s unfortunate today that so many kids lack role models and good parents to teach them those lessons. I will never fail to appreciate the friends and family I have, who for some reason think I’m a pretty cool guy. :)

*Brown, Ayla, Brodacious, and Taylor

I am still spinning from this weekend. There were so many special moments and accomplishments that when faced with writing this post I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. My mastery of words will be far stretched to do justice to the weekend of adventures and special memories I shared with my friends. So many times people forget that we only live once and fail to make the most of the time and talents we have. Our group made the most of what we had this weekend, I am thankful to have shared the time with each and every one of them.

The Big bash started when Kevin and Anne arrived. I am always so happy when they stay with me. It was great that Anne could make the trip. She is a wonderful lady who made the weekend very enjoyable. Her cheers, pictures, and dinner preparations among other things were highlights to the weekend. She even got up at 4:45am for the triathlon without a fuss. What a great lady!

*Grill master!

Speaking of dinner, I owe my friend, Will, a big thank you for the BBQ he gave to me as a gift. That was a very generous gift. Kevin took the honors of being grill master for the weekend by grilling us up some delicious chicken on Saturday night, and some great steaks on Sunday night. Having a steak dinner, Anne’s baked sweet potato fries, and NASCAR in HD is a perfect night in my opinion. Thank you to Will, the grill is great.

*Steak and salad

We spent most of Saturday and Sunday enjoying the weather, eating delicious food, stretching, going to the park, watching a movie, and catching up on our sleep down in my basement. Yes, the sectional is pretty sweet. Once Anne and Kevin each had a blanket made by my mom, they were out like a light…ZZzzzz.

*Out cold

Kevin and I did our pre race ride on Sunday to work out the kinks in the bikes, prepared our bags, and hit the hay in anticipation of an early rise. I am so happy that Kevin and Anne could make a weekend of the trip and stay with me. Thank you.

*I wonder why canibals don't eat clowns.  It's because they taste funny

Once at the race we had a good crew to celebrate the day with. The extended group included my friends Brown, Taylor, Ayla, Kevin, Anne, Jonmark, Leanne, Rory, Deanna, and about 20 other tri friends. It is rare to have so many friends sharing the same adventure; it made for a special day.

*Super swimmer, Casey

*Beat up the beat Brown

All the racers in the entourage did great. Kevin is coming off and injury and was able to compete without any problems. When he was fixing his “ouchie” he worked on his swim. We swam together last week and his hard work showed. He had a great swim getting down to a new PR in the swim. Brown had a good race that was derailed by a flat tire, bummer. A $5,000 dollar bike isn’t worth much when the tire is flat. :) I think he still had fun despite the flat.

Taylor had a great showing in the race; she was fast enough to win her age division. The run bully, Jonmark, also had a great day doing what he does best, making people suffer on the run. He is a cool guy. A big thank you to his wife, Leanne, for her cheers and pictures. Leanne, like Anne, was much appreciated.

*Ayla and Brodacious

Last but certainly not least was Ayla. I have gotten to know her pretty well the past year; she is the lifeguard at the pool so she watches me swim up and down the lane for hours. In between sets I will make conversation, quiz her with ridiculous “what if” scenarios, jokes, or generally just keep her on her toes with randomness. Sometimes when I backstroke under the lifeguard chair I will try and make faces at her or shout lines from movies. She makes my time at the pool very enjoyable. She always puts the backstroke flags up for me and takes my music requests. She’s just a nice person.

One day she asked me about doing triathlons. She said she wanted to do one and decided on this tri as her first. I wrote her a key workout plan for the month leading up to the race. She did all the workouts I put on list and had a great race. I told her if she completes these workouts leading up to the race she would be ready. The workouts I wrote were more challenging than the race distances. She did them all.

She had a great swim, bike, and run earning her a medal in her age division. She worked hard to accomplish her goal and did so with flying colors. I feel very lucky to have her trust and confidence to help her prepare for such a huge goal. I am thankful to have been part of her first tri adventure, meet her entourage, and share in the special moments of her day. Way to go, girl!

Peak Triathlon 2012

My good friend, Dave, we are all happy you are a-okay.  You are a special friend to a lot of people.

The Peak Tri was a great race.  My sister did an excellent job organizing it.  The race went super smooth, there were great shirts for both volunteers and racers, and a really tough hill on the run course made for some testing moments.

I was lucky enough to have a great entourage including my parents, both sisters, Scott, Diana, Jess, Anne, and a lot of great race friends.  The barbecue we had after the race was nothing short of amazing.  When you have smoked ham, brats, secret recipe macaroni salad, baked beans, and homemade cookies the serving is at minimum three trips through the line. 

*My dad slaved all day so we could feast after the race

It was great to see all the tri friends and catch up.  This year’s race was pretty cool because I was sharing a swim lane with my brother-in-law, Scott.  Just before our swim start I heard a familiar voice say, “Hellllloooo down there!”  Ha ha, Uriah!

*Apic is worth a thousand words...

*Loosening up

*Hi Uriah

*Go get it boys!

The men’s elite heat started and we took off for the 500 yard swim. I didn’t feel very sharp during the whole race, but I did manage to have a great swim.  I swam a 6:17 which is 22 seconds faster than my previous best at the race.  I came out of the pool well ahead of all but one of the overall contenders.  My transition spot, thanks to Jess and Anne, was prime real estate.

*Lime green accents!

 I hit transition and made my way to the bike course in second place.  This race is run in heats so I quickly lost coordinates on the leader as people started to come and go in both directions.  At the three mile mark on the bike a group of three caught me.  I was a little irked because I watched them work together the whole ride, pack riding isn’t legal at this race.

*This is how pack riding makes Uriah feel

During the bike I felt like I couldn’t wind up the tempo to the time trial pace.  I kept slipping in and out of what I felt should be my pace and what I could handle on this specific day, the two did not match.  I have chosen to ride the first few races of the year without a bike computer and race simply on feeling. After the race I saw my bike split was 30 seconds slower than last year. 

*Scott on the bike

Still having fun, I made transition two in 6^th place overall.  I made my change to shoes and left sporting some sweet lime green run gear.  I wasn’t really that close to anyone and didn’t have anyone in close chase to threaten me.  I felt pretty flat on the run, which wasn’t a surprise based on how I felt during the bike and swim. I ran the two out-and-backs and the huge hill to the third dog-leg running comfortably by myself.  I wasn’t all that tired, I just didn’t have the spring in my legs to wind it up and run hard.  That happens. 

*Climb baby climb

*Geoff on the run

*Forward LEEEEAAAN

*Scott rocking the sweet kit

 Last week I was on top of the podium with the victory smile, this week I didn’t even make the podium.  That’s what makes triathlon interesting; anyone can win on any given day. Just when you start to feel like “the man” it will bring you back to earth in a hurry.  I’m not disappointed in 6^th, it’s motivating, and any day of triathlon is a good day. There were a lot of studs at the race; the majority of people finishing in the top 10 spots have won multiple races. There is no reason to be a complainer about 6^th, doesn’t mean I have to like it though. J 

*Call it a day, I'm done.

Diana had a fantastic day; she completed her first triathlon while showing off her amazing swim.  She impressed a lot of people with a sub six-minute 500 yard swim.  Congrats to her on her first triathlon attempt.

Scott also had a great day of racing.  He wore a great outfit including shin sleeves (oh yeah party time).  He had a strong swim, rode his sweet new triathlon bike fast, and then suffered like we all do on the hard run course.  It was cool to share a lane with him; we never hit hands or crowded each another.

*Wave goodbye

Overall the barbeque and time with the family and entourage overshadowed the actual race results.  It was fun to race and spend time with everyone at the race.   It’s a safe bet to say that everyone at the race had fun regardless of were they finished.  It was a great day to be us!  Thanks to my dad and Jess for the pictures!  Thanks to the entourage for the cheers! Thanks to Heather for letting my type this race report at her house!  Thanks to you for reading.

*A final thank you to Hammer Nutrition for taking such great care of me