Tempe Leadman Triathlon 2014 Race Report by Dan Cadriel

And the 2014 Season Begins... by Dan Cadriel

Every season brings on basically the same thoughts and emotions. You'd think I'd get used to the performance anxiety I feel (careful, I'm talking about racing here) every time I look at my new year race schedule. As a retuning member and lead of the One Multisport www.onemultisport.org Elite Team, there is pressure to perform.  Will I be good enough? Will I be able to compete and have fun? It happens every year. 

The year kicked off positively with my 11th consecutive Rock and Roll AZ full marathon on January 19th. After returning to the ranks last year on the sub 3 hour club, my plan was to do it again on this familiar course. I've said it before and I'll say it again...sub 3 hour marathons hurt for 3 hours! Especially the last hour. 

I went out a little faster than planned but felt very good clipping away at 6:38-6:41 min miles.  At the 13.1 point I was right where I wanted to be at 1:27.  I know the man maker really starts at mile 22 when the left hand turn takes you onto Van Buren to become Mill Ave. There is the only substantial hill at that point that leaves the most fit walking. With my reserves in he bank, I felt confident I was going to make my goal. However, at mile 20 my left hamstring cramped. It worked out without much time lost and the right hamstring seized up at mile 22 right before the turn home to Tempe. I was concerned but doing the math in my head, I felt safe. The final result was a PR of 2:58:44 a 7 second improvement from my record of 7 years ago in 2007! Welcome to my 50s! A big thank you to my coach, Nick White with Carmichael Training Systems www.trainright.com getting my marathon plan dialed in as well as my triathlon season the rest of the year!

There was a long gap before the first significant triathlon race this year. With IMAZ coming in November, I am making a conscience effort to race less and train more. 

The Leadman Tri on April 13th was that first local race of distance and I wanted to I well. The distances mirror the 70.3 ironman but with a longer swim (2.5k a longer bike (109.5k) and a shorter trail run (13k). I have to admit I'm always am looking at my competition. This, my second season in 50-54, every year brings new competitors and old (no pun intended) favorites. Besides phenom Geoff Cleveland, new guys who aged up like Salvador Lancaster from SoCal and Paul Hert from Washington State have the big 5-0 bdays this year! Another great triathlete and top USAT All-American who came to town was Rusty Robertson. 

Dang! No cake walk! The swim was forgettable but not a catastrophe. 42:33 for which my Garmin says was 1.8 miles. No extra credit for extra distance in triathlon. Sighting drills for Town Lake are a must! The bike was a 4 loop urban course. My goal to keep same was to see how close to 45 min I could stay for each loop. No problem for loops 1 and 2. Loop 3 saw the most traffic with the Marquee International and Sprint races well on their way. The wind began to pick as well. I came into transition for a 3:08:37. The 3rd best bike split in AG. I just upgraded my Valdora Phx2 frame the week of the race. I am so pleased with it and so honored to represent Valdora Tri Bikes again for my 3rd year! www.valdoracycles.com. Once on the run, I knew I could hopefully get a feel for where I stood in the race. I knew Geoff was WAY ahead with 31:56 (not a typo) swim split! Last year he had 9 minutes on my and beat me to the tape by 30 seconds! This year, he was able to run and no 8 mile run of mine was going to catch him! On the pedestrian bridge at the beginning of mile 2, I saw a Mark Allen Elite Race Team kit that I thought belongs to Jonathan Coffen. It wasn't him, it was Rusty Robertson. Age 52 on his calf. I clipped ahead and passed him before we crossed that bridge. That was the motivation I needed to push forward and run scared to try to podium. I didn't know where Salvador or Paul were at at all.  I saw Geoff on the other side of the canal and he had a good 7-9 minutes on me. I came into the final stretch of the run  and was pleased with my AG best run split of the day 1:02:27.  Final time and belt buckle award time was 4:56:14.  

Second in AG for the day.  

Thee are many goals for this my first full year at 50. One is to build strength and power to sustain me during these long endurance races. I am having a lot of fun adding Crossfit to my weekly core schedule. I go 2-3 times a week at noon to Power in Motion Crossfit www.powerinmotioncrossfit.com for an endurance based workout that includes strength training and an endurance WOD. I am looking forward to see great results from this and am so pleased to have Josh Otero and PIM as a ONE Elite sponsor this year!  

Next stop is a week from today at Ironman 70.3 St. George ! Race report to follow. 

Special thanks to my 2014 sponsors, One Multisport and ONE Elite which include Destination Kona www.dktristore.com, Foosia Asia Fresh www.foosiafresh.com Power in Motion Crossfit, Complete Skincare and Body Restoration www.completeskincareandbodyrestoration.com Fix Performance www.fixperformance.com as well as my sponsors: Valdora Tri Bikes, Spira Footwear www.spira.com and Fitsok www.fitsok.com.  

Train safe everyone and happy racing

Dan

Tempe Leadman Triathlon 2014 Race Report by Dan Mikkelson

Lifetime Leadman 125 Race Report – April 2014 Dan Mikkelson

Ironman Cabo, March 2013. That was the last race I competed in until Leadman 125. I was nervous and excited at the same time. My training had been consistent since tightening the belt in January, and I was anticipating my results before the race even started. After proudly crossing the finish line, it didn’t take long for me to realize two main lessons: 1. Know the course; 2. Consider obligations in the coming weeks prior to the race.

Pre-Race

The day before Leadman 125 was nothing out of the ordinary with the luck I have pre-race. Last minute bike issues derailed my scheduled day of visiting the course and spending the rest of the day allowing my body to prepare for the next morning. Fortunately I’ve been perfecting my grilling skills, so that not only resulted in impressing my guests/race fans, but also a satisfactory pre-race meal of choice consisting of grilled chicken, veggies, and a couple brews. When 9pm rolled around, it was time to turn in as my fans settled into an exciting evening of watching Titanic.  

Race Morning

A 4am wake-up call prompted a hearty breakfast of two English muffins with peanut butter, GU Chomps, and some OJ. I knew the heat of the pending summer would rear its ugly head soon, so I worked on a full water bottle as I drove to transition. Stomaching much food race mornings has always been a struggle for me, so I know I’d have to keep it light. A quick shot of GU Roctane 15 minutes before the swim start, a last check of the zipper to make sure I wasn’t mooning the crowd, and I was ready to rock.

Swim

I have spent so much time in the water between competing in high school, college, and now my adult life that I kind of figured I would start up front, sprint the first few hundred yards, and then settle into a comfortable pace. I found myself behind some competitors who were willing to work harder than me by zig-zagging through Tempe Town Lake so I took that as a sign to go at the swim by myself. This worked in my favor as I ended up 4th out of the water, feeling energized by the cheers and ready for the 68 miles ahead.

Bike

A triathlon with a 68 mile bike is unique, especially considering the competitors’ distance options of Sprint, Olympic, or Leadman. With the congestion that occurs on a four loop course with these simultaneous races, I knew I needed to have my nutrition planned, attainable, and easy, so as to not break my focus. I needed to consume as many calories as I could, as early as possible. This allowed me to focus on my wattage and avoiding collisions. My coach and I set out at a goal effort of 240 watts which, admittedly, was difficult to maintain due to my overzealous attitude the first couple laps. The first 34 miles averaged 248 watts, but the power slowly went down over miles 35-68, and I ended up with a total effort of 242 watts which was right about where I needed to be.

Run

As I mentioned earlier, I quickly learned a few lessons after crossing the finish line. I was not well-versed on the run course, and I paid for that lack of preparation. I knew it was a trail run, but I imagined a trail mirroring that of the gravel paths along the canal. My original plan was to run the first two miles at a 7 minute pace and drop my speed from there. The first mile around Tempe Town Lake was right on track, coming in at 6:59. Unfortunately all went downhill at this point, both literally and figuratively. After turning under the 202, I was on a loose gravel trail with a significant vertical incline, and the course continued through the park with constant climbs and descents through, over, and around rocks and gravel. I struggled significantly with this, and actually walked for the first time ever in a race shorter than an Ironman. This was a quickly learned lesson learned: be prepared for the course and actually train on it!

Considering all obstacles both pre and post-race, I was happy to get back out there. I may have not finished with the most favorable results, but like this and every other race, you learn aspects that can be modified to make the next race better. After Leadman 125, I have put in a two weeks of solid training, and am looking forward to racing St. George 70.3 on May 3. Happy Training!

Dan Mikkelson