Whitesides Race Report: Ironman Lake Tahoe 2015

Ironman Lake Tahoe 2015 was a race like no other. My expectations for myself were very high: qualify for Kona.  I told my wife before the race that we would qualify for Kona or go to the hospital.  The only metric for success was qualifying for Kona (not healthy, I know).

Last year I missed qualifying for Kona by one place or 43 seconds at IM AZ.   I had re-occurring nightmares about those 43 seconds. During hard workouts, I thought about those miserable 43 seconds. When my morning alarm went off sometimes as early as 3:00AM, I thought about those 43 seconds and got busy.  Nothing better than chasing a dream.  

I found an amazing triathlon coach (Elizabeth Waterstraat) who pushed me in just the right ways.  My swim, bike, and run performance metrics all improved significantly throughout the spring and summer.  I approached Tahoe feeling pretty confident.

The swim started at 6:40AM as a rolling start.  Each athletes' chip timer (warn around the ankle) triggered the race start as we ran over an RFID mat located at the edge of Lake Tahoe.  Until recently, most Ironman races were mass starts where everyone starts at the sound of the cannon. For me, the rolling start meant a much easier swim start because I didn't have to swim elbow-to-elbow with hundreds of other athletes all starting at the same time.  I started out at a good pace to set the tone for the rest of the swim. Good advice from my friend Fred.

Lake Tahoe is crystal clear.  I could see the bottom of the lake for much of the race.  I could also see the swimmers around me.  At one point, I was swimming with a group and suddenly felt someone tap my back.  I looked up and found a friendly swimmer tell me we had swam slightly off course.  I tried to swim at the upper edge of my comfortable level for the entire swim. A good honest effort without going too hard. It's a long race to burn-out in the swim.

Many months prior to the raced, I determined I would not look at my swim time until after the race.  I didn't want a potentially slow time to set me back mentally (IMAZ 2015).  However, when I exited the water, the race clock was right in my face.  My swim time was 1:05:03.  That is a PR for me by three minutes and seven minutes faster than my swim at IMAZ in 2014.  I learned how to swim as an adult so this swim split made me ecstatic!

The ambient air temperature was 39 degrees as we exited the water.  I changed completely into dry clothes and even put on a polar fleece vest and full-finger gloves.  As I pulled out of transition, I yelled to my family and friends something about my swim time and started the 112 mile bike.  I deliberately tried to take the first segment of the bike easy. I felt fantastic, my heart rate was low and my watts kept drifting up. I kept trying to take it easy. In retrospect, I should have taken it even easier.  It is so hard to go easy when you feel so good and people were passing me.  I suspected I would see most of them later in the race.

I dropped my vest and gloves at a designated location ~10 miles into the bike.  I was glad to get rid of my vest which felt like an aerodynamic drag.  Unfortunately, the drop was located in a canyon so the temperature was still cold.  It was cold for the next 30 minutes until we got into the sun.

The Ironman Lake Tahoe course is two and a third loops so we hit one 4.3 mile mile climb with an elevation gain of 1200 feet twice. The first time up, I followed my watt and heart rate targets. Several people passed me.  I knew I would see them again later in the race.  The second loop was a blur.  Unlike IMAZ, the string of riders thinned out pretty good so there was lots of space between riders.  On the second climb, I maintained the same watt targets and passed a lot of people this time.  As I neared the end of the bike, I felt really good.  I drank well, nailed my nutrition, and hit my heart rate and watt targets well. My bike split was 5:30 but my average watts (NP actually) was 15 watts higher than IMAZ where my bike split was 5:06.  Probably a reflection of the climbing and course structure (no-pass zones, tight corners, and out-and-back elbows).

Time for a marathon. As I left the transition area (T2), my son told me I was in 15th place in my age group.  That took a minute to get over mentally because I had hoped for better.  I found solace in the fact that I was in 20th place when I got off the bike in IM AZ last year and still managed to get 7th by the end of the race. From the first few steps, I could see that the run would be a challenge. I started off easy and then tried to hit my well practiced pace targets but just couldn't get my legs to move faster.  The course had a lot of little rolling hills and some short steep climbs.  Usually not a problem for me, but I sure felt these hills.  I was religious about my nutrition and water. I also felt like I was in good control of my brain.  I picked off a few athletes within the first few miles trusting I would pass more later in the race.  Around mile 18 I could tell that simply running was key as many of the folks on the course were starting to walk/jog. I was moving up but not fast enough.

 
In IMAZ 2014, I was passed in the last half mile losing my Kona slot.  I've relived that nightmare so many times.  One of the hardest things ever is to complete 140 of 140.6 miles and have to sprint against another competitor to the finish.  At about a half mile from the finish line, I could see a guy that looked like he might be in my age-group.    We were lapping people by now so I wasn't sure if he was about to finish or start his second lap.  He kept looking back over his shoulder which indicated that he was about to finish. We both started to speed up.  I felt bad for the guy honestly.  There is no way in the world that I would let someone ever, ever, ever finish ahead of me in the last leg of a race again. I passed him, he surged hard for awhile then tapered off.  I kept going.  I finished the race knowing that I had given it my all even if my run wasn't as fast as I hoped (3:40).

I finished 8th in my age group or 35th overall.  My overall time was 10:25 (race clock above shows time-of-day).  I suspected I wouldn't qualify for Kona but still felt good about my race because I knew I had given it my all for that day.  My brother analyzed all sorts of data about my competitors and my splits.  We concluded that this was by best Ironman race thus far so no regrets.  I will get another chance to qualify for Kona at IM AZ 2016.  Life is good chasing a dream.

It was great to have my family and several friends at the race.  Two of my friends, Tony and Kristy completed the IM Lake Tahoe 70.3.  We all agreed that the course was a combination of amazingly beautiful and brutal, especially the run.  Kristy is a survivor of the 2013 IM Lake Tahoe when it snowed the day before the race.  She was also on the start line in 2014 when they cancelled the race due to smoke from a nearby forest fire.  The third time was indeed a charm.  It was a wonderful day.

My super hero family:

Third time was a charm for Kristy:

Nice splits Sharkey: Thanks for the laughs Tony & Lana!

 

Ironman 70.3 World Championships - Zell Am See, Austria

Zell Am See, Austria!  Amazing, beautiful, challenging, exhausting! Ironman 70.3 World Championships was a wonderful experience!

Arriving in Zell Am See after a few flights and a drive meant 2 days of non-stop triathlon prep! Check in, bike pick up, finding our way around, walking to transition, packing transition bags, and trying to get some sleep!

We were surprised as we found our hotel and realized it was half way up a ski hill! I had to close my eyes as Dave drove up the road the first time! Meals had the best view in town and ended with sitting out on the deck!

NBC contacted me prior to heading to Austria to see if I was willing to share my story and be a highlighted athlete on race coverage. Years of speed skating, transition to running and triathlon, full time work, and our ongoing fight to Finish MS will be shared! This race was for all of those with MS as my mom was diagnosed in 2002. Her positive attitude, fighter attitude, and hope is one I was able to represent through this opportunity. It's never to late to help Finish MS!

Race morning was here! Coughing, sneezing, and a sore throat - this might be a rough day - but no choice but to do this! We found a hotel to get breakfast in near the race start then started the long walk to transition. Met the NBC crew and filled my tires up with air and was ready to go. I had to say goodbye to Dave 2 hours before the start and found a shaded grassy area to lay down in.  Swim waves went off on time and water temperature was perfect! A non-eventful swim had me feeling positive getting out of the water  Transition area was long and the sun was getting stronger and made the transition tent really hot!

Bike ride - Downhill: Hold on and pedal. Uphill: Steep, unrelenting, shady, high heart rate, wishing I had another gear. Downhill: STEEP, arm cramps from braking, thankful not to get run over. Last few miles: Stay positive, Dave sighting! Can I put my bike on the transition rack yet? Ok I made it!

Run - First few miles easy, get the run legs under you. Shocked at the first water station! Was like a Boston marathon aid station: spectators, music, about 6 inches of cups on the road, and the most amazing feeling! It was then that I realized I could push it harder. Quick turn over, keep dumping water on me, honey stinger (felt awesome on my throat!), Dave!, keep running. Running is my strength and every race when I get to run I always tell myself 'I got this - now run your ass off.'  

Finish area: Loud, confetti, Dave!, crowds, and the finish line! 'Let the happiness in' was the race theme and when I crossed that finish line I knew that was the perfect motto for the day!

After a long time I finally found Dave and we collapsed on the sidewalk for an hour before walking back to transition. I ended up laying down half way to transition then again when we were waiting in line to drop my bike off! Thankfully Dave is patient and just sat with me as I tried to determine if I could move again!

Off to Salzburg we went! Sick, exhausted, but still a lot of sightseeing to do!

Thank you to the following people who helped me get to world championships which allowed me to share my passion for Finishing MS! 

Dave for your endless support, patience, nutrition, and excitement!

My family for always understanding my passion as we Finish MS together!

My friends who share in the excitement and fun of our adventures!

One Multisport & One Elite for the opportunity to represent you this year and the amazing group of people that make up the best team in Arizona!

Karen Smyers for your training plans, guidance, and support. There is always a silver lining!

Endurance Rehab & Karen for making it possible for me to continue to do triathlons.

Destination Kona & Pei Wei for supporting ONE Elite and providing me on the go nutrition for lunches and racing!

Summer Training and Racing - Beat the Heat ☀️

As preparations continue for Kona in October, I literally prayed for a hot and humid summer. I guess a guy should be careful what he wishes for! The weather here in the Valley of the Sun has delivered and not disappointed! Monsoon season is still in full swing and the early morning weekday workouts at 5am or earlier still push at temps around 85 to 90°F. The weekends are a compilation of heat, humidity and ideal for what lies ahead for me on the Big Island. I try to always remember that I hate the cold and that I embrace the sweat!

July started out with some fun short racing to get the competition juices flowing. As a family, we didn't travel much this summer since we are a little Hawaii focused in our finances. So I signed up for the local ARR 4Miler on the 4th in Peoria. Not my fastest 4 miler but considering the long endurance training in all of June, I was happy to play with my fellow runners and podium with a 2nd in AG finish with a 26:10 finish.  It is always humbling to run, race and train with runners! 

The next day, Sunday, I competed in a Reverse Sprint Triathlon in Goodyear, AZ. No expectations but to go fast on tired running race legs and work on speed and transitions! I knew Shawn Bernardi would be there and I wanted to try to keep up.  The reverse format is not to my strengths since I desire to run hard at the end of any triathlon to catch tired racers. In a reverse format, everyone is fresh and fast (especially the young guns!) and I came into T1 a minute behind Shawn. I wouldn't make up any time on the 12 mile bike and when I dove into the 50 meter pool, he held that minute to win the overall and I came in 2nd. It was still Independence weekend so he convinced me to go speedo retro and patriotic and race lean and mean! Even good friend and age group Rival, Richard Getzen sported the "mankini" for the fast race!

The rest of July and August meant long hot, hard training for the Mountainman Half Ironman and of course Kona.

I also received my new Vector2 Power Pedals from Garmin and had a chance to play with them a little. After some tweaking and calibration, it is now a good tool for my coach, Nick White with Carmichael Training Systems to monitor my bike progress. This along with my Garmin Forerunner 920XT are fantastic tools to keep my training in check. I am grateful to Garmin and CTS #trainright coaching for their sponsorship!

I also became a new Ambassador for SkinUSA Compression Wear this summer. I love their stuff and continue to train Triathlon and Crossfit in their gear.

Race weekend in Flagstaff couldn't have come at a better time! The temps in Phoenix were pushing 115° and getting worse! Cristette and Matthew were also able to travel this year with me! I love having family with me at races when they can come!

Mountainman Half IM is a weird race for me. I've had very good and very bad days up in the pines. The swim is always tough in the 7000ft elevation. Two years ago, I experienced a kick in the face and never recovered well. Last year, I swam Upper Lake Mary at check in the day before and it made all the difference. I repeated this again this year with a straight 20 min wetsuit swim before heading to the hotel to check in before the annual One Multisport Swet Dinner!

It is always such a great dinner event and it was great to eat and catch up with the best Tri Family anywhere, One Multipsort!

I am so pleased to be a part of this club and also represent the ONE Elite Team and sponsors like Destination Kona, Sole Swim Solutions, My Oatmeal, Pei Wei, MDrive and Cyclologic!  Everyone of these great sponsors have been a BIG part of my day to day training! I am so grateful!

Race morning comes so early! It was so much warmer than previous years. Already in the high 60s before the swim start. Many more racers do the Olympic distance than the 70.3. They start after us but finish WAY before! It's a little tough on the body and mind to be on the run course heading to mile 5 and getting honked at by all the racers heading home or to a great lunch back in town! 

He swim was great! No traffic and with very few buoys out on the course, I managed to come in at 32 minutes. I have been working with Frank and Sarah at Sole Swim Solutions for Kona and concentrated on keeping my head down and my stroke long! 

T1 was full of Oly and Half racers and I was actually cold exiting transition to head out for the 56 mile bike. It was fun riding he first few miles with some fast Olympic racers like Charlie Boyeink and Shawn again! But that was short lived and they continued straight on Lake Mary Rd as I turned right to head out for two loops around Mormon Lake. I did a lot of the bike all by myself. That's just how this race goes. I felt good and their were no issues on the hilly or straight portions of the course. The last 10 miles back to transition are fast and I came in on my Valdora PHX2 with a decent 2:39 bike split ready to run. I am so pleased to continue riding for Pete and Kendra with Valdora! We all had a great day and their support is outstanding!

The run is a sufferfest. I was especially focused on my longtime friend and age group rival, Todd Whitten who has decided to test his endurance muscles and try the Half Ironman distance for the first time this year! No one my age or younger can touch his speed in the Sprint or Olympic distance. I knew he would out swim and out bike me but could I have a chance to catch him on the 13.1 mile run?

I wasn't encouraged when I didn't see him up or down the Marshall Lake hill we all have to climb at mile 2-4 of the course. This meant he had at least a 2 mile lead. That's a lot even for a half marathon! Now I would have to wait and see him on the out and back of the run on Lake Mary. I saw the race leaders like Pedro Gomez, Patrick Bless and Adam Folts, Josh Martin but no Todd. Then with less than a mile before the turn around, I saw him. Ok, the lead is more like a mile now. I was making up time but not feeling that fresh and didn't know if I have enough to get him. After a mile heading back, I saw Steve Rink who yelled out at me that Todd was only a 1/2 mile ahead! I couldn't see him but I thought that with over 4 miles to go, that it may not be attainable to catch him. I saw Cristette and Matthew parked along the road at Mile 10. It was so good to see them and wished the run was over. They didn't know about Todd ahead but Cristette is very tired of him beating me since with late1990s! 

Then, at mile 11, I saw a racer run/walking in a TriScottsdale kit. Could it be? Yes! I came up to Todd and he was wet tired and still smiling! He said, "I'm cramping bad! You got this!" We high fived and I was on my way with still 2 miles to go and of course, running scared! I just wanted to see the cars parked at Upper Lake Mary to give me some visibility of the end!

I didn't look behind me because it hurt to turn my head and I was afraid Todd would be right there forcing an Old Man Sprint finish. (We've done it many times in our long Tri career!) I didn't want that! Since I saw the cars parked nearing the transition and finish line, I glance behind to see no one there! I saw the end and finished with the 7th fastest run split of the day with 1:39 just a little over 7:30 pace!  Overall time was 4:55:26. 1st in the 50-54 AG and 11th overall.

Anytime you can do this tough course under 5 hours, it's an accomplishment!

I really believe my crossfit work has made a huge difference in my racing this season. Olympic lifting like squats and deadlifts are making me stronger when I need it most!

Thank you Josh, Tiff and everyone at PIM for the instruction and WODs weekly to make me a better athlete!

Up next is heavy volume training heading into September. I will race Lifetime Events, Tempe Tri and a warm up to Hawaii. Then is Kona Baby

Until next time!

Dan 

Tri Mayor

Bicycle Power Meters: Garmin Vector 2 compared with Powertap

Bicycle Power Meters: Garmin Vector 2 compared with Powertap

For the past 18 months I’ve been using a power meter on my bicycle as one of several tools to help me improve my cycling.  For me, using a power meter enables a much more accurate view of my cycling fitness. It’s kind of like watching your biometrics in high definition.  

There are four general types of power meters:  Crank-based (Quarq & Stages), hub-based (Powertap), pedal-based (Garmin Vector), and passive (Newton). I started out with the Powertap because a friend ‘sold’ it to me cheap.  The Powertap hub-based power meter works fantastic.

It’s very reliable and the battery lasts forever. Unfortunately, it has one drawback.  Because the power meters is built into the rear hub of my training wheels, when I switch to my race wheels, the hub-based power meter does not transfer.  That means I’m training with a power meter and racing based on perceived excretion and/or heart rate.  That’s like navigating with a GPS in training and then having to use a map/compass during a race.  That’s actually not that big of a problem for short races such as a Sprint or Olympic distance triathlons because you just focus on going really fast.  However, it is a big problem for long distances, such as a 112 mile bike leg of an Ironman race, where consistency and pacing is paramount. Heart rate monitors work well but they are lagging indicators of effort so using both a HR monitor and power meter in a long-course race is optimal.

I recently picked up the new Garmin Vector 2 power meter at Destination Kona.  The Vector 2 is located on the pedal which is ideal for me because:

1. I can switch between training wheels and race wheels while keeping my power meter
2. I can easily switch the pedals from my roadbike to my triathlon bike.  The length of my road bike cranks is 172.5mm while my triathlon cranks are 170.0mm long which is a common trend for triathletes as the shorter cranks open-up my hip-flexors which allow me to get more aero and run better off the bike. 

 Initially I was skeptical of the Garmin Vector.  I had heard some reports that the Vector is unreliable.  Based on reviews, it appeared that most of the challenges with Vector were a result of not torqueing the pedals to the 25lbs spec. So, I decided to test the Vector myself.  I carefully installed the Vector 2 which took all of about 15 minutes the first time. I can now transfer my pedals between bikes in about 3 minutes.  Simple!

Once the Vector 2 pedals were installed, I kept my Powertap on my bike to do a series of comparison tests.   I synched each power meter with one Garmin 910xt (thanks to my brother for loaning me his 910XT).  Then, I went for a couple of really long bike rides which included some up-tempo interval sets.  At each interval I hit the ‘lap’ button on both of the Garmin 910xt’s which gave me average watts for the last segment.  Interestingly, during the ‘up-tempo’ intervals, the difference between the Vector 2 and Powertap averages was one (1) watt.  Equally interesting is that during the easy segments of my ride I noted the average differences in watts between the Powertap and the Vector were about five watts with the Vector 2 reporting higher watts.  I’m not sure why but here’s my speculation:

1. There may be some degradation in watts as power is transferred from the pedal to the rear hub, perhaps as much as five watts.  However, that’s inconsistent with my ‘up-tempo’ interval results.  
2. The Vector appears to be more sensitive to coasting.  For example, if I coast for a moment, the Vector almost immediately reports 0 watts while the Powertap gradually descends to 0 over several seconds (maybe 7 seconds?).  If true, that means the Vector 2 could perhaps be slightly more accurate.

 In short, I’m satisfied that both Vector 2 and Powertap power meters are accurate.  In fact, both are surprisingly accurate.  Even a five watt difference on easy segments is nothing to worry about.  I’m very pleased with how easily I can transfer the Vector 2 from bike to bike.  If I wasn’t worried about race wheels, I would have just kept the Powertap.  Both offer greater insight into cycling biometrics which enables more efficient training and racing.

Side note, CycleOps, the maker of Powertap, now sells not only hub-based power meters but also a pedal and chain-ring system.  Love the innovation! 

   

Whitesides' Deuces’ Wild 2015 Race Report

The best part of racing at Deuces’ Wild Triathlon was racing with my daughter. This race is becoming a fun daddy-daughter tradition for us. This was also a great opportunity to race at altitude in preparation for Ironman Lake Tahoe in September.  This year I set a new swim and bike PR for this course so I was pretty excited.  This is how the day unfolded.

-          Swim: I was able to get a decent warm-up prior to the start of the race. I started conservative out of the channel but soon found myself swimming over and through a bunch of weeds that were in route to the first buoy.  Honestly, I found the weeds un-settling.  It was like swimming through a jungle. After rounding the first buoy, I sighted forward only to see a lot of swimmers well ahead of me.  Doubt in my swim skills started to build.  Fortunately, as the weeds cleared so did my mind which allowed me to begin building speed.  Speed seemed to build upon more speed.  I noticed that the increase in speed didn’t result in death; rather, it was fun to swim fast.  Then an unusual thing started to happen (for me): I started passing people in the swim.  Somehow, I found my groove. I exited the water in 25 minutes.  Two minutes faster than last year.  Even better, I exited the transition area with fellow teammate Branden Turley.

-          Bike: Branden was directly in front of me as we pedaled out of T2.  As we rounded the first corner, still within the park, Brandon lost his water bottle due to a large bump in the road.  I thought I better secure my bottle but before I could do so, my bottle was following Brandon’s bottle onto the pavement.  Brandon was smart, he turned around and picked up his bottle, I decided to continue without.  My race-brain logic was that the first bike-aid station was about 25 minutes away.  I could wait. In retrospect, the bottle also contained nutrition. I should have turned around and picked up my bottle.  I continued on the bike with a specific watt target.  I took the first 10 minutes to ease into bike-mode and then started to hit those watt targets.  Frustratingly, hitting those targets was a real push at elevation and after a good effort in the swim.  I backed off slightly.  Despite backing off, I still finished the bike in just over 60 minutes which was a three minute PR from last year.  

-          Run: Off the bike, I again eased into the run feeling pretty good.  I soon passed a couple more competitors.  The last two miles were a blur.  I’m pretty sure the effects of not drinking water /nutrition on the first half of the bike were impacting me at this point.  My speed was still good but it sure hurt.  My run pace was about the same as last year.

In the end, I finished 4^th overall, 3^rd amateur, 1^st in my age group plus a nice PR for this course. This race was also helpful in providing insight into how elevation impacts me. But, the best part of the day was watching my daughter race.  She was smiling from start to finish.  It reminded me of why we do this crazy triathlon thing.  It’s completely fun to splash in the water, ride around on a bike, and run through a beautiful park.  It’s a childhood dream. Special thanks to my amazing coach, Elizabeth Waterstraat, who makes PR’s at age 43 a reality. Also, I couldn’t do this sport without the great support of my amazing wife and our One Multisport sponsors: Destination Kona, Pei Wei, M Drive, MyOatmeal.com, Realty One Group, Lifetime Fitness, Biotech Wellness, and OHSO.  Thank you!    

How Do You Recover: Part I

How Do You Recover: Part I

Branden Turley, ONE Elite Team Athlete

With so many myths surrounding nutrition and nothing but misconceptions regarding recovery, let’s set something straight; if you don’t recover, you don’t improve.  Of course, as simple as it sounds, there is much more involved with regards to nutrition and recovery.  I believe recovery and nutrition are not only the 4^th and 5^th disciplines of triathlon, but sadly the two most neglected aspects of endurance training.

As triathletes living and training in beautiful AZ, we are all familiar with our cyclical race reason.  The year begins cold, dark, and dry with little racing and an even smaller amount of desire to wake at the crack of dawn and brave the unkind dismal mornings.  But as we move quickly through the year, AZ’s race season begins to blossom and the mornings are delivered earlier and earlier with each passing week.  We find ourselves in the middle of another gracious race season with local events flooding the local scene.  Training, of course, is vital if you intend on racing through the year, maybe even choosing to compete in Ironman Arizona or Ironman 70.3 Arizona.  Some of us get wrapped up in the idea of a triathlon-crazed year filled with race day travels, new PR’s, and never raced before venues!

Do you eat to train, or train to eat?  The difference takes us into the physiology of how the body adapts to stress imposed during training sessions and more importantly, how the body recovers from such stress.  To truly understand how to recover, we must first understand what we are recovering from and how we are recovering. 

Due to the fact we are not professionals doing this sport for a living; our lives become entrenched with day to day activities ultimately limiting our time to train.  If we can take advantage of our recovery and utilize our nutrition as a basis for quality training, progress in performance can be obtained (Talbott, 2015).

Talbott (2015) refers to three major aspects pertaining to optimal post-training recovery; hydration, glycogen replacement, and bio-mechanical balance.  Each of these is important individually, but when understood as essential steps in the post-training phase, they become critical for adequate development and progress.  

Consistently, recovery involves several components including; replenishment of muscle and liver glycogen, re-hydration and restoration of electrolyte balance, immune system support, and most importantly restoring the body to an anabolic state to begin the repair process.

Recovery is essentially defined as the act of regaining or returning toward a normal healthy state.  In other words, the training produces the damage while the rest and recovery produces a better athlete!

References:

Talbott, S. (2015).  The keys to nutritional recovery.  Triathlete Europe.  Retrieved from http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com.

May Is For Competing!

This year is flying by. And May was the fastest and most furious month to date! April finished up with a milestone. My oldest son, Andrew graduated from college making me proud and making me feel a little old at the same time!

Right after graduation, my middle son, Nathan and I headed to St. George, Utah for my 3rd 70.3 race in a row at this cute, college town (Dixie State). This race has been good to me since it evolved from a disastrous 140.6 to a quality 70.3 Ironman Triathon. 

This is also the Ironman North American Pro Championships so the talent is deep and I was hoping for a "3Peat" Podium finish in the 50-54 Age Group. 

The trip with Nathan was priceless and I enjoy traveling with him anywhere we go. It just seems like yesterday he came with me to Boise where I first qualified for 70.3  Worlds years back.

Race day went like clock work. No surprises on a gorgeous Saturday. My wave start wasn't as late as previous years - more in the middle than the end. The time getting into the cold water seemed short before the blow horn sounded and we were off. I always take it easy at the beginning of the swim but I may have taken it too easy. I was disappointed to see a 35 min split on my Garmin Forerunner 920XT when I exited the water. Dang! I wanted a 34 at worst to be in the podium mix. I plan to work hard with Swim Coach, Frank Sole at Sole Swim Solutions this summer to improve on my #1 limiter.

The bike was next with no issues except for losing my EFS gel flask on mile 7 when it slipped out of my Tri top pocket. No worries! Regroup and pick up two gels per aid station to be sure I get the nutrition I need. 

This race really begins at mile 40 when we enter the Snow Valley Park. It's a beautiful, Red Rock park filled with uphill climbs ready to make the best triathlete toast just in time for the out and back run. I was ready for the 5 mile ascension but was surprised to see us yield to a bike path full of technical turns and even a turn back before we had to climb out again. I managed to hold my own knowing that at the end of the climb, it's basically 10 miles back to town downhill. 

Once I made that right turn to head home, I was ready to put down the hammer and make up the time I lost climbing. However, I heard a sound on my front tire that disturbed me. I first thought it was a flat but my speed didn't slow down. I just prayed it would hold together until I reached T2. I realized after the race was over and I picked up my gear and bike that I picked up a sticky piece of paper that made the clicking sound. Drive me crazy in worry! I came into T2 with a 2:42 time. Nothing too impressive but I felt my strongest leg was coming!

I love this 13.1 out and back run! It eats up the swimmers and cyclists and makes the strongest Triathlete walk in anguish! I have made my pattern to be the guy who chases down the competition. I worked it from the very start. I had no idea what position I was in starting the run, (24th I later found out) so I just ran hard and strong. I know I was picking of younger age groupers and of course, my age group players, but was so surprised to find out I got 15 of them for an age group best time of 1:33:24 to move up to 9th. That is a new "roadkill" record for me. I missed the podium but still finished in the top 5% of the age group. Places 4-10 were only 1-2 minutes apart. A highly competitive group of old farts!

Final time: 4:57:36

After a week for work in Minneapolis immediately following St. George, came a traditional race locally; Tempe International Triathlon. Our ONE Elite Team ran a walk through clinic the day before and had a great response from many newbie triathletes. It is so good to be able to help the community in this way. Fellow teammate, Maureen Needham did a great job walking through her set up and transition process.

Race morning was early and actually quite cool. We had a very nice May here in the Valley. Unseasonably cool. 

This time, the swim went better for an Olympic distance race that favors strong swimmers. I still had my work cut out for me with speed specialist like Todd Witten in the mix. Todd and I raced together back in the 90s and he still kicks my butt. 

Billy Oliver was there too and his run was better so he was another threat for the podium.

The bike is hillier than Marquee and the two loop bike course put me in position to have to run for my life to stay in contention for a podium spot. This 10K hurt much more than the St. George half marathon due to the 6:30-6:40 pace I needed to maintain. 

It paid off with an ok finish time of 2:18:11 time and 3rd place in the 50-54 age group behind Todd and Billy respectively. 

The month finished up with me competing in the 2nd installment of "The Fittest of PIM" Power in Motion's Crossfit Competition.  I had to make up to "WODs" (Workouts of the Day) because of St. George and my business trip to Minneapolis. The final event was in Memorial Day completing the iconic "Murph Challenge" in honor of fallen Navy Seal, Michael Murphy who's story was protrayed in the film, "Lone Survivor". It consists of a 1 Mile Run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, and another 1 mile run.  I went into this final workout in first place for the male masters 45+ but my main competition, Vincent Serpico, was going into this with bonus points by committing to wear a 20lbs weighted vest. If I didn't wear one too, and still complete the workout in a decent time, I would lose the title. 

I broke up the pull ups, push ups and squats into 20 sets of 5/10/15. I knew the hardest part would be the pull ups. My weakest link. (Also, Vince's strongest) 

I quickly had to resort to single pull ups due to the weighted vest. I received 5 penalty points for jumping up to the bar but since I was wearing the vest, I still netted 5 extra credit points to my score. I had no problem with the push ups and squats. Of course, the run was my best event but I do have a new appreciation for any Triarhlete who weighs 20 pounds more than I do!

I won the month long point race and a two night stay at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge! Just in time for a summer staycation or our upcoming 25th wedding anniversary! 

I had to say no to one of my favorite races, Dueces Wild in Show Low this past weekend. This month of racing and training has taken its toll. I enjoyed training in the real heat yesterday and today. I need to stay focused on the ultimate A race of the year, Kona! It will be here before I know it! 

The summer will be hot and long but it will make me stronger and acclimated to the heat that is the World Championships! #konabound!

As always, I want to thank One Multipsort and the ONE Elite Team for all their support. My coach, Nick White with Carmichael Training Systems, Valdora Cycles, Destination Kona, Cyclologic, MDrive, MyOatmeal, Pei Wei, FitSok and all our/my sponsors who are helping me make this a dream season!

Until next time!

Dan

(trimayor)