The only race left that needs to be tallied for the 2012 South West Challenge
Series year end results are the Cotton Country sprint triathlon. Rather than
wait for the series point counter I looked up the Cotton Country sprint
triathlon results and figured out who the winners for each division are on my
own. I'm %90 certain these are correct. I listed some amazing performances for
the 2012 South West Challenge series below, the SW series points are listed
below that.
The Age Group that had that had the highest combined points
total for the top 3 in their AG was the male 60-64 with 214 points between them.
They finished 29 races between the top three!!!
The male 20-25 AG was
the age group with the closest finish between the top 3 finishers, the top 3
were separated by only 2 points!
Sara Hall and Flip Lyle competed in the
most SW series races with 14 races in 2012! Sara Hall also completed 12 races in
2011, 15 in 2010, 16 in 2009, and 8 in 2008 for a total of 65 races in 5
years!!!
Robert Browning had the highest points for the 2012 South West
Challenge series with 80.75.
Scott Darling of the 60-64 AG had the most
age group victories with 9 races finished in 1st place in his AG in
2012!
In 2012 Flip Lyle of the 65-69 male AG had the largest margin of
victory with 33 points over 2nd place.
There are 3 athletes in the men 35-39 who are tied for third place with 48 points!
Below are the 2012 South West
Challenge Series age group winners.
Clydesdale open division
Champion B.
Laird 57 points
2nd place A Ceniceros 45 points
3rd placeJ Sanchez 41
points
Clydesdale masters division
Champion M. Mowles 79 points
2nd
place J. McClure 54 points
Male 20 and under:
Champion Josh Gordon 69
points
2nd place- Ben Campbell- 68 points
3rd place- Alex Bradbury- 50
points
male 20-24
Champion William Kessler 31.5 points
male
25-29
Champion Michael Castaneda 49 points
2nd place Matt Gonzales 48
points
3rd place Gage Bonestroo 47 points
male
30-34
Champion Dustin Ward 65 points
2nd place- Randolph Knox 49
points
3rd place- Jason Atkinson 48 points
male
35-39
Champion Price Lawhon 65 points
2nd place- Cody Hanson 50
points
T- 3rd place- Matt Hall 48 points
T- 3rd place- Jeremy Harwood 48
points
T-3rd place Jan Grande 48 points
male 40-44
Champion R. Browning 80 points
2nd place A.
Lugo 58 points
3rd place G. Heredia 51 points
male
45-49
Champion J. Kehrle 80 points
2nd place G. Garcia 68 points
3rd
place S. Crane 64 points
male 50-54
Champion R. Reynold 68
points
2nd place B. Gonzales 60 points
3rd place G. Southard 56.25
points
male 55-59
Champion C. Armstrong 78.24
2nd place L. Barfield
72 points
3rd place J Jackson 71 points
male 60-64
Champion S.
Darling 80 points
2nd place R. Wiggs 72 points
3rd place M. Strum 62
points
male 65-69
Champion F. Lyle 80 points (14 races)
2nd place G Sargent 47
points
male 70-74
Champion K. O'Connor 78 points
2nd place M. Greer
48 points
75+
Champion R. Park 70 points
Athena masters
division
Champion S. Hall 76 points (14 races!!!)
2nd place P. Miller
35
Female 25-29
Champion A. Howell 45 points
2nd place I. Speer 41
points
3rd place A. Wagner 39 points
Female 30-34
Champion R Ruiz
57 points
2nd place S. Bailes 30 points
Female 35-39
Champion D.
Sather 43 points
Female 40-44
Champion D. Steele 80 points
2nd
place S Heredia 65 points
Female 45-49
Champion D. Steele 80
points
2nd place S. Heredia 65 points
Female 50-54
Champion K.
Carlsen 70 points
2nd place H. Crane 67 points
3rd place S. Crewe 60.25
points
Female 55-59
Champion J. Herbert 50.25oints
2nd place P.
Baker 50 points
Female 60-64
Champion M. Balsiger 47
points
Female 65-69
Champion C. Akright
Showing posts with label Age grouper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Age grouper. Show all posts
October 15, 2012
September 09, 2012
The 2012 Patriot triathlon race report
Last Wednesday I saw that Price Lawhon had surpassed me in the the points total for the South West Challenge series 35-39 AG. I'm crazy competitive so when I saw that Lawhon was ahead of me I HAD to register for the Patriot triathlon. I needed to place 7th or better in the 35-39 AG at the Patriot triathlon held in Rio Rancho New Mexico to regain my lead. Placing 7th at the Patriot triathlon was going to be difficult because of the three and a half months I took off from training and weight I've gained. I've only been training again consistently for a little less than a week.
The Patriot triathlon was my 80th multi-sport race and I finished it in 1 hr 37 minutes 19 seconds and took 10th place in my division. Today was the slowest I've raced in 7 years. I only earned 1 point for the series, so Price Lawhorn is still in 1st place in the series with a 3 point lead. I'm in really bad shape right now and slower than a one leg grasshopper, so if Price Lawhorn races again in a triathlon in the SW series there will be no possible way I could catch him.
A great friend of mine, Matt Hall is a super stud triathlete. He races in the same age group as I do and is competing in the South West challenge series too. Matt Hall raced today at the Patriot tri and did AMAZING! He placed 15th overall and 2nd place in our age group. He earned 9 points for the SW challenge series and is now in 3rd place in the 35-39 age group with 39 points. He's incredibly fast and will pass me in the SW series if he finishes 4th place or better at the Elephantman Olympic distance triathlon Scheduled for Sept 30th.
It's probable that Matt Hall and Price Lawhorn will end up passing me in the series and maintaining their lead and I'll be scratching and clawing for 3rd place in the 2012 SW challenge series. I'm grateful that I saw the action heating up in the series, it motivated me to start training again.
I was exhausted after todays race. Really exhausted. There's no way I'd be able to finish the Redman full distance triathlon, so I'll be taking my family to Carlsbad Caverns that weekend instead.
The Patriot triathlon was my 80th multi-sport race and I finished it in 1 hr 37 minutes 19 seconds and took 10th place in my division. Today was the slowest I've raced in 7 years. I only earned 1 point for the series, so Price Lawhorn is still in 1st place in the series with a 3 point lead. I'm in really bad shape right now and slower than a one leg grasshopper, so if Price Lawhorn races again in a triathlon in the SW series there will be no possible way I could catch him.
A great friend of mine, Matt Hall is a super stud triathlete. He races in the same age group as I do and is competing in the South West challenge series too. Matt Hall raced today at the Patriot tri and did AMAZING! He placed 15th overall and 2nd place in our age group. He earned 9 points for the SW challenge series and is now in 3rd place in the 35-39 age group with 39 points. He's incredibly fast and will pass me in the SW series if he finishes 4th place or better at the Elephantman Olympic distance triathlon Scheduled for Sept 30th.
It's probable that Matt Hall and Price Lawhorn will end up passing me in the series and maintaining their lead and I'll be scratching and clawing for 3rd place in the 2012 SW challenge series. I'm grateful that I saw the action heating up in the series, it motivated me to start training again.
I was exhausted after todays race. Really exhausted. There's no way I'd be able to finish the Redman full distance triathlon, so I'll be taking my family to Carlsbad Caverns that weekend instead.
December 19, 2011
2012 triathlon season game plan
This year 2 guys came out of no where and won just about every local triathlon in my age group of 35-39. Having seen them dominate so thoroughly I've realized next year I need to have my best season ever to be compete. They were so dominant that if you compared the 2 best races I've EVER had to what Marty & Brooks accomplished this year, those 2 great races of mine were about the equivalent to their average this season.
To try and compete with Marty & Brooks next year I've come up with a 5 part plan.
1) Most importantly I'll pray! God blesses those who keep Him 1st and foremost in their heart. Philippians 4:13- I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
2) I'm going to start doing more group rides with pure cyclists. If I can hang with roadies on the bike I can hang with anyone!
3) I'll be implementing more strength and core training to build more block busting speed!
4) I need to drop more weight. My goal weight for next season is 175 pounds.
In 2011 I had a good season. But honestly the only reason I've had decent races is because of my lower body weight. I've maintained 182 since June. 182 is 30-45 pounds less than my normal racing weight, this is the 1st time I've maintained 182 pounds since 1992 or 1993! I've probably said it a thousand times in my blog, "light is fast", but it wasn't until this year that I've been able to drop and maintain around my ideal race weight. I'm currently at 6.8% body fat. For me to drop another 7 pounds and get the kind of speed I'll be needing I'll have to get to 5% body fat, drop a little extra muscle from my upper body, and build a little more leg and core muscle.
I've decided to start my new diet regimen on the 1st day after Thanksgiving! That should give me plenty of time to drop the weight and build as much strength and speed as I can by my 1st A race in 2012. What that race may be, I have no idea. I've decided I wont race again until I'm able to replace my time trial bike that was totaled in September of this year.
To try and compete with Marty & Brooks next year I've come up with a 5 part plan.
1) Most importantly I'll pray! God blesses those who keep Him 1st and foremost in their heart. Philippians 4:13- I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
2) I'm going to start doing more group rides with pure cyclists. If I can hang with roadies on the bike I can hang with anyone!
3) I'll be implementing more strength and core training to build more block busting speed!
4) I need to drop more weight. My goal weight for next season is 175 pounds.
In 2011 I had a good season. But honestly the only reason I've had decent races is because of my lower body weight. I've maintained 182 since June. 182 is 30-45 pounds less than my normal racing weight, this is the 1st time I've maintained 182 pounds since 1992 or 1993! I've probably said it a thousand times in my blog, "light is fast", but it wasn't until this year that I've been able to drop and maintain around my ideal race weight. I'm currently at 6.8% body fat. For me to drop another 7 pounds and get the kind of speed I'll be needing I'll have to get to 5% body fat, drop a little extra muscle from my upper body, and build a little more leg and core muscle.
I've decided to start my new diet regimen on the 1st day after Thanksgiving! That should give me plenty of time to drop the weight and build as much strength and speed as I can by my 1st A race in 2012. What that race may be, I have no idea. I've decided I wont race again until I'm able to replace my time trial bike that was totaled in September of this year.
November 28, 2011
The Nutcracker triathlon
I registered for the Nutcracker triathlon, formerly called the Jingle Bell triathlon. The Nutcracker triathlon will be held on Dec 4th and is a sprint distance tri. It is a chip timed Run-Bike-Swim held at the Rio Rancho Aquatic Center here in wonderful New Mexico. The bike course is an out-and-back (difficult bike course) and the run is a VERY hilly 1 loop course. The swim is a serpentine swim up/down one lane at a time. Distances: 5k run, 25k bike, 400yd swim. The Nutcracker's RD is Mark Miko, who is one of the 2 best RD's of all time (tied with the Greer's from Lubbock TX).
This race is only 14 days after Ironman Arizona. It's probably a bad idea for me to be racing only 14 days after IMAZ, especially since the Nutcracker tri is such a difficult course. In the last few years the 2nd place 35-39 AG finisher's average time in the Nutcracker tri has been 1 hour 11 minutes to 1 hour 12 minutes. In 2008 & 2009 I raced this event & finished with a 1 hour 25 minute (4th place AG) and a 1 hour 28 minutes (3rd place AG), but I was 20-40 pounds heavier. I'm currently in better shape and lighter than I was in '08 & '09, but I'll be riding the slowest bike ever manufactured. So only time will tell how I'll finish my 1st race of the 2012 season.
This race is only 14 days after Ironman Arizona. It's probably a bad idea for me to be racing only 14 days after IMAZ, especially since the Nutcracker tri is such a difficult course. In the last few years the 2nd place 35-39 AG finisher's average time in the Nutcracker tri has been 1 hour 11 minutes to 1 hour 12 minutes. In 2008 & 2009 I raced this event & finished with a 1 hour 25 minute (4th place AG) and a 1 hour 28 minutes (3rd place AG), but I was 20-40 pounds heavier. I'm currently in better shape and lighter than I was in '08 & '09, but I'll be riding the slowest bike ever manufactured. So only time will tell how I'll finish my 1st race of the 2012 season.
October 03, 2011
SW challenge series points
I'd promised I'd post on my blog if there was any changes in the top 3 of the 35-39 age group of the South West Challenge series. Marty Moriarty has secured 2nd place in the series with an AMAZING performance last weekend at the Elephant Man Olympic distance triathlon. He finished in 25th place overall out of 280 athletes and teams and 1st place in his division of 12! In the series he now has 7 races and 63 points total. Before this season Marty was a pure cyclist, which made his triathlon accomplishments this year absolutely stunning! He finished the 1 mile swim in 30 minutes! That's fast. I've never completed an oly swim in 30 minutes before. It was no surprise at all that he had the 3rd fastest bike split out of 280 finishing the very hard 25 mile bike course with a 21.9 mph average! He finished the 10K run in 47:09 keeping a 7:49 pace. The Elephant Man run course is REALLY hard, so that kind of a pace from someone who had never practiced his running until this year is dang impressive. This guys a stud triathlete.
The 1st time I raced with Marty was at the Atomic Man triathlon earlier this year. Up until facing Marty I'd never finished outside of 1st placec in my division at that race. Here's a picture of Marty and I coming out of T-2. He's a few strides ahead of me:
Having Marty and Brooks Vandervort in my division is going to make me train harder and race faster or I may be in danger of never seeing another top 3 in the South West again!
There's 1 race remaining in the series but the top 3 has already been determined. They are as follows:
1st place Brooks Vandivort with 8 races & 76.25 points
2nd Marty Moriarty with 7 races and 63 points
3rd Cody Hanson with 10 races and 56.5 points
Next year I plan on going back to specializing in sprint distance triathlons so that I have a chance against these 2 power houses. I'm hoping I can get my wrecked and totaled triathlon bike replaced by then!
The 1st time I raced with Marty was at the Atomic Man triathlon earlier this year. Up until facing Marty I'd never finished outside of 1st placec in my division at that race. Here's a picture of Marty and I coming out of T-2. He's a few strides ahead of me:
Having Marty and Brooks Vandervort in my division is going to make me train harder and race faster or I may be in danger of never seeing another top 3 in the South West again!
There's 1 race remaining in the series but the top 3 has already been determined. They are as follows:
1st place Brooks Vandivort with 8 races & 76.25 points
2nd Marty Moriarty with 7 races and 63 points
3rd Cody Hanson with 10 races and 56.5 points
Next year I plan on going back to specializing in sprint distance triathlons so that I have a chance against these 2 power houses. I'm hoping I can get my wrecked and totaled triathlon bike replaced by then!
September 21, 2011
2011 South West Challenge Series standings & points
I've competed in the South West challenge series every year since 2006. I love the series. It's an amazing challenge that an athlete has to work hard at and be dedicated to for an entire season. Since 2006 this will be the 1st year I wasn't able to compete at least 11 of the races in the SW series.
This year has been an amazing season! 2 incredibly fast athletes, Marty Moriarty and Brooks Vandivort started beating me early in the season which is unusual. I usually train hard on the indoor trainer throughout the winter and have my best races early when the other triathletes are just starting to build their base cycling fitness.
Cory Adair is currently in 4th place in the series. Cory is a solid and consistent athlete who is always in contention for the top 3 in the SW series. He has 8 races & 39.25 points. If he finishes in 1st place in the 35-39 AG the next 2 races he'll have a season total of 55.25 points which as of right now would place him in 3rd place.
Marty Moriarty who is a pure cyclist & bike time trial phenom is in 3rd place in the South West. He has 6 races and 53 points. If he finishes the Elephant man triathlon in 4th place or better he'll jump ahead of me & secure 2nd place in the series. There are only 2 SW Challenge series races left for the year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to hold onto 2nd place!
I'm currently in 2nd place having completed 9 races and have 56.25 points. If I hadn't been injured from a cycling crash I'd be competing in as many late season SW series races as possible to attempt to hold onto 2nd place.
Brooks Vandivort has absolute control of 1st place in the 35-39 SW series age group. He has completed 8 races and has 76 points! Brooks is in his 1st full season of triathlon training and racing but has already proven he's one of the fastest athletes in the entire region. He has the perfect combination of natural talent, dedication, and grit which allowed him put on more speed in less than a year than any other triathlete I've ever seen!
The 2 remaining races for the series is the Elephantman this weekend & the Raptor triathlon on Columbus weekend. I wont know until then if my 56.25 points will be enough to keep me in the top 3 of the South West challenge series this year. I'll let you know if there are any changes in the 35-39 AG.
Thanks for tuning in and please keep me in your prayers for quick healing from my injuries.
This year has been an amazing season! 2 incredibly fast athletes, Marty Moriarty and Brooks Vandivort started beating me early in the season which is unusual. I usually train hard on the indoor trainer throughout the winter and have my best races early when the other triathletes are just starting to build their base cycling fitness.
Cory Adair is currently in 4th place in the series. Cory is a solid and consistent athlete who is always in contention for the top 3 in the SW series. He has 8 races & 39.25 points. If he finishes in 1st place in the 35-39 AG the next 2 races he'll have a season total of 55.25 points which as of right now would place him in 3rd place.
Marty Moriarty who is a pure cyclist & bike time trial phenom is in 3rd place in the South West. He has 6 races and 53 points. If he finishes the Elephant man triathlon in 4th place or better he'll jump ahead of me & secure 2nd place in the series. There are only 2 SW Challenge series races left for the year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to hold onto 2nd place!
I'm currently in 2nd place having completed 9 races and have 56.25 points. If I hadn't been injured from a cycling crash I'd be competing in as many late season SW series races as possible to attempt to hold onto 2nd place.
Brooks Vandivort has absolute control of 1st place in the 35-39 SW series age group. He has completed 8 races and has 76 points! Brooks is in his 1st full season of triathlon training and racing but has already proven he's one of the fastest athletes in the entire region. He has the perfect combination of natural talent, dedication, and grit which allowed him put on more speed in less than a year than any other triathlete I've ever seen!
The 2 remaining races for the series is the Elephantman this weekend & the Raptor triathlon on Columbus weekend. I wont know until then if my 56.25 points will be enough to keep me in the top 3 of the South West challenge series this year. I'll let you know if there are any changes in the 35-39 AG.
Thanks for tuning in and please keep me in your prayers for quick healing from my injuries.
February 11, 2011
The 2011 Presadents day duathlon
I'll be competing in my 1st multisport race of the 2011 season next weekend, February 19th at White Sands Missile Range New Mexico. It's the Presidents day duathlon. The Presidents Day duathlon will be my first race since July of last year. It's been 7 months since the last time I've toed a start line. 6 of those 7 months I didn't train at all. The Presidents day duathlon will be a 5k run & 30k bike. Last year I took 5th place overall and 1st place in my age group 35-39 at the Presidents Day duathlon. I'm not expecting another break through race like I had last year. I'm physically unprepared for this race. I still haven't got my fitness & speed back from my very very long hiatus & I'm still carrying 23 pounds of the weight I had packed on. I thought about not showing up for this race, but since I have decided to race the entire season as an age grouper rather than a Clydesdale I will need every extra point I can scrape up for the South West Challenge Series 35-39 age group! I took 1st place in the South West Challenge Series 35-39 age group last year & am hoping to be able to take another top 3 position this year. To do that I'm going to have to race a lot more than I had originally planned. I'm expecting I'll need to race 8-11 of the races in the South West Challenge Series to guarantee a top 3 slot. So it looks like it's going to be another season of heavy racing!
Thanks for tuning in!
February 10, 2011
Age group(er) again
I was having a harder time getting back into the training & dieting groove this year. I was struggling to drop the off season weight I'd picked up & was getting to the point that I was expecting I was going to have to race the 2011 season as a Clydesdale again. In early January I got on a roll with my training & dropping the weight. I'm trying to lose the weight slower this time, I'm guessing I'll be down to 190 around mid April. Even though the 1st half of the triathlon season I'll be over 200 pounds, so I could race as a Clydesdale, I'm planning on registering in the 35-39 age group so that all my races for the year are in the same division.
190 is the weight I feel best at. I sport a 6 pack at 190. Anytime I drop below 190 I feel consistently hungry, get sick more easily, & am a grouch, but at 185 am I fast! I'm planning to maintain & race race at 190 until October, then in early October, God willing, I'll start dropping the extra 5-10 pounds to ensure I'm at my fastest at Ironman Arizona. I feel confident that I can go sub 13 hours as long as I get & stay below 200 pounds. I'm guessing I can be closer to 12 hours if I am able to show up on race day weighing 180-185.
My 1st race of the 2011 season will be the Presidents day duathlon, next Saturday at White Sands Missile Range New Mexico.
March 31, 2010
big training month & a first taste of this unusual organic veggtable
The month of March was the 1st time I completed more than 575 miles of cycling & more than 100 miles of running in 1 month! I felt like I made huge fitness and speed gains on my fitness the month of March. Perfect timing since my A race, The Atomic Man Duathlon is on April 25th. Aprils miles wont be as high because I'll be tapering for, that's right, my A race, The Atomic Man duathlon!!!! My 3 goals for my A race is
1) breaking my race PR of 67 minutes
2a)taking top 3 over all
or 2B)taking top 10 overall
3)taking 1st place in the 35-39 age group
I'm eating my first meal made with local Prickly Pear cactus. I harvested it from my yard, burned off the thorns, cut off the skin, and then sliced up the meat & threw it in my salad. Tastes like green beans. It doesn't get any more local and organic than this!!!
My current weight is 193. I've been stuck at this weight for 2 weeks, but rather than becoming frustrated & risk falling off the wagon I'm going to stay consistent, motivated, and weather this storm! After all, I'm only 1 pound away from having lost 100 pounds total! If I end up maintaining this weight, I'm ok with that because I'm faster at this weight than I've ever been. But I believe I'll get past this speed bump and get to one of my 2 goal weight of either 182.5 or 175.
My next race is this this Saturday April 3rd. It's the Wind triathlon at White Sands Missile Range New Mexico. Wish me luck & tune in here for my race report!
1) breaking my race PR of 67 minutes
2a)taking top 3 over all
or 2B)taking top 10 overall
3)taking 1st place in the 35-39 age group
I'm eating my first meal made with local Prickly Pear cactus. I harvested it from my yard, burned off the thorns, cut off the skin, and then sliced up the meat & threw it in my salad. Tastes like green beans. It doesn't get any more local and organic than this!!!
My current weight is 193. I've been stuck at this weight for 2 weeks, but rather than becoming frustrated & risk falling off the wagon I'm going to stay consistent, motivated, and weather this storm! After all, I'm only 1 pound away from having lost 100 pounds total! If I end up maintaining this weight, I'm ok with that because I'm faster at this weight than I've ever been. But I believe I'll get past this speed bump and get to one of my 2 goal weight of either 182.5 or 175.
My next race is this this Saturday April 3rd. It's the Wind triathlon at White Sands Missile Range New Mexico. Wish me luck & tune in here for my race report!
November 08, 2009
a new season
The Silverman 70.3 triathlon was going to be my last race of the year, I had to bail out of the Silverman. My wife simply wasn't healed up enough from the C section. Now the 2009 season is officially over. I ended up having a decent season. I took 7th place in my division in the Halfman National Championships. I PR'd a 70.3 distance race with a 5 hr 30 min time. & I took 2nd place in the Clydesdale open division in the South West Challenge series.
Although I'm weighing in 17 pounds higher than was my goal for this time was, I'm still super excited about the upcoming 2010 season. Although I'm weighing in 17 pounds higher than was my goal, I'm getting faster. I'm only training for sprints this year so I haven't been going long much. I've been doing more speed work than I ever have in the past.
Back at the beginning of the 2008 season I was weighing in the low 200's & felt I could get below 200 & stay there for the whole season. Based off of how I felt I decided to race the season as an Age Grouper. I ended up taking 1st place 30-34 AG in the SW series, but was very disheartened & frustrated because I was only able to stay below that magical weight of 200 for a little over a month.
This year again I have decided to race as an age grouper. This year I know the chances of me getting below, much less staying below 200 pounds is slim to none. My goal unlike 2008 is to race as an AG & enjoy the competition of the age group I'm now in. Oh, by the way, I age up this month. I'm now 34 & where my birth date lands puts me in the 35-39 ag.
The 35-39 ag is no joke. That age group is easily the fastest age group out there. So my work is cut out for me. But I have something a lot of the faster 35-39 year olds don't have: the willingness & suport to do 16 or more races in the South West this year.
Wish me luck for the 2010 season I'm going to need it!
October 02, 2009
multi-sport
I love multi-sport training. There's nothing about it I don't like. It's challenging, it allows me to eat more without any weight gain, it makes me more focused on maintaining a healthy weight, it teaches my kids how to live a healthy active lifestyle, it makes me sleep better, it makes me more focused & determined of a person, destination races allows my family to see parts of the country we never would see otherwise, it makes me better equiped to defend myself & my coworkers, it's a stress reliever- there's times when I'm in a bad mood that my wife, without a word spoken will bring me my cycling gear, when I return from a workout I'm happy go lucky again!
Yesterday was my first day back from 4 days of overeating. Bad news is that after those 4 days, it will now take longer to get to my goal weight of 180. But the good news is so much better than the bad news was bad! I'm back on the road to being triathlete thin!
Every time I've failed to drop the weight, went on a food binge, or gained more weight back than I had lost I learned something about myself & my food issues. I'm not saying I'll ever be "cured" of my love for, or my emotional dependency of food. But everytime I fall into my temptations I learn something, each time I back slide & figure out what caused it or how I recovered and I gained a tool I can use next time. Each time I learn from my failure I'm more likely to regain control of my overeating more quickly & am able to have the binge happen less frequently. Each time I fall off the wagon it slows me from reaching my goal, but for the first time I know without a doubt I'll get there.
September 25, 2009
I....must....hurt....you
Now that I'm done with the Redman Half Iron I'm in recovery mode. I'm waiting for my coach to give me the green light to start training again. He doesn't want to start hammering my body until I'm recovered enough to avoid injury. I'm waiting impatiently. I'm salivating in anticipation. I'm more focused than I've ever been.
In November 2007 I attempted the Silverman Iron distance triathlon. I failed. The Silverman has been my only DNF in 54 multisport races. A DNF is when a person quits or is pulled from a course. The only reason an athlete is pulled from a course is when they are to slow & don't meet the minimum cut off time.
On November 11th 2007 I was to slow. I DNF'ED. At mile 92 of the bike I found out I wasn't good enough, wasn't fast enough, wasn't strong enough.
Now it's payback time. I'm going back to that course & I'm going to destroy it.
I'm on track to weigh between 188-190 pounds by race day. The lightest I've ever raced at was 192 pounds at the Jay Benson triathlon in May 2008. I had the best race of my life. In triathlon skinny isn't a body type, it's a tactical necessity. I plan on this being the first race of a new era. One in which every race from here on out I'm no longer a Clyd. From this years Silverman on I'll be an age grouper.
This time on Nov 8th 2009 I plan on putting a hurting on that Silverman course, rather than that course hurting me.
Before the Silverman in 07 I told my Dad who was dieing of emphysema I was dedicating that race to him, & I never even crossed the finish line.
on November 11th 2007 I was going to run across the finish line of my first Ironman holding my 2 year old daughter. I never even made it to the finish line.
This time I know what kind of punishment the Silverman has to offer. This time I'm light, this time I'm physically & mentally prepared, this time I will cross that finish line with a great finishing time!
In November 2007 I attempted the Silverman Iron distance triathlon. I failed. The Silverman has been my only DNF in 54 multisport races. A DNF is when a person quits or is pulled from a course. The only reason an athlete is pulled from a course is when they are to slow & don't meet the minimum cut off time.
On November 11th 2007 I was to slow. I DNF'ED. At mile 92 of the bike I found out I wasn't good enough, wasn't fast enough, wasn't strong enough.
Now it's payback time. I'm going back to that course & I'm going to destroy it.
I'm on track to weigh between 188-190 pounds by race day. The lightest I've ever raced at was 192 pounds at the Jay Benson triathlon in May 2008. I had the best race of my life. In triathlon skinny isn't a body type, it's a tactical necessity. I plan on this being the first race of a new era. One in which every race from here on out I'm no longer a Clyd. From this years Silverman on I'll be an age grouper.
This time on Nov 8th 2009 I plan on putting a hurting on that Silverman course, rather than that course hurting me.
Before the Silverman in 07 I told my Dad who was dieing of emphysema I was dedicating that race to him, & I never even crossed the finish line.
on November 11th 2007 I was going to run across the finish line of my first Ironman holding my 2 year old daughter. I never even made it to the finish line.
This time I know what kind of punishment the Silverman has to offer. This time I'm light, this time I'm physically & mentally prepared, this time I will cross that finish line with a great finishing time!
September 22, 2009
recovering from a PR & a new coach
Well, I'm post Redman. I was excited about my new 70.3 PR of 5 hr 30 min. I never dreamed I'd be that fast at that distance, especially considering all the rain, standing water, and mud from flooding on the bike & run course. I realize the biggest reasons for my increased speed was my low body weight- low for me anyways, and great coaching.
My coach is having me take off until Friday, then we'll evaluate how I feel & start training for the Silverman half Iron which is schedualed for Nov 7th. The Silverman is a very hard course with lots of climbing. So low body weight at the Silverman will be even more important than it was for the Redman. I feel I can get to 190-195 by then, & 180-185 by the New year. If I can get to that weight I'm going to race all of 2010 as a 35-39 AG. Racing as an AG, & under 200 pounds for an entire year has always been one of my biggest goals in triathlon. Wish me luck!
I'm ahead in the South West Challenge series. The athlete closest to me in points is a guy named George Ferland. Apparently he's very fast. He's won the Clydesdale division in every race he's competed in the last 2 years. There are 2 races left for the season. Essentially what it boils down to is if he races in either one of the next 2 he will be champion. If He doesn't compete in either of the 2 remaining I win the series. I'll keep you informed.
After the Silverman I'm going to be looking for a new coach. I've been with the coach I have now since the summer of 06. Coach Pete is awesome and he has shown me what nearly perfect triathlon coaching is like. He's good. Very very good, & he knows how good he is. Consequently and understandably he is raising his prices at the new year. I just can't afford to keep him on. $ is the one & only reason I have to get another coach.
I've had bad coaches before. Nothing is more aggravating & disheartening. I had a feeling this was going to happen with Coach Pete, so I'd been keeping my eyes open for other coaches for awhile. If this happened I was planning on hiring a retired pro cyclist by the name of James Webster who coaching here in Alb. Then, after speaking with my current coach this weekend, he told me he has some coaches who have signed on to coach for his company who are outstanding. He also gave me a discount on the coaching he's giving me until the Silverman as an incentive to stay with Mile High Multisport coaching. I'm now unsure what I'll do. 50/50 I guess.
James Webster is a local coach. That's a plus. He made a living from being a pro endurance athlete, the knowledge he'd have to offer based on his life experiences in pro cycling would be priceless. He returns phone calls very quickly, the negative side of him is that the times I emailed him, he took a long time to respond or never responded at all. Although I must point out I wasn't his paying athlete, so a slow response is understandable to a point. The other negative side of James is that he & his triathlon club has a pretty serious blood feud going on with mine. My tiathlon team, the NM Outlaws have always been such a supportive & kind group of people, I am unwilling to leave the NM Outlaws. I doubt James would be willing to coach me if I refused to join his team & race for "the enemy".
I trust my current coach whole hearted. If he says the coaches he has working for him are good I believe him. He'll also be over seeing the coaches under him, so I'll still have Coach Pete there giving advise to my new coach, explaining my strengths & weaknesses & how best to deal with them. There is also the fact that I have some serious food issues that coach Pete has been very patient with. I'm unwilling to tolerate someone saying something stupid & inconsiderate like "just be more mindful about what your putting in your mouth".
For right now I don't know which way I'll go for a new coach. I'll keep you informed.
Thanks for tuning in.
My coach is having me take off until Friday, then we'll evaluate how I feel & start training for the Silverman half Iron which is schedualed for Nov 7th. The Silverman is a very hard course with lots of climbing. So low body weight at the Silverman will be even more important than it was for the Redman. I feel I can get to 190-195 by then, & 180-185 by the New year. If I can get to that weight I'm going to race all of 2010 as a 35-39 AG. Racing as an AG, & under 200 pounds for an entire year has always been one of my biggest goals in triathlon. Wish me luck!
I'm ahead in the South West Challenge series. The athlete closest to me in points is a guy named George Ferland. Apparently he's very fast. He's won the Clydesdale division in every race he's competed in the last 2 years. There are 2 races left for the season. Essentially what it boils down to is if he races in either one of the next 2 he will be champion. If He doesn't compete in either of the 2 remaining I win the series. I'll keep you informed.
After the Silverman I'm going to be looking for a new coach. I've been with the coach I have now since the summer of 06. Coach Pete is awesome and he has shown me what nearly perfect triathlon coaching is like. He's good. Very very good, & he knows how good he is. Consequently and understandably he is raising his prices at the new year. I just can't afford to keep him on. $ is the one & only reason I have to get another coach.
I've had bad coaches before. Nothing is more aggravating & disheartening. I had a feeling this was going to happen with Coach Pete, so I'd been keeping my eyes open for other coaches for awhile. If this happened I was planning on hiring a retired pro cyclist by the name of James Webster who coaching here in Alb. Then, after speaking with my current coach this weekend, he told me he has some coaches who have signed on to coach for his company who are outstanding. He also gave me a discount on the coaching he's giving me until the Silverman as an incentive to stay with Mile High Multisport coaching. I'm now unsure what I'll do. 50/50 I guess.
James Webster is a local coach. That's a plus. He made a living from being a pro endurance athlete, the knowledge he'd have to offer based on his life experiences in pro cycling would be priceless. He returns phone calls very quickly, the negative side of him is that the times I emailed him, he took a long time to respond or never responded at all. Although I must point out I wasn't his paying athlete, so a slow response is understandable to a point. The other negative side of James is that he & his triathlon club has a pretty serious blood feud going on with mine. My tiathlon team, the NM Outlaws have always been such a supportive & kind group of people, I am unwilling to leave the NM Outlaws. I doubt James would be willing to coach me if I refused to join his team & race for "the enemy".
I trust my current coach whole hearted. If he says the coaches he has working for him are good I believe him. He'll also be over seeing the coaches under him, so I'll still have Coach Pete there giving advise to my new coach, explaining my strengths & weaknesses & how best to deal with them. There is also the fact that I have some serious food issues that coach Pete has been very patient with. I'm unwilling to tolerate someone saying something stupid & inconsiderate like "just be more mindful about what your putting in your mouth".
For right now I don't know which way I'll go for a new coach. I'll keep you informed.
Thanks for tuning in.
September 15, 2009
Cochiti swim, great support, & my dang weight issue!
Today I took my family to Cochiti lake. My wife & I had a picnic & played with our babies. After that I put on my wet suit & did some open water swimming. I felt fast & comfortable. Much more so than any other open water swim I've ever done. Part of that is I'm 27 pounds lighter than my normal race weight. I fit in my wet suit better so I don't feel like I'm being squeezed to death by a boa constrictor. The major reason I felt so comfortable in the water is I'm swimming consistently for the first time in my triathlon career. Imagine that!
I am dieing to find out how far it was from the shore line at the swim area, out to the buoy on the far left, following along the outside of the boat buoy's, until the far right shore line. If anyone knows please let me in on the secret.
I'm so very grateful for the support system I have in life & in triathlon. I've fallen off the diet wagon for the last 3 days. It started on my first full day of vacation. Celebration is a big food trigger for me. I'm sure excitement about my up coming race is also a huge contributing factor also.
On of the first motivators for me to stop overeating was today I drove to Alb & picked up my bike from JusMe. He cleaned & tuned up my bike. He even took off the race numbers I'd left on my bike from the last year of racing! As soon as I saw my tri-machine looking completely clean & ready to roll I got motivated to race! And who can race fat? Not me!
The other big help was a great guy & blogger was in town for work. I got to hang with him, talk triathlon, & even watch an episode of The biggest Loser. While here he talked to me about triathlon racing & our issues with weight. He helped me realize I'll never be cured. I can't be perfect ALL of the time. But I can be perfect %85 of the time. I was beginning to feel after 3 days all was lost & I was on the downward slide. But like JusMe says,"it's not a road without some bumps along the way".
I'm bound to get knocked on my butt on from time to time. That doesn't make my journey to becoming an ultra-thin, ultra endurance triathlete a failure. & failing at accomplishing that goal wouldn't even make me a failure. I'm a success at what's most important to me, being a follower of Christ, a father, & a husband. 10 years ago I wouldn't have thought I could be worth 2 shakes of a dogs tail at any of those things. But I am.
Giving up on my weight loss goal would mean I had stopped trying. & I don't believe I have any quit in me. I'm a stubborn, hard working, dedicated man in all things. Diet just seems to be the one area I'm going to have to get up & dust myself off from most often. & tomorrow I'm going to do just that. For tomorrow I WILL be a success. I will be back on the wagon. I will eventually fall off again. I know that, but I will continue to get up as many times as it takes to succeed at becoming the triathlete I so desperately desire to be.... a thin one.
I am dieing to find out how far it was from the shore line at the swim area, out to the buoy on the far left, following along the outside of the boat buoy's, until the far right shore line. If anyone knows please let me in on the secret.
I'm so very grateful for the support system I have in life & in triathlon. I've fallen off the diet wagon for the last 3 days. It started on my first full day of vacation. Celebration is a big food trigger for me. I'm sure excitement about my up coming race is also a huge contributing factor also.
On of the first motivators for me to stop overeating was today I drove to Alb & picked up my bike from JusMe. He cleaned & tuned up my bike. He even took off the race numbers I'd left on my bike from the last year of racing! As soon as I saw my tri-machine looking completely clean & ready to roll I got motivated to race! And who can race fat? Not me!
The other big help was a great guy & blogger was in town for work. I got to hang with him, talk triathlon, & even watch an episode of The biggest Loser. While here he talked to me about triathlon racing & our issues with weight. He helped me realize I'll never be cured. I can't be perfect ALL of the time. But I can be perfect %85 of the time. I was beginning to feel after 3 days all was lost & I was on the downward slide. But like JusMe says,"it's not a road without some bumps along the way".
I'm bound to get knocked on my butt on from time to time. That doesn't make my journey to becoming an ultra-thin, ultra endurance triathlete a failure. & failing at accomplishing that goal wouldn't even make me a failure. I'm a success at what's most important to me, being a follower of Christ, a father, & a husband. 10 years ago I wouldn't have thought I could be worth 2 shakes of a dogs tail at any of those things. But I am.
Giving up on my weight loss goal would mean I had stopped trying. & I don't believe I have any quit in me. I'm a stubborn, hard working, dedicated man in all things. Diet just seems to be the one area I'm going to have to get up & dust myself off from most often. & tomorrow I'm going to do just that. For tomorrow I WILL be a success. I will be back on the wagon. I will eventually fall off again. I know that, but I will continue to get up as many times as it takes to succeed at becoming the triathlete I so desperately desire to be.... a thin one.
November 29, 2008
Time off & a new season
Well, it's now post race. In other words it's rest & recovery time. This is always the hardest time of the year for me. By far the hardest. Last November rather than R&R I rode my bike from Santa Fe NM to Hobbs NM. A 3 day 330 mile ride. I really hate not being able to go out for a good workout. I have become a workout junky. I feel like I'm going through hard core drug withdrawals. The only reason I didn't go out for a ride today was because my wife threatened to call my coach & rat me out.
It's only been 5 days since Ironman Arizona. 5 days of total rest & I'm dying! Today was the last day of my vacation & my wife told me she's looking foreword to me going back to work because all the pacing I'm doing is making her nervous. I think part of the reason behind my difficulty to R&R this time is that all 5.5 years of triathlon training I've put in has been for the goal of becoming an Ironman. Each year one thing or another happened to prevent me from becoming an Ironman. Now this year I have a new and exciting goal.
As I've said before, ultra endurance isn't what my body is built for. Even though all I've trained for my entire triathlon career is ultra endurance triathlons, I don't finish well comparatively to the others in my division. I train long, yet I finish the highest in my division the shorter the race. So now after all these years, instead of training to overcome my weaknesses I'm going to train to build my strengths!!! & hot dog am I excited!!! My first A race this year is going to be an Olympic distance duathlon in Feb in Phoenix Arizona. It's a qualifier for the duathlon world championships. I really think I have the potential to be scary fast now that I'm going to be concentrating on short, fast, intense, & in my opinion FUN races! Man, I don't think I can express how pumped up I am. Obviously my training will be designed to be speed specific. That alone will increase my short course ability. On top of that I've set 3 other goals to help me accomplish the goal for break neck speeds.
1) get to 195 pounds. I started my diet yesterday. I learned a lot about dieting last year & plan on using that info to help me this year.
2) take my HR every morning without fail. There were a couple times I went pretty deep into over training last year. Those bouts of over training really set my training back. That could of been avoided if I'd of simply been better about taking my resting HR.
I have a tendency to gain a lot of weight during my taper. Part of it is the decreased training. But the majority of my weight gain came from me stressing about my upcoming event. I was slow in recognizing that. But now that I figured that out I think I'll be able to minimize it more this next year. Plus the stress of another possible Iron failure won't be hanging over my head all year. So goal #3) Not get above 215 pounds during my next taper. The lightest I've ever been for an A race was 236. & that was this weekend at IMAZ. If I could keep below 215, I would be very fast indeed. Ah, the excitement builds!!!! Now if my 2 weeks of time off could just end so I could start training for this beautiful new season! I've already signed up for my first race of the 2009 season. It's the Polar Bear Triathlon December 13th. I won't be at my best because I'll still be healing from my Iron, & I will have just started training again. I've taken a look at my competition I'll be up against next year for the SW series. I'll need each & every point I can get. The 30-34 AG has some bloody fast racers, the only reason I won it last year was because no one finished a full 8 races. This year I plan on winning regardless of how many races my competition finish! Wish me luck!
It's only been 5 days since Ironman Arizona. 5 days of total rest & I'm dying! Today was the last day of my vacation & my wife told me she's looking foreword to me going back to work because all the pacing I'm doing is making her nervous. I think part of the reason behind my difficulty to R&R this time is that all 5.5 years of triathlon training I've put in has been for the goal of becoming an Ironman. Each year one thing or another happened to prevent me from becoming an Ironman. Now this year I have a new and exciting goal.
As I've said before, ultra endurance isn't what my body is built for. Even though all I've trained for my entire triathlon career is ultra endurance triathlons, I don't finish well comparatively to the others in my division. I train long, yet I finish the highest in my division the shorter the race. So now after all these years, instead of training to overcome my weaknesses I'm going to train to build my strengths!!! & hot dog am I excited!!! My first A race this year is going to be an Olympic distance duathlon in Feb in Phoenix Arizona. It's a qualifier for the duathlon world championships. I really think I have the potential to be scary fast now that I'm going to be concentrating on short, fast, intense, & in my opinion FUN races! Man, I don't think I can express how pumped up I am. Obviously my training will be designed to be speed specific. That alone will increase my short course ability. On top of that I've set 3 other goals to help me accomplish the goal for break neck speeds.
1) get to 195 pounds. I started my diet yesterday. I learned a lot about dieting last year & plan on using that info to help me this year.
2) take my HR every morning without fail. There were a couple times I went pretty deep into over training last year. Those bouts of over training really set my training back. That could of been avoided if I'd of simply been better about taking my resting HR.
I have a tendency to gain a lot of weight during my taper. Part of it is the decreased training. But the majority of my weight gain came from me stressing about my upcoming event. I was slow in recognizing that. But now that I figured that out I think I'll be able to minimize it more this next year. Plus the stress of another possible Iron failure won't be hanging over my head all year. So goal #3) Not get above 215 pounds during my next taper. The lightest I've ever been for an A race was 236. & that was this weekend at IMAZ. If I could keep below 215, I would be very fast indeed. Ah, the excitement builds!!!! Now if my 2 weeks of time off could just end so I could start training for this beautiful new season! I've already signed up for my first race of the 2009 season. It's the Polar Bear Triathlon December 13th. I won't be at my best because I'll still be healing from my Iron, & I will have just started training again. I've taken a look at my competition I'll be up against next year for the SW series. I'll need each & every point I can get. The 30-34 AG has some bloody fast racers, the only reason I won it last year was because no one finished a full 8 races. This year I plan on winning regardless of how many races my competition finish! Wish me luck!
November 11, 2008
Tapering for IMAZ & a little advise
First thing, thank you to any veteran out there. My family & I are very grateful for the service you provided or are providing America. Boots Wiggins, a blog I follow regularly just got deployed to Bahrain with the Navy. He had to leave his wife & 2 small children here in the states. Since it's Veteran's day today, & if you have the time, hop on his blog & thank him for his service. I know it would mean the world to him. Again, thank you Veterans.
12 days until my Ironman. Ironman Arizona. I feel fast, by far the fastest I've ever felt tapering for an Iron, this being my 3rd time. My endurance is great. I have a new fast bike, a Cannondale Carbon Slice. I have a super fast set of HED 3 tubular wheels. This month I slowed WAY down on working overtime at work so I'll be rested going into race day. I'm 42 pounds lighter than last years DNF at the Silverman. All things seem to be pointing to a successful race, & I'm excited. Very excited.
The only thing I'm not so excited about right now is this dang taper. I don't do well with tapers. Before a big race an endurance athlete should never cut calories. Add that with the decreased training & that is rough on my waist line. But then I add the fact that I'm dealing with an eating disorder, then a taper turns into a nightmare. When I get overly emotional about things I turn to food for comfort. I'm REALLY excited about the race, & a little apprehensive, as any triathlete would be about an upcoming Ironman. I'm a little stressed about possibly making Sergeant at work. I'm also an all or nothing kind of a guy. I'm either hard core about my diet, or I'm off the wagon & eating out of control. Not usually any in between there. I'm amazed I'm only weighing 215 because I've been eating like a pregnant rhino (I assume they eat a lot when with child-er- rhino baby- whatever). But I'm also very optimistic. November 24th, the day after my Iron I'm going to be able to start dieting again. After eating so much for the last month I'm ready for some disciplined eating. & hey, I'm only at 215. Even now that I'm a little out of control with the eating I'm still lighter than any other year of adulthood;)
In July this year I got down to the lowest I'd ever weighed as an adult. 188 pounds. I promptly shot back up to 215 in about a month. This year I have to choose whether to race as a Clydesdale (200 pound or above) or as an age grouper (my age group this next year, if I am able to stay under 200 pounds will be 30-34). This year I raced the whole year as an AG 30-34 (won that age group in the South West too!), but was actually only under 200 pounds for about 1 month. I have no idea if I could stay below 200 pounds for the entire 2009 year, but I have to decide which division to race in by December 13th. Dec 13th is the Polar Bear Triathlon, which is the first race I'll be competing in for the 2009 season. To make a long story short, the reason I have to decide right away which division to race in is because I compete in the South West Challenge Series. Its a Multisport series that has 24 plus races in which a triathlete gets points for every race he/she completes in a year. The better a person does in a race the more points a person gets. If I do part of my races as an AG, & part as a Clydesdale then there's no way at all I could be competitive in either division. If I decide to race as a Clyde then realize part way into the season that I could get below 200, but don't so I can keep my Clydesdale status I'd be limiting my speed potential. Simply put, in biking & running, light is fast. If I race as an AG 30-34, but am unable to get below 200 pounds than I'd be racing in a highly competitive division at a severe disadvantage. Any advise or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
12 days until my Ironman. Ironman Arizona. I feel fast, by far the fastest I've ever felt tapering for an Iron, this being my 3rd time. My endurance is great. I have a new fast bike, a Cannondale Carbon Slice. I have a super fast set of HED 3 tubular wheels. This month I slowed WAY down on working overtime at work so I'll be rested going into race day. I'm 42 pounds lighter than last years DNF at the Silverman. All things seem to be pointing to a successful race, & I'm excited. Very excited.
The only thing I'm not so excited about right now is this dang taper. I don't do well with tapers. Before a big race an endurance athlete should never cut calories. Add that with the decreased training & that is rough on my waist line. But then I add the fact that I'm dealing with an eating disorder, then a taper turns into a nightmare. When I get overly emotional about things I turn to food for comfort. I'm REALLY excited about the race, & a little apprehensive, as any triathlete would be about an upcoming Ironman. I'm a little stressed about possibly making Sergeant at work. I'm also an all or nothing kind of a guy. I'm either hard core about my diet, or I'm off the wagon & eating out of control. Not usually any in between there. I'm amazed I'm only weighing 215 because I've been eating like a pregnant rhino (I assume they eat a lot when with child-er- rhino baby- whatever). But I'm also very optimistic. November 24th, the day after my Iron I'm going to be able to start dieting again. After eating so much for the last month I'm ready for some disciplined eating. & hey, I'm only at 215. Even now that I'm a little out of control with the eating I'm still lighter than any other year of adulthood;)
In July this year I got down to the lowest I'd ever weighed as an adult. 188 pounds. I promptly shot back up to 215 in about a month. This year I have to choose whether to race as a Clydesdale (200 pound or above) or as an age grouper (my age group this next year, if I am able to stay under 200 pounds will be 30-34). This year I raced the whole year as an AG 30-34 (won that age group in the South West too!), but was actually only under 200 pounds for about 1 month. I have no idea if I could stay below 200 pounds for the entire 2009 year, but I have to decide which division to race in by December 13th. Dec 13th is the Polar Bear Triathlon, which is the first race I'll be competing in for the 2009 season. To make a long story short, the reason I have to decide right away which division to race in is because I compete in the South West Challenge Series. Its a Multisport series that has 24 plus races in which a triathlete gets points for every race he/she completes in a year. The better a person does in a race the more points a person gets. If I do part of my races as an AG, & part as a Clydesdale then there's no way at all I could be competitive in either division. If I decide to race as a Clyde then realize part way into the season that I could get below 200, but don't so I can keep my Clydesdale status I'd be limiting my speed potential. Simply put, in biking & running, light is fast. If I race as an AG 30-34, but am unable to get below 200 pounds than I'd be racing in a highly competitive division at a severe disadvantage. Any advise or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
July 04, 2008
This Sat July 5th is the Grady Williams Freedom Days Triathlon in Farmington NM. This race is an infamous Olympic distance race which is done in an odd order. It's a swim, run, bike. The run is a cross country dirt run through somewhat treacherous & very hilly terrain. The course is not marked well. Instead of putting up signs or tape on the trees marking which trails to run on it is marked by chalk on the run trail. So if a person isn't in the lead pack there's a very good chance the chalk will have been ran over enough to be non-existent. A huge number of triathletes complain about getting lost on this course every year. It wouldn't be that bad if it was an out & back course, but it's a point to point 10 K run. Consequently if you lose the trail your supposed to be running on you will have to wander around out in the wilderness until you find civilization. At the half way point on the run there is a 5 gallon jug of water on a table. There are cups on the table also, but no one there at the aid station to fill them or hand them out. The water & cups are dropped off the day before the race, so the cups are still in the sleeves & the water is very hot from sitting out in the sun the entire day before hand in the sweltering summer heat. The only way to get a cup of hot water is to stop in the middle of your race, pull out a cup from the sleeve, & wait until the X number of people in line in front of you has filled their cup up because there are no volunteers on the run course at all. None on run course or at the only aid station on the run.
If you are the last one on the run & get hurt I don't know how anyone would know because, like I said, there are no volunteers on the course. T-2, the bike start is 10 K away from T-1 which is the swim end & the run start That is if a person gets to T-2 without getting lost, hurt, or killed in the wilderness. From what I'm told the bike course is an extremely hilly out & back 40 K. At the turn around you'll find volunteers handing out cups of water. This water is cold as apposed to the hot water found on the run. But like I said, it's handed out in cups. How is a cyclist supposed to carry enough water for the 2nd half of a 40K bike in a single 8 oz cup?
You may ask why I'm doing this race if it is ran so poorly? Well, since I know about the lack of hydration/support on the run & bike I'll have a bottle to run with, and 3 bike bottles fully stocked on my bike. I'm hoping preparation will give me an edge on my competition, so I'll be more likely to place well. Additionally only 50-70 people race this course every year, which is another opportunity for me to place well in the very fast & competitive 30-34 AG.
No, I'm not so egotistic to go through all that just to get a Top 3 medal in the 30-34 age group. The reason I'm going through all this is I'm competing in the South West Challenge series. The SW Challenge Series is the oldest, & biggest Multisport series in the world. It's a competition where athletes compete in 28 triathlons & duathlons throughout Texas & New Mexico. For every 1st place in your division you place in a South West Series race you get 10 points. 9 points for 2nd place, 8 points for 3rd, 7 points for 4th, etc. The series takes the point totals for an athletes top 8 races. In 2006 I took 2nd place in the Clydesdale open division, last year I took 1st. This is my first year competing in the 30-34 age group. The 30-34 has some super fast athletes. The Grady Williams will be a great way to earn higher points than I could in a normal sized well supported race.
I've also just came off the hardest month training I've ever been through. I've had a 1 week taper/recovery week. So I'll be going into this race well rested and in top fitness.
This week, the week before the Grady Williams has been a recovery week. A recovery week following the hardest month of triathlon training I've ever been through. So I ought to be well rested & in top form. On a side note I'll have to race this race on my road bike because my tri bike is in the shop. I'm trading in my old tri bike for a Cannondale Ironman Slice Six13. See July 3rd's post for the info on my new ride.
So, barring getting lost or dying of dehydration I'll give you a post race report as soon as I can. Thanks for tuning. I'm out.
If you are the last one on the run & get hurt I don't know how anyone would know because, like I said, there are no volunteers on the course. T-2, the bike start is 10 K away from T-1 which is the swim end & the run start That is if a person gets to T-2 without getting lost, hurt, or killed in the wilderness. From what I'm told the bike course is an extremely hilly out & back 40 K. At the turn around you'll find volunteers handing out cups of water. This water is cold as apposed to the hot water found on the run. But like I said, it's handed out in cups. How is a cyclist supposed to carry enough water for the 2nd half of a 40K bike in a single 8 oz cup?
You may ask why I'm doing this race if it is ran so poorly? Well, since I know about the lack of hydration/support on the run & bike I'll have a bottle to run with, and 3 bike bottles fully stocked on my bike. I'm hoping preparation will give me an edge on my competition, so I'll be more likely to place well. Additionally only 50-70 people race this course every year, which is another opportunity for me to place well in the very fast & competitive 30-34 AG.
No, I'm not so egotistic to go through all that just to get a Top 3 medal in the 30-34 age group. The reason I'm going through all this is I'm competing in the South West Challenge series. The SW Challenge Series is the oldest, & biggest Multisport series in the world. It's a competition where athletes compete in 28 triathlons & duathlons throughout Texas & New Mexico. For every 1st place in your division you place in a South West Series race you get 10 points. 9 points for 2nd place, 8 points for 3rd, 7 points for 4th, etc. The series takes the point totals for an athletes top 8 races. In 2006 I took 2nd place in the Clydesdale open division, last year I took 1st. This is my first year competing in the 30-34 age group. The 30-34 has some super fast athletes. The Grady Williams will be a great way to earn higher points than I could in a normal sized well supported race.
I've also just came off the hardest month training I've ever been through. I've had a 1 week taper/recovery week. So I'll be going into this race well rested and in top fitness.
This week, the week before the Grady Williams has been a recovery week. A recovery week following the hardest month of triathlon training I've ever been through. So I ought to be well rested & in top form. On a side note I'll have to race this race on my road bike because my tri bike is in the shop. I'm trading in my old tri bike for a Cannondale Ironman Slice Six13. See July 3rd's post for the info on my new ride.
So, barring getting lost or dying of dehydration I'll give you a post race report as soon as I can. Thanks for tuning. I'm out.
February 20, 2008
No turning back now
I did it. There's no turning back now. I sent in the registration for the March 16th Stealth duathlon as an age grouper 30-34. Looks like the Stealth will be my coming out race. LOL. I hope to be below 200 lbs by then. I'll race the 30-34 even if I'm not below 200 on race day because even if I'm not sub 200 by the Stealth I will be by my next planned race. I have 3.5 weeks to lose 10 lbs.
I got a look at the results of the John Stermer duathlon that happened in early Feb at White Sands Missile range. There were only 2 men in my age group. One of them was Juan Braino, I've beaten him before. Looks like I passed up a great opertunity to get some points in my new division. You snooze you loose.
Thanks for tuning in!
I got a look at the results of the John Stermer duathlon that happened in early Feb at White Sands Missile range. There were only 2 men in my age group. One of them was Juan Braino, I've beaten him before. Looks like I passed up a great opertunity to get some points in my new division. You snooze you loose.
Thanks for tuning in!
February 06, 2008
This just in....Breaking news. 100th post
This just in....Breaking news. 100th post reveals shocking (sort of) news!
Well peeps it's my 100th post. I've seen other bloggers do some really neat posts for their 100th. My favorite was Athena diaries Hyku. It just so happened that last night I made a decision w/ my 2008 multi-sport season. So announcing it will have to be the interesting thing I'm doing for my monumental 100th. I have decided to race the rest of the season as an age grouper. I won't be doing any more races as a Clydesdale (que music now). To be competitive at the 30-34 AG I really need to be racing at no more than 190 lbs. That's 20 more lbs I need to lose. That'll be 66 lbs lost since Nov. 102 lbs lost since I started this beautifull sport of triathlon. Weighing less than 190 would probably be better, but I want to be swift, not gaunt. I don't need to end up being Bubba's girl friend at work:)
My next race will be the Stealth duathlon. I think the Stealth will be one of my 2 best opportunities to get some decent points for the SW challenge series as a 30-34 age group. The other race I will probably get decent points at will be the GRADY WILLIAMS MEMORIAL FREEDOM DAYS TRIATHLON. I believe I'll get decent points at those 2 races because there are never many people who compete at those 2 events. Well, I can't believe I'm going to attempt this, but alas, I am. Wish me luck peeps, I'm going to need it. By the way, anyone know if Seth Wilkie aged up to 35 yet? Gosh I hope so.
Well peeps it's my 100th post. I've seen other bloggers do some really neat posts for their 100th. My favorite was Athena diaries Hyku. It just so happened that last night I made a decision w/ my 2008 multi-sport season. So announcing it will have to be the interesting thing I'm doing for my monumental 100th. I have decided to race the rest of the season as an age grouper. I won't be doing any more races as a Clydesdale (que music now). To be competitive at the 30-34 AG I really need to be racing at no more than 190 lbs. That's 20 more lbs I need to lose. That'll be 66 lbs lost since Nov. 102 lbs lost since I started this beautifull sport of triathlon. Weighing less than 190 would probably be better, but I want to be swift, not gaunt. I don't need to end up being Bubba's girl friend at work:)
My next race will be the Stealth duathlon. I think the Stealth will be one of my 2 best opportunities to get some decent points for the SW challenge series as a 30-34 age group. The other race I will probably get decent points at will be the GRADY WILLIAMS MEMORIAL FREEDOM DAYS TRIATHLON. I believe I'll get decent points at those 2 races because there are never many people who compete at those 2 events. Well, I can't believe I'm going to attempt this, but alas, I am. Wish me luck peeps, I'm going to need it. By the way, anyone know if Seth Wilkie aged up to 35 yet? Gosh I hope so.
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