The Gallup triathlon race report

I completed the June 12th 2010 Gallup triathlon, no flats this time! This was my 63rd multisport race, which doesn't include centuries, marathons, etc. I'm 37 races away from hitting one of my multisport goals of completing 100 races. The race results didn't get posted until Monday or so. But overall I was very impressed with this race. BTW, it's the hardest sprint distance triathlon I've ever competed in. VERY Hard course!

It was a seated 400 yard swim, 12.6 mile bike, & a 3.2 mile run.

My splits were:
400 yard swim in 6 min 29 sec.
T-1 45 seconds
12.6 mile bike in 37 min 56 seconds, a 19.93 mph Ave
T-2 in 34 seconds!
3.2 mile run in 23 min 19 seconds, a 7:31 min per mile pace.
A total time of 1 hr 9 min 3 seconds, crushing my previous PR at this race!
I finished 4th place overall out of 82, & 1st place in my division.

I drove up there with a co-worker & friend named Pete Jackson. His times were
Swim 10 min 43 sec
T-1 1 min 59 sec
Bike 47 min 5 sec 16.6 mph Ave
T-2 1 min 5 sec
Run 31 min 38 sec. 10:12 min per mile pace
Total 1 hr 32 min 30 sec
He was 1st place 45-49!
Considering this was only his 3rd race, he's doing amazing!

With this 1st place finish I'm securely in 1st place in the South West Challenge Series 35-39 age group with a total of 74.5 points. I have 4 first place finishes, 2 second place finishes, & 2 third place finishes.

My closest competitors is Greg Gouveia who has 38 points in 5 races, & Cory Adair who has 36 points in 5 races.

I'm now in a position that in 6+ years of hard core training & racing I've never been in before. I have accomplished my major goal of the season, so now I can train & race as I please. If I don't train as hard as I usually do, that's ok. I'll enjoy the down time so I can come back the later part of this season refreshed & ready to train hard core again. Or if I decide to train as hard as I want, I can do that too! Whatever I want to do at this point I can do without any feelings of guilt or impending dread, of shoulda, coulda, woulda! My next race that I need to take seriously isn't until my first 2 races of the new season, The Polar Bear triathlon & The Jingle Bell triathlon this Dec. How refreshing this is! I believe God has granted me this gift of achieving my seasons goal so early in the year because I have started using triathlon to glorify Him & spread His word

My next race is going to be the Chick-fil-a triathlon in Amarillo TX June 19th 2010. It's going to be flat, so I think I'm going to race on my HED3, disk wheel set. The Chick-fil-a triathlon weekends race was my fathers day present & it will be the 1st race my family has attended since the Buffman and Squeaky triathlon in 2008. I'm excited to be able to finish a race in front of my kids. Hopefully they will think it's exciting & think it was fun to watch Daddy race.

Wish me luck, & I'll see you at the races!

Gallup triathlon & goal weight

Last year at the Gallup triathlon I got a flat at the half way point of the bike. Rather than quit I ran with my bike 6.1 miles, then finished the 3.2 mile run. I finished dead last that day. This was the 2nd time I'd raced that triathlon & the 2nd time I'd flatted on the bike.

I currently have 71.25 points in the South West Challenge Series. I'm almost 30 points above the nearest competitor. I have decided to cancel half of the races I was planning for the last half of the year. The Gallup triathlon was one of the races I was going to cancel. But after thinking about it I decided I needed to do that race again. I need to redeem myself at that race.

June 19th, the Gallup triathlon will be my next race.

My dream weight is 180 pounds. That would put me under 5% body fat. I know this because of the body dunk test I got at the University of New Mexico physiology lab. I'd be a screaming fast triathlete at that weight.

Since April I've been fluctuating from 187- 194. Although I'm very happy to be that low I'd be lying if I didn't say I am obsessing about getting down to my dream weight of 180. Seems every tine I get down to 187 or 188 I self destruct & pop back up to 192.

I'm going to try & get down to 180 one more time. My goal is to be at that weight a little before the Santa Fe Triathlon mid July. If I self destruct again I'm going to try & maintain 188 for a few months to allow my body to get used to being at a low body weight, to heal up, & hopefully be ready to drop that last 8 pounds by the beginning of 2011.

Gut check at the Gallup triathlon

On June 13th 2009 I competed in the 3rd annual Gallup triathlon. I'd completed in this race 2 years ago on it's inaugural year, but had 2 flat tires a mile from the end of the bike. I ran the last mile of my bike that day so I could finish, but since I had to run the last mile I had a poor finishing time. I showed up this year hoping to redeem myself.
Now first off I absolutely love this triathlon. The only knock against it is that it's an indoor pool swim. I had a GREAT swim, finishing in 6 minutes 26 seconds & recording the 7th fastest swim of the day. The bike leg is pretty difficult. It's a very hilly out & back 12.2 miler. On the first half of the bike I was SCREAMING FAST! I was averaging almost 20 miles an hour, which for a mountainous course like that is very very fast. By the turn around portion of the bike I had passed a bunch of athletes I'd never even come close to finishing near. I knew I was having one of the best races of my life! At the half way point I heard the tell-tale & dreaded pst-pst-pst of another flat tire. This year I was racing on tubular tires which are much more difficult to puncture so I didn't race with a spare. With no spare tire it was pointless to finish because I'd have to push my bike the remaining 6 miles, but there's not an ounce of quit in this body. Not one ounce! I'd rather die attempting to finish a triathlon than say the course was stronger than me. So I started the long run back to the bike finish. Once I got to the end of the bike leg I was still needing to finish the 3.2 mile run. Even with the great times I put up in the swim & the 1st half of the bike there were 2 things that were certain-
1) I'd be finishing in dead last place today.
2) I'd finish. I've never been the best at anything I've done, but I've rarely seen anyone else who has the determination level that I do. 10 years ago while working as a correctional officer I got jumped unexpectedly by an inmate. He was much stronger & faster than me, plus he had the element of surprise. I'd be lying if I dint say he beat the snot out of me. The next day I showed up to work despite having loose teeth, & having lips that were so badly split & swollen they looked like hamburger, one of my eyes was almost swollen shut, & one of my ears was swollen with what could have ended up as cauliflower ear, yet I still worked an entire shift in that same cell block. At the beginning of my shift my supervisor told me to go to the hospital or home, but I refused. I don't quit, not for any reason. Period. No matter what the odds or the conditions, I do my best. I couldn't control if I had a flat. But I COULD control if the flat sent me home having not given my all. By the end of the run my bike cleats were nothing but nubs. Replacing the cleats would be costly, & my wife & I don't have much spare cash. I knew that when I started running with my bike & in my cycling shoes, but I didn't care. I had one goal in mind. Finishing. & finish I did. The bike ended up taking me two hours eleven minutes. When I started the run I assumed the race director would have pulled all the volunteers who would tell me which way to go at each turn. But even after all that time they were there clapping & showing their support. That the RD kept the volunteers out there that long is rare in triathlons & another reason why this race is worth doing. I was having a very fast run. If there was anyone left on the course I was determined to catch them. Of course there wasn't anyone left running but me, but I didn't drop my effort level one iota. I ran just as hard as I would have if I was winning. At the 2 mile mark of the run it dawned on me that it was only 2 weeks from the anniversary of my Step Dad's death. He was an amazing man & he taught me much about life. He had told me many things that if I applied to my life would make me successful. The one thing he never had to tell me was to be strong. To never give up regardless of how big or small the task at hand, & to fight for what I love & believe in. He never had to tell me that because he lived it. He was a shining example of how powerful a man could be & how deep of a well of strength a man who refuses to give up could call upon. He never had to tell me this because he showed me by example how to be strong each & every day of his life, even on his last. As I ran I realized that he was the only other person who would have continued to race on even though it was pointless to do so. He wouldn't have quit, & I didn't quit. As I ran my eyes flowed over with tears and they fell to mix with the sweat of strain, yet I continued to run with all my strength. At that moment I was no longer just running for myself. I was running as a tribute to the way he lived his life, & even to the way he died. With inner strength, pride, & perseverance. I never saw him quit at anything. Ever. As I ran I realized that if God was allowing my Dad to watch my performance from heaven, he'd be proud. I ran that day for all I was worth. I finished in last place, but I didn't finish alone. Bob Foster's example was there to lead the way.

Buffman & Squeaky post race report

Buffman & Squeaky post race report

I competed in the Buffman & Squeaky Olympic distance triathlon on Sunday It was the 4th time I've completed the Buffman, & my 6th Olympic distance triathlon altogether. I PR'd this distance last year with a 2 hr 52 minute performance. Because I've lost 40 pounds since last year & my Coach The Mad Scientist Pete Alfino has been getting freakish results from my body this year, I set a lofty goal. I wanted to get a 2 hr 40 minute time or better. That would be a 12 minute PR. Normally that would be an outlandish goal. But I have faith in my fitness level & body this year.

Like I wrote on my blog in an earlier post I really struggled with this taper. I binge ate from Thursday until Saturday night. Everyday I woke up telling myself it won't happen again today. It did, & each day was worse. In the 4 days of struggling I gained 5 pounds. I'm up to 193.8. Up from 188.6. The bad news is I've been averaging 1 pound a week of weight loss so this backslide will take me at least a month to recover from. The great news was as soon as the race was over I didn't have any cravings at all. I haven't had any since then either. It's always my greatest fear that I won't get back on the band wagon after one of these rough periods. That has been the story of my life with this current weight loss streak being the only exeption so far.

I showed up at the race sight at my normal 6 am arrival time. I got my favorite spot for this race. I've got that spot every year for the past 4 years. I set up my transition area & commenced mingling until race start time It was unusually cold that morning. I was hoping it would stay cooler than normal the entire race. The Buffman & Squeaky has a tendency to be hot on
the tail end of the bike & very very hot on the run. Add the killer hills on this course & it can make for a rough race. The temps did end up staying unusually cool the entire race which is especially good news for me, since I'm a bigger triathlete I have allot of difficulty dispersing heat.

The water at the Buffman & Squeaky triathlon is spring fed so it's always a bit of a shock every year to see how cold the water is. It was a mass swim start. I usually wait until most everyone is in the water & on their way before I start my swim. This year I hopped right in the mix, mid pack. You see, even though I fought him tooth & nail my coach has demanded I swim more. The
difference this year has been amazing. An open water mass swim start is a contact event to say the least. About 500 meters into the swim I hear a heavily accented voice yell "this is fun!" It was a guy I met named Marcos. He's a really great guy I met pre-race who is from Germany & was competing in his first real triathlon. I say "real" because he's done some of the White Sands Missile Range triathlons. But those are not open water swims, there are not usually many racers at those, & their not mass start swims. So it was his first mass start but apparently it didn't bother him at all because he finished a couple minutes ahead of me despite my best swim ever. I finished the swim in 32 minutes & got out of the water at the same time as fellow Outlaw Carl Armstrong. That was a first. Carl is normally a vastly superior swimmer compared to me.

As I ran out of the water & into transition I was very dizzy. That's common after a long open water swim, but this time was much much worse than normal. When I got to my transition area I was so dizzy I had to sit down to put on my socks & shoes. Not something I normally do & not something I'd suggest if your looking for a fast transition.

On the bike, immediately out of transition there is a huge hill about 8 percent grade and probably around 150 yards long. All the other years this hill saps my strength for the rest of the race. I never really recover from that climb. Not to mention that all 6 or 7 of these very steep & long hills on this course used to have the same effect on me. Not this year! I tore those hills up like I've never dreamed I could do. I usually get passed by dozens of people on each climb. I would hold my own on the flats, but the hills was the place I lost all my time. Again, not this year. I only got passed a few times by people who were obviously bike dominant triathletes. Most of those I caught back up to & passed on the run.

I pushed myself as hard as I possibly could the entire bike. At the turn around I thought I had made a pacing mistake because my legs were hurting really bad. I though if I kept up this pace I'd have nothing left for the run. To late now I thought. I might as well go for broke. By the time I reached the transition to the run my legs were on fire, they even felt slightly swollen & pumped up from the effort I was using to push the pace on the bike.

I thought to myself as soon as I started the run that I was in trouble. My legs were hurting & I felt much more exhausted than I ever had before starting a run on an Olympic distance. Well, I thought for the 2nd time that day, might as well go for broke. I figured it was pretty much certain I was going to fall apart on the run. My legs really were trashed. I figured I might as well run as hard as I could for as long as I could in hopes that I could put enough time between me & my competition so that once I had to start the tedious run/walk process I'd be far enough ahead that not to many would catch up. I was wrong in my theory. But wrong in a good way. I continued pushing myself harder than I thought I could sustain, but I never had to slow down. I kept pushing my legs harder & further into what I felt was the point beyond what I could handle. I never slowed down! Apparently my training for IMAZ is going well because I have what
seems to be a limitless well of energy/endurance in my legs. I finished my race in 2hrs 40 minutes 55 seconds. I made my goal of finishing in 2hrs 40 minutes or under. I broke my PR by 12 minutes!!! Its not like I had only done 1 or 2 Olympic races to have a PR of 2;52. I'd done 6 Olympic races & crushed the previous best by a kickin 12 minutes!!!

As I've said before, my coach told me I'm on tack for a 13 hr Ironman in Nov. That seemed way to good to be true. But now, I do believe. From an Ironman DNF in Nov 07 to a possible 13 hr Ironman in 08. Oh Goodness, God is very kind to me indeed. The splits of the Buffman & Squeaky aren't posted yet. As soon as they are I'll update my blog. Thanks for tuning in, & God bless you all.

Bad race performances and great team mates

The gallup triathlon was a great triathlon, especially considering it was a first year race. If you include the people who raced on a team 143 triathletes raced. 4 of those were clydes.

I finished the 375 yard swim in 7:11.

Got on the bike and at the 1 mile mark got a flat on the rear tire. I had 2 flats a couple races ago with this same wheel so I new there was a problem with the Wheel, not the tube or tire. I had one spare tube in my emergency kit but knew if I out it on I'd have another flat right away. So I got off the bike and ran back to T-1, got my keys, hauled my bike to the van and put the tire i train with on my bike. As soon as i got the new wheel on I took off trying to make up for lost time. But alas, to no avail. The course was VERY hilly. On my training wheels I use an old heavy wheel with Gator skins, a puncture resistant tube, slime, and Buntager Hard Case tires. Hard Case tires are INDESTRUCTIBLE, but VERY heavy. The tires and all the other tire proofing I put on make it so I never have flats on my training days. I found out it also makes for a very long, slow bike race. I'm a poor hill climber as it is, but everyone was passing me like I was standing still today. I was very glad to see T-2. I completed the 12.4 mile bike in around 58 minutes. Ouch. I know, slow as all get out. But I pushed myself hard the entire bike, refusing to quite, refusing to slow down even though I knew all 3 Clydes were way in front of me and getting farther.

The run was surprisingly hilly. This run had more elevation gained and lost per mile than I believe Buffalo Springs 70.3 does. I came into this race knowing I was overtraining slightly. My resting HR was 6 beats per minute faster than usual. I'd been having a hard time keeping my HR in the appropriate zones while training, and I'd been sleeping poorly. Consequently my run was Horrid! I was giving it my best effort, but I just couldn't get my speed. Run time: 3.1 mile run in 29 minutes. Total 1hr 32 minutes. End result, 35th out of 130 or so. 4th place Clyd out of 4:(

I give no excuses here. Bike maintenance is an important part of racing. Should have checked my wheel better after 2 flats in the same race on the same wheel. I should of known to increase my time running stairs more gradually because stairs are strenuous on the body. Every bad thing that happened today was my doing. But I learned allot and it was great hanging out with all my team mates after the race. I took leave from work to do this race. And a bad day racing with friends is better than a great day in prison I always say:)