2010 Atomic Man duathlon race report

Sunday April 25th was the Atomic Man Duathlon. This was my A race. I'd been training for this race exclusively since December. My training had been going great & each race I'd done this year I'd become progressively faster.

Saturday, the day before the Atomic Man duathlon I slept 20 hours out of a 24 hour period. I rarely am able to sleep more than 6 hours straight. That was unusual, but I chalked it up to my taper. Tapering usually does weird things to an athletes body.

Sunday, race morning my stomach was upset. This is also very rare. I inherited an iron stomach. I can eat anything anytime & I never have stomach issues.

During the 1st 4 kilometer run I was on the verge of puking. I had a decent run time considering how I felt, although if I had felt better I'd of been able to keep up a much faster pace. I ran 4K in 18 minutes 41 seconds, finishing the 1st run with an average pace of 7:29 per mile.

T-1 was 55 seconds.

I felt fine on the bike. It was a 15 kilometer bike which I finished in 26 minutes 33 seconds keeping a 21 mph average. My bike was the 7th fastest split of the day.

T-2 was 40 seconds.

My 2nd run was a disaster. I was dry heaving the majority of the run, now my stomach was cramping horribly & my stomach issues had dropped a bit lower if you take my drift. I was contemplating voluntarily DNF'ing my first race. The first half was just a bit faster than a trot. The 2nd half I was making a mad dash for the port-o-potties that were at the finish line! Because of my internal and uncomfortable motivation to move with a purpose I had a negative split, finishing the 2nd 4K run in 19:42 keeping an average pace of 7:53 per mile.

All in all I finished in 1 hour 6 minutes 29 seconds. God blessed me that day. This was the 4th consecutive year I'd completed this race, & I PR'd it with all the stomach & GI issues I had that day. I took 11th place overall & 3rd place in my division.

30 minutes after I got home from the race & awards ceremony I got the chills, cold sweats, & all the unmentionable problems associated with a stomach flue. I spent the next 2 days in bed feeling like death warmed over. I realized it was not "unfortunate" I had problems during the race. I realized it was God blessing me by holding off the worse of the stomach flue until I was done with my race. Thanks to Him I still went to my favorite race & set a best personal course time while sick.

My next race is the Jay Benson triathlon in Albuquerque on May 9th 2010. The Jay Benson will be my 8th race for the 2010 South West Challenge Series competition. I'm hoping to beat my course PR of the Jay Benson of 1 hour 4 minutes. So far with 7 races completed I have 63 points for the series. My closest competitor is an all around great guy & fellow triathlete named Greg Gouveia who has 38 points. The Jay Benson triathlon will be my 60th multisport race.

I have decided to register for a 2nd scheduled half iron this year, the Silverman half iron which will be held on November 7th in Henderson Nevada. The Silverman & I have unsettled business. I tried the full Iron distance race in 2007 & received my only DNF in almost 60 multisport races. The Silverman is the hardest Iron in North America!

The other half iron I'm scheduled for is the Redman half Iron triathlon in September which is the Halfmax national championships. I qualified for the Halfmax national championships last September with a half iron time of 5 hours 30 minutes. I'm racing about 11 pounds lighter right now than I was then, so I hope to set another course PR & qualify for the Halfmax nationals for the 3rd year in a row.

Silverman 70.3 is on!

It's been a miracle, but I haven't missed a single workout in 3 weeks! As busy as I have been taking care of my wife healing up from a C section, keeping our 2 & 4 year olds busy, & trying to keep the house as neat as my wife likes it. Needless to say I don't have the time to train long anymore. Instead of training for 70.3's I've been training for sprints. It's been a miracle, but I haven't missed a single workout in 3weeks! I finish my run or bike before the kids wake up. Then 3 days a week while the kids nap I swim. After 3 weeks I'm feeling the effects of over reaching. Which is nice, because after next week I'll take a recovery week & do thew Silverman 70.3. I know, I had backed out of the Silverman, but my cousin has asked me to race it with him. It doesn't take much to convince me to race. I usually average 15 races a year! A bit OC perhaps? So I'll drive up there, sleep in the van, eat the cheapest foods I can find, & struggle through the Silverman. I say struggle because since Sept 18th the longest bike rides I've done was 33 miles & 25 miles. My longest run has been 5 miles. I'm definitely training way to short to do well in a half Iron. but hey, I'll struggle through it & enjoy it regardless of how much it hurts:)

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!

A great wife, great triathlons, & a kicking boy

Last week I did a 1000 yard Time Trial & shattered my old PR. My previous best was around 17:30. I swam a 14:39 last week. I'll be wearing a wet suit during my upcoming race, which makes a person more buoyant & fast. I'm expecting to break my half Iron swim PR by 5 minutes.

Like I said in previous posts, I'm in full blown taper mode & rearing to race! I feel good & have been averaging a weight between 200-204 pounds. Wish me luck!

New news! My buddy won't be able to utilize his Silverman Half Iron Slot, so he gave it to me! My cousin Chris & I are going to race the Silverman Half triathlon together. The Silverman is Nov 8th. I suspect I'll be weighing approximately 190 pounds by then. The lowest I've EVER raced before was 192, & I was SMOKING FAST at that race! I plan on weighing less than that at the Silverman. & I will no longer be a Clydesdale!

One year out of every 5 my cousin & I are in the same Age Group. This is one of those years, & since I will no longer be a Clyd, he & I will be in the same wave start for the Silverman. That makes for a pretty exciting race component! By no means am I expecting to have a finishing time anywhere near his, he's a natural triathlete. But it will definitely make the race more fun & challenging!

Let me break something down here, let me explain to you how amazing & supportive a wife I have. Sept 19th is the Redman Half Iron in Oklahoma city Ok. That's 4 weeks before my son, baby #3 is due. The Silverman half Iron in Las Vegas, Nevada is Nov 8th, 3 weeks after my son is due. That my wife is willing to let me leave her for a race with an unborn child & 2 toddlers is mind boggling to me! What she'll be going through will be much more difficult during each of those 2 triathlon trips than ANY Half Iron I could attempt! I thank the Lord for her every day.

I work nights, & every morning when I crawl into bed my unborn son and I play for half an hour or so. When I lay in bed next to my wife I lay my hand on her stomach he'll start kicking, kneeing, & elbowing my hand, I'll poke him back. Yesterday morning for the first time I felt him push against my hand with his hand.... I felt my boys hand for the first time! It was very exciting & touching for me.

Again, I'd like to point out what an amazing wife I have. I lay down to sleep at 6:30am and my boy & I poke at each other for half an hour through her stomach. She patiently puts up with our rough housing with each other until one or both of us boys falls asleep.

My unborn son knows the difference between my touch & anyone else. He only plays like that when he feels my hand. If my wife puts anyone else hands in the same spot on her stomach my son won't play with them like he does me:) My boy & I have already developed a bond & trust. I love being a Dad!