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Race Report: Cleveland Half Marathon

I arrived at the start line just in time and realized I was right at the front. Gun went off and I started runing too fast. I did my first mile in 6:40, second mile was about 6:45. I knew I needed to pull back a bit, but it just felt good to be out there running hard. This was my first race since the Portage Lakes Duathlon last September, so I was happy to get back in the groove. At first, I was happy to be at the front for the start, but then I began to realize that it messed with my psych. A whole bunch of much faster half and full marathoners started behind me, so I felt like everyone was just blowing past me, while I wasn't passing too many.

So here are the stats: I finished with a chip time of 1:35:53 a 7:18 pace, which was good enough for 183rd place of 3,873 overall, and 23 of 303 in my age division of 30-34 dudes, 1:18:59 won my age division. Not sure why, but my watch time was 1:36:52 a 7:23 pace. I'll take the official time though!!

Other notes...The Iggy band was pumping me up and a few random drum players were really cool. I wish there was more of that out there. The crowds were good, but the chilled morning probably kept a few inside. Lily and Amanda made it out for me and that was awesome to hear them cheering in the final stretch.

All in all, I'm satisfied with my first half.

Post update: New video posted on YouTube. I zip by in seconds 45 and 46, blue shirt, blue headband. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8cCPbluUw4

Watch the Giro Live...For Free

Watch the Giro d'Italia live on Universal Sports May 9-31. Go to this link.

Any predictions on a winner? Will it be Levi, Sastre, Vande Velde, or someone else?

I'd put my money on Astana, it will be the Lance/Levi show for the next three weeks.

Clearly, Lily is cheering for Vande Velde!

April Training Recap

100.6 miles running
97.74 miles cycling

A whole bunch of core and weights.

Running...Hurt the achilles on a long training run to Euclid Creek Reservation and back. I think I strained it on the long hill out of the reservation. Since that time I've had to take 8 or 9 various rest days. My detailed training plan was trashed. I've thrown my goal of doing the Cleveland Half under 1:30 out the window. Instead, I hope to run a good race, pain free. It will be touch and go.

Cycling...My bike is a P.O.S., trust me I know. The look on the mechanic's face was priceless. He really tried to be nice about not dogging it too much. Anyway, a new chain, chain rings, cassette, cables, and tires will get me going. So I'm excited to get the bike back on Thursday and see how much smoother it is. Next purchase will be shoes. As soon as the Cleveland Half is over I will be out there much more consistently and will be ready for some hill repeats!

In other news...As I said before, I signed up for the Blue Ridge Brutal 100 (see last post. I'll have room for 1 or 2 more, let me know if you are interested.

Blue Ridge Brutal

So I'm meeting my bro in Ashe County, NC on August 15 to take on the Blue Ridge Brutal 100. Check out the elevation chart here.

It's going to be a long summer of hill repeats to get prepared for this!

Cleveland, meet Barry.

Get Outside!

Here's why. For the last few months I have mainly been trudging along on treadmill in the basement of my office, with only my co-workers and CNN news to keep me company. Now don't get me wrong, I like to talk to my coworkers and (occasionally) I watch the news, but not while I'm working out. Seriously, 50% of why I'm working out is to give the brain a break from the office and reality in general. And I can only take so much doom and gloom from CNN news about how my 401k sucks, if I'm not already laid off - it's coming, I should suspect everyone who looks middle-eastern to be a terrorist, taxes are too high, blah, blah, blah, blah. Yes, we only have one channel on the TV, we can't change it. Ugh! Or, I've spent my rides on the trainer on the basement at home, nuf said.

More importantly, today was a great reason to get outside. As I ran through the downtown malls, across the bridge, passed The Browns Stadium, The Great Lakes Science Center, The Rock Hall, The USS Cod, The Goodtime II, and Burke Lakefront Arpt, I was soaking it in. But for the WEATHER, Cleveland is awesome, we should enjoy it. But those are just objects that pale in comparison to this guy: Barry Noss. You see, as I was running back from my turnaround at Burke Lakefront, I was passed by an obvious touring cyclist. Obvious because all the gear he was carrying and it looked like he hadn't shaved in days. He stopped to take a picture, I ran past. He passed me again near the Rock Hall. He stopped to check his map, I stopped to find out his deal.

Barry is heading to Chicago...from Philly! He is raising money for the American Brain Tumor Association. He recently got laid off and decided to bike to Chicago, which I think is awesome and bold. Awesome because riding 850 miles is just plain cool and adventurous. Bold, because it's only April and it is cold and windy along Lake Erie! Check out Barry's site.

A good ride with some hills...

Unlike a typical ride so far this spring, I had plenty of time on my hands to put some decent miles in the bank yesterday. I headed out to a beautiful sunny day with a little chilly Northerly wind. Out Shaker Blvd and Gates Mills. I dropped in on Old Mill, crossed the bridge and headed North on Chagrin River Road (CRR). Turned left on to Wilson Mills, then a quick right into the N. Chagrin Metroparks Trail. I cruised up, I mean I slugged up that hill, wrapped around N. Chagrin then dropped back in to CRR and headed South. I was absolutely flying through this part with a nice push from the wind. Then I decided to go up Brigham Road for the first time ever. This was painfull and by the way, not very safe. There is hardly any shoulder, coupled with the steepness of the climb and the turns, this trip up was a little nerve-racking. A few close calls. I turned left on Battles and looped back around to County Line, then dropped back into CRR the same way I came up. Flying down at near 50mph doesn't give you much time to realize how much of a dumb idea it was to ride up it. I was just hanging on and tapping the brakes to keep it under control.

After nearly getting smeared by a geezer in a dueley who blew right through the 3 way stop (Yes, I called him a F$@k-Job-A$$h0le right in front of a cop car, who did nothing about either of us), I headed South on CRR all the to Woodland. I paused on the bridge to relax and regroup. Then Falls to Chagrin Falls. Stopped at Starbucks to refuel on a giant double shot and some gels. I also called my training partner to tell him about all the painfull fun he was missing out on:)

Then I ran into an old college friend. After talking for a few minutes I realized I was running out of time to get home and relieve the babysitter. So I looked at the Wall of N. Chagrin, then towards Miles, then the Wall again....and decided to get on with it through Miles. I took Miles to CRR, then shot up Jackson like a snail in mud. I mean I was moving faster than pond water. I was cranking the granny gear just waiting for my momentum to slow the point where I would just fall over. I kept a little lean to the right so that maybe I wouldn't be run over by Geez and his dueley if I just fell into ditch or that big tree. It wouldn't have been too bad, I could have used the break.

After finishing the climb up Jackson I scurried home only 5 minutes late. Exhausted and trashed. My left achiles felt like it could explode at anytime post ride. I guess I'll find out the extent of that issue when I run at lunch today.

Runnin' Man...

So, I have been completely neglecting the bike. Mostly because I'm focusing on training for the Cleveland Half-Marathon...or maybe the marathon. I don't know, I haven't made my mind up yet. I also have been totally fascinated learning about ultramarathons and especially Dean Karnazes. I read both Ultramarathon Man and 50/50 Dean's books. They are inspiring and eye opening. In 50/50 he runs 50 marathons, in 50 days, in all 50 states, in the fall 2006. It's crazy how far he can go. For eight straight years he ran a 199 mile, 12 person relay race, on his own.

On that note, I feel like I could run forever, but I haven't run far enough yet to test my limits. I did put in a good week last week, total 33.8 miles running. I'm gradually increasing my mileage by about 10%/week, we'll see where I top out. I did a practice 5k on Saturday (20:48) and a 13 miler on Sunday. Sunday's long run included high winds, rain, sleet, and a little snow. I really got blasted rounding Shaker Lakes near Coventry, that was not fun, but I would not head home. I just kept thinking there's a dude out there who can run 50 consecutive marathons - I can do this. Did it in 2 hrs flat. Wasn't fun, but it was...ya know what I mean?

Training Update...

I'm getting back into it this year. My goals include dropping about 20 lbs. quickly and then running a respectable Cleveland 1/2 Marathon on May 17th.

Last week:
Monday: Run 3.75 miles, 32:30, Gym: Pushups, Situps, PullDowns
Tuesday: Run 3.00 miles, 24:00, Gym: Pushups, Situps, PullDowns
Wednesday: Run 5.50 miles, 44:50, Gym: Pushups, Situps, PullDowns
Thursday: Bike(Lunch-Recumbent) 13.51 miles, 45:00, Bike(Evening - Trainer) 22.84, 1:15:00, Gym: Pushups, Situps, PullDowns
Friday: Gym
Saturday: Run 4.11 miles, 35:26, Bike 26.23, 1:36:09
Sunday: Run 8.22 miles, 1:13:12 Notes: First 4.11 in 36:26. This was my longest run in about 15 yrs., I felt great. Felt like I could have done it twice...It's all coming together:)

First day out this year...

It was cloudy and cold at the start, then the flurries came. I was dying on Berkshire, where 1. I kept looking down to see if I flatted (nope), 2. I kept checking my rear brakes to make sure they weren't rubbing (nope). I'm just fat and slow...I know you hear this every year. I did however, pop my chain, which bought me some excuse time. Lots of work to do...

1:20
19.67 miles
cold, cold, cold....

Plea for help....

All,

A tragic accident took the life of this caring mother of four. While no amount of money could replace a mother, the family will need financial help. To help...Contributions may be made to the Memorial Fund for the Ashley Kids, c/o First Merit Bank, 56 Liberty St., Painesville, OH 44077, or deposits can be made at any First Merit location.

JC

Afghan Bicycle Messengers...

And I used to think bike messengers in Clevelend were hardcore!

Check out the Afghan amputee bicycle messengers.

Click for audio of this story.

Lance and France

I haven't chimed in on the on-going Lance drama because I'd rather just let it play out and enjoy it from the sidelines. However, the latest comments by the whining French deserve a response. First of all, Lance is clearly the greatest grand tour rider ever. He may be the best endurance athlete ever as well. He consistently destroyed his competition, even in the age of doping. Speaking of doping...EVEN WITH ALL THE SUSPICION, HE HAS NEVER TESTED POSITIVE FOR ANYTHING!

Look, I understand that the French are pissed that they can never win their own tour. It would be like the Toronto Argonauts winning the Superbowl, over and over again...Or Koreans constantly winning every tournament in the LPGA. However, rather than acknowledging what a great cyclist Lance is, they continue to try to bring him down by false accusations. The latest remark by the new president of ASO, Jean-Etienne Amaury, have gone way too far. He said that Lance "embarrassed" the Tour de France. His comments are completely out of line and may indicate the uphill battle Astana will have, just to get in the Tour. Especially if they sign Alexander Vinokourov, who is now saying he is coming back next year after his 1 year suspension.

Hey ASO, here are going to be your top three embarrasments 1: Once again Frenchman can't even manage to get a podium spot, let alone win the race. 2: When Jean-Etienne has to present Lance with his 8th Trophy and he can't even manage to make eye contact with Lance, then he pees himself in the presence of such greatness 3: When a reporter from L'Equipe asks Lance immediately after winning, "Mr. Armstrong what do you plan to do in retirement?" Lance smiles and says, "Win another Tour of course...See ya next year!"

One thing I have to admit though: While I completely support the fight against cancer and it is awesome what he is doing, I'd like it more if Lance just came out and said "I'm returning to cycling because I'm a competitor, I win bike races, I love to win. Nothing makes me happier than absolute domination! And I plan on crushing you all next year. Boo-yah!"

Training Update...

I am trying to stay motivated and put in some good base time...

9/15/08 Monday: Run 54 min, core/weight training
Tuesday: Bike 75 min, core/weight training
Wednesday: Run 51 min, core
Thursday: Lunch Run 33 min, core/weight training, Evening Bike 120 min
Friday: Masters Swim 60 min, Lunch Run 45 min
Saturday: Lazy bike ride to Shaker Lakes
Sunday: Bike 140 min
Total: Run: 3:03, Bike: 5:35, Swim: 1:00 = 9:38

9/22/08 Monday: Masters Swim 65 min, Lunch Run 43 min
Tuesday: Bike: 52 min, core/weight training

Cleveland Triathlon Club: Headwaters Trail Duathlon Series

This duathlon series looks interesting, 5k/25k/5k. Check out the flyer. Anyone planning on it?

Here is a map of the bike portion...

Training Update...

9/8/08: Monday: Gym: Core, Arms, Back
9/9/08: Tuesday: Gym: Core, Chest, Shoulders Lunch Run: 31 Minutes 3xHill Sprints, Evening Bike: 60 Minutes (3x4 FastPedals)
9/10/08: Wednesday: Gym: Core, Squats, Chest Evening Bike: 120 Minutes
9/11/08: Thursday: Gym: Jumps, Back, Push-ups, Lunch Run: 33 Minutes, Evening Bike: 120 Minutes
9/12/08: Friday: Gym: Core, Arms, Shoulders, AM Swim: 40 Minutes (CSU)
9/13/08: Saturday: Rest & watched OSU get beat down.
9/14/08: Sunday: Rest & watched the Browns get beat down.....(intermittently watched the Indians get beat down all weekend by the Royals)
Total 6:44 (Swim/Bike/Run)

Begin Base Phase
9/15/08: It's our 7th Wedding Anniversary!!! Love ya Honey! Gym: Core, Back, Lunch Run: 54 Minutes Easy...joined Ohio Masters Swimming Club today....Looks like I may be trying to tri...

Portage Lakes Race Report

Yesterday I competed in my first Sprint Distance Duathlon. The Portage Lakes Duathlon was 5k/20k/5k near Akron, OH. This race was organized very well by HFP Racing.

First 5k: I felt good and did the first mile in 6:40. I thought I might being going out too hard so I chilled out and then my pace drastically declined, to a 7:28 average, for 23:08, Rank 22.

T1: What can I say other than slow. In my defense I had a horrible rack assignment and I had to run about 200 meters in my cycling shoes to the mount area. 1:27, ugh.

Bike: Good. It took a few minutes to get a good rhythm, and I chilled out a little bit in the last 2 miles thinking I needed to conserve some energy for the run. Still it turned out better than I expected for 35:52, 20.7mph, Rank 7. I picked up 10 places on the bike. So I was sitting in 12th place.

T2: Faster, but slow again. 1:04.

Second 5k: The first few strides off the bike were not fun. Once I got settled down, I grinded out a decent 24:56, 8:03 pace, Rank 22. However, I had more in the tank when I crossed the line and I should have picked my pace up on this 5k. I played it conservative because this was my first duathlon and I wasn't sure how my legs would react. Well, now I know.



Overall: 12th place: 1:26:27, 2nd in Male 30-34.

For complete sprint duathlon results, click here.

For all results including the Olympic Duathlon and Sprint and Olympic Triathlons, click here.

Training Update...

Well, now that I am into the multisport thing I really have ramped up my running and gym workouts. I feel really good after last week and am looking forward to tapering for Sunday's Portage Lakes Duathlon. So here was last week's training log:

Monday: Run 45 (minutes) Gym: Core
Tuesday: Run 20 Gym: Chest/arms/core
Wednesday: Bike 60 Gym: Squats, core
Thursday: Run 45, Bike 120
Friday: Run 20 Gym: Lunges/arms/core
Saturday: Bike 120
Sunday: Run 20/Bike 33 Gym: Chest/core
Total: Run 2:30, Bike 5:38

This week: Taper
Week of 9/8: Begin 12 week base phase

Here's a video from last year's fog delayed event.

2008 USPRO ITT and Road Race 8/30 and 8/31

Check this link for live race feed.
Live Feed Info:
SATURDAY: 11AM-1:30PM EST – Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Individual Time Trial Championships live from CU-ICAR in Greenville SC. Hosted by Nathan O’Neill, Pro Cyclist and 8-time Australian National Time Trial Champion. Live Streaming courtesy of Medalist Sports and AVF Creations.

SUNDAY: 1PM-5:30PM EST - Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championships live from Greenville SC. Hosted by Nathan O’Neill, Pro Cyclist and 8-time Australian National Time Trial Champion. Sponsored by Rock Racing and featuring the “Rock Cam”.

Time Trial:
1. RYTLEWSKI Jacob Rite-Aid p/b Shebell & Shebell
2. BENNETT Eric Successful Living p/b Parkpre
3. SPINELLI Justin Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast
4. FREY Nick TIME Pro Cycling
5. HUFF Charles Bradley Jelly Belly
6. ZAJICEK Philip Team Health Net p/b Maxxis
7. DANIELSON Thomas Garmin/Chipotle p/b H3O
8. BAKER Andy TIME Pro Cycling
9. MURPHY John Team Health Net p/b Maxxis
10. ELDRIDGE Charles Team Type 1
11. KING Edward Bissell Pro Cycling Team
12. COZZA Steven Garmin/Chipotle p/b H3O
13. COLLIER Corney Team Health Net p/b Maxxis
14. KNELLER Benjamin Jittery Joe's Pro Cycling Team
15. PETERSON Thomas Garmin/Chipotle p/b H3O
16. ZWIZANSKI Scott Bissell Pro Cycling Team
17. HERNANDEZ Sergio Rock Racing
18. BEAMER Spencer DLP Racing
19. STOOP Michael TIME Pro Cycling
20. KILUN Roman Team Health Net p/b Maxxis
21. PELTONEN Garrett Bissell Pro Cycling Team
22. NORTON Michael Calyon Pro Cycling Team
23. SWEETING Robert Toshiba/Santo p/b Herbalife
24. MUMFORD Jonathan Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast
25. CRANE Matthew Team Health Net p/b Maxxis
26. HOWARD Graham Bissell Pro Cycling Team
27. DULIN Thad DLP Racing
28. VAN ULDEN Bernard Jelly Belly
29. RAMSEY Daniel TIME Pro Cycling
30. GRABINGER Micheal Successful Living p/b Parkpre
31. CREED Michael Rock Racing
32. VANDEVELDE Christian Garmin/Chipotle p/b H3O
33. ZIRBEL Tom Bissell Pro Cycling Team
34. DUGGAN Timothy Garmin/Chipotle p/b H3O
35. PATE Danny Garmin/Chipotle p/b H3O
36. ZABRISKIE David Garmin/Chipotle p/b H3O



Road Race Start List:
Bissell Pro Cycling:
Graham Howard, Grand Rapids MI 23
Benjamin Jacques-Maynes, San Jose CA 29
Omer Kem, Salem OR 26
Edward King, NH 25
Aaron Olson, Santa Barbra CA 30
Garett Peltonen, Boulder CO 27
Morgan Schmitt, Seattle WA 23
Burke Swindlehurst, Salt Lake City UT 35
Tom Zirbel, Boulder CO 29
Scott Zwizanski, Downington PA 31

BMC:
Brent Brookwalter, Santa Rosa CA 22
Antonio Cruz, Santa Rosa CA 36
David Galvin, Palo Alto CA 27
Jonathan Garcia, Louisville CO 27
Jeffrey Louder, Santa Rosa CA 30
Ian Mckissick, Seattle WA 27
Nathan Miller, Fairfield CA 23
Scott Nydam, Denver CO 30
Michael Sayers, Sacramento CA 38
Jackson Stewart, Los Gatos CA 28
Taylor Tolleson, Team Santa Rosa CA 23

Colavita-Sutter Home
Andrew Guptill, Hannacroix NY 25
Kyle Wamsley, Topton PA 28
Tyler Wren, Philadelphia PA 27

Team Columbia
George Hincapie, Greenville SC
Craig Lewis, Greenville SC

DLP Racing
Spencer Beamer, Knoxville TN
Joseph Coddington Asheville NC
Thaddeus Dulin, Greenville SC
Scott Jackson, Chathem NJ
Boyd Johnson, Greenville SC
Owen Nielsen, Blacksburg VA
Charles Pendry, Raleigh NC

Garmin-Chipotle
Tom Peterson, Boulder CO 21
Blake Caldwell, Boulder CO 24
Steven Cozza, Petaluma CA 23
Thomas Danielson, Boulder CO 30
Jason Donald, Brighton CO 28
Timmy Duggan, Boulder CO 4
Lucas Euser, San Luis Obispo CA 24
Tyler Farrar, Wentache WA 24
Mike Friedman, Pittsburgh PA 25
Will Frischkorn, Boulder CO 23
Danny Pate, Boulder CO 29
Christian Vande Velde, Lemont IL 32
David Zabriskie, Salt Lake City UT 29
Patrick McCarty, Allen CO 26

Jelly Belly
Brad Huff, Colorado Springs CO 29
Michael Lange, Golden CO 25
Jeremy Powers, Niantic CT 25
Nick Reistad, Brookfield WI 25
Bernard Van Ulden, San Francisco CA 28

Jittery Joe's
Jared Barrilleaux Novato CA 0
Evan Elken, Lake Oswego OR 31
Timothy Henry, Atlanta GA 26
Ben Kneller, Durango CA 0
Neil Shirley, La Mesa CA 29
Matt Shriver, Durango CO 28

Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast
Andrew Bajadali, Minneapolis MN 35
Daniel Bowman, Minneapolis MN 26
Brian Buchholz, Minneapolis MN 32
Alex Candelario, Minneapolis MN 33
Benjamin King, Minneapolis MN 19
Jonathan Mumford, Minneapolis MN 32
Justin Spinelli, Minneapolis MN 28
Jonathan Sundt, Minneapolis MN 34
Nicholas Waite, Minneapolis MN 24

Rite Aid
Clayton Barrows, State College PA 26
Jonathan Erdely, Bradley Beach NJ 27
Stephan Kincaid, Pottstown PA 36
Robbie King, Brentwood NH 28
Jake Rytlewski, Avon IN 25

Rock Racing
Michael Creed, Colorado Springs CO 27
Tyler Hamilton, Boulder CO 37
Sergio Hernandez, San Pedro CA 23
Kayle Leogrande, Agoura Hills CA 31
Doug Ollerenshaw, Portland OR 28
Fred Rodriguez, Emeryville CA 34
Adam Switters, Davis CA 21
Jeremiah Wiscovitch, Pomona CA 24

Successful Living
Eric Bennett, Ventura CA 20

Health Net-Maxxis
Corey Collier, Durango CO 27
Matt Cooke, Washington DC 29
Matt Crane, Athens GA 23
Kyle Gritters, Mission Viejo CA 25
Roman Kilun, Berkeley CA 26
Frank Pipp, Boulder CO 31
Phil Zajicek, Boulder CO 29
Tim Johnson, Boston MA 31
John Murphy, Athens GA 23
Kirk Obee, Vancouver BC 31

Team Type 1
Joe Eldridge, Atlanta GA 26
Daniel Holt, Bradenton FL 26
Christopher Jones, New Haven CT 29
Ian Macgregor, Golden CO 25
Shawn Milne, Gloucester MA 26

The Fan Sports Network
Anthony Colby, Durango CO 29

Time
Andy Baker, Easley SC 18
Nick Frey, Winston-salem NC 21
David Guttenplan, Gainesville FL 22
Jon Hamblen, Winston-Salem NC 32
Daniel Ramsey, Winston-Salem NC 30
Tom Soladay, Winston-Salem NC 25
Mike Stoop, Winston-Salem NC 23

Toshiba-Santo
Alex Hagman, Athens GA 24
Mark Hekman, Athens, GA AL 29
Bobby Sweeting, Bradenton FL 21
Daniel Vaillancourt, Athens, GA GA 26

Toyota-United
Chris Baldwin, Boulder CO 32
Justin England, Boulder CO 30
Chris Wherry, Durango CO 35

Unattached
Matt Howe, Raleigh NC
Michael Norton, Goshen NY 27

Bellefaire JCB Biathlon Race Report

First off, much thanks to my sponsors, we raised $230 for a great cause: Dannon Svab of Explosive Fight Promotions, Crystal Bright Window Washing and Carpet Cleaning, Dr. Wayne & Bobbi Taylor of Crossroads Chiropractic Center, and Melinda Mock. Second, thank you to the volunteers who made the race happen, they did an excellent job. One suggestion to the race coordinators, however, would be to notify bikers of sand on the road, before the turn (maybe 25-50 meters in advance), not when we are already dipping into it at over 20mph. That was a close call, I almost hit the curb and the guy behind me almost ran me over. Third, thanks to my training partner Ryan, all those rides paid some dividends.

So anyway, for my first biathlon ever and my only event at all this year, I was very pleased with my performance. Given that I’m really just a cyclist trying to run, I was not surprised to find myself way down in the “pack” (pack would be defined as several hundred racers) with a run time of 23:12 minutes. Not horrible, but I could improve greatly there. To show just how good I am not at running, here is a nice pic of me around the 2 mile marker…..notice the guy about to pass me pushing the stroller! Yikes.



...and yes those are hot silver tri-shorts! :)-

The transition went well. I came in :13 seconds or so behind my training partner Ryan, but managed to get out around the same time as him. The bike was good. I made up soo much ground out there. There was only one guy who passed me, the bearded dude in the Shaker Cycling jersey. I pushed it hard on the way back in and ended up with a time around 1:00:25. I passed 77 racers. I knew my time was okay, but didn’t even consider that it may be good for my age group of 30-34. Good thing Ryan stuck around for the podium presentation and picked up my bronze medal for the third place finish in my group. Ryan picked up the silver for the 25-29 group! Great Job Ryan!!

My goal was a sub 1 hour time. I came up just shy of that, but I learned many lessons about multi-sport today. First, I know better than to be standing around near the back of the pack with only a couple of minutes before the start. I should have got up near the front. Second, I need to develop a legit running program, not just run a few times a week. Third, get there early for a better bike placement. Fourth, don’t screw around with my gloves on the bike, just go.


Speedy Ray smoked me on the run by about 3 minutes or so, then put another 5 or so on me on the bike. Check out his race report here: http://raysracingadventures.blogspot.com/