Eric Limkemann, Pro Triathlete

2012 is Looking Good!

2012-02-16T05:31:00.000-08:00

I'm 30 days out from my first race in Costa Rica and I'm itching to step up to the start line! This past winter has been my first opportunity to train full time and I've been taking advantage of it with the help of Matt Russ at The Sport Factory. My power numbers are up roughly 10% from last year and I'm running consistently faster in the first few track workouts this season. My swimming has maintained and every once and a while I even feel like a swimmer! Here's a look at my workouts of the last week:

11 x 150 SCM on 2:00, held 1:40's
3 x 15 min @ 345w on the bike.
2 x 600-800-1000 on the track holding 4:44-4:49-4:55 pace.

It's been nice to see decent numbers coming out of each of the three disciplines and I now have the time to recover well in between workouts. Of course, I always follow a hard workout with First Endurance Ultragen. I also am very consistent with rolling on the foam roller and stretching out. I've also hooked up with Hand On Wellness massage to make sure that I 'm ready to attack my next effort.

On the non-training side of things, I'm working on getting more involved with the local Richmond Tri community. I've met with Richmond Multisport and 3Sports about promoting the sport and creating a great local scene. I swim regularly with the Peluso Open Water group and love the enthusiasm coming out of the pool every Sunday. Sara at Hands on Wellness, as I mentioned above, is helping with massage and is located at the 3Sports River Rd. store. She has experience with the Race Across America and Ultra distance racing, so I'm in good hands!

Outside of Richmond, I've brought on Utopian Coffee as a sponsor for the season and recommend you check them out if you enjoy a fresh, high quality start to the day. BlueSeventy is back on board for the year and has been my longest sponsorship partner. They have also teamed up with the Rev3 Series, which is my main focus this year. In fact, if you are looking to enter a Rev3 race, there is a deal where you can buy a Helix Wetsuit (which are awesome!) and get a free entry to a race... Not a bad deal! First Endurance is back as well and is coming out with a great new Coffee-flavored liquid shot that will make training that much more enjoyable. Speaking of enjoyable, my butt is always planted on an ISM saddle. Oh, so nice.

Overall, it's going to be a very exciting 2012. My race schedule is finalized and posted, my training is on target, and my sponsors are great. I'm still working on spreading the word on the Blazeman Foundation and hope to earn a bit of prize money to donate to the cause this year. You can help by clicking on the icon on the upper right side of the page. I like the idea of racing for something larger than myself and have all the motivation I need to be successful. When I toe the line in a month, all I have to do is execute... Just the way I like it.

What Learned XC Skiing, Pt. 2

2012-01-20T10:13:00.001-08:00

Two weeks ago, I posted on my XC skiing experiences. Be sure to take a look if you haven't already seen it, but the idea is I learned a great deal from struggling to learn something new. While I used Bambi as an image for my skiing style, I now have photographic proof of how I spent most of my day...

This is my second set of observations from the day. Enjoy!

1. Repetition is Your Friend: It's the same as swimming laps in a pool or putting in the saddle time on the bike. Some things just take time to master, er, barely accomplish. Be sure you're training your body to do the right thing, not re-inforcing bad habits. Do this and each attempt will make a little progress. Each baby-step eventually leds somewhere, even if you seem to be going nowhere fast.

2. Drills Help Too: Breaking down what I was doing into (supposedly) simple drills helped me to make sure that the repetition I was putting in was correct. My instructor gave me a few simple things to think about during the drills and I tried my best to transfer those things into regular skiing. Whenever I got off track or frustrated, I'd go back to the drills and start over. See point #1.

3. Pay Attention to What You are Really Doing!: I had an idea of what I was doing in my mind, but that usually didn't translate to reality. I was told to dive to one side with my upper body then push off the other ski. I thought I was doing it, just not having any luck with moving forward... In reality, I was just trying to skate with my legs and kept my arms nice and tucked where I felt safe. Once I was told (oh, 100 times or so) that I wasn't moving my arms, I realized that I was really light years away from what my mind was envisioning. Once I paid attention, I was able to make progress.

4. Body Position is Key: This is true for swimming, running, cycling, skiing, and most every other sport. The arms and legs are extensions of your core and what you do with that core affects how the arms and legs move. I had trouble leaning forward and letting the skis hold me up. My body position was comfortable leaning back, which is a similar problem to my running form when I fatigue. Try all I might with my arms and legs, I'd be using over 1/2 of my energy to overcome my incorrect body position! Swimmers, are you reading this???

5. Keep Perspective: I talked about enjoying the process in my first post and this is along the same lines. I was out skiing because I wanted to do something new and enjoy myself! I think a lot of people lose perspective when up against a challenge and forget the big picture. If I never skii again, I'll alwasy have the time when I had a great experience with my sister and her boyfriend.... And I'll always have the time when I wasn't the one on the ground! Life's little joys...

What I learned XC Skiing

2012-01-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2012! I spent the most of the past holiday season throughout the Midwest, but I was fortunate to spend Christmas and the days following with my sister up in Steamboat Springs, CO. It was a great trip, but one of the stand-out memories was my first attempt at cross country skiing. Since I'm a big-time professional endurance athlete, this was supposed to be a sport that suited me perfectly, so Erin signed us up for lessons and bought me a 2 day ski rental for my birthday. Not the easy Classic style skis, but the more challenging Skate style skis... How nice. I have blocked out the first few hours of the lesson, but here is an idea of what I remember:

By the second day, I had made progress enough to pass as a beginner and had learned a great deal about attempting something new. Since I work with many athletes learning to swim and learning to be better athletes, I figured I'd share my observations. I'll be posting these in two parts (I had A LOT to learn...)

1. Don't Be Afraid to Fail: My sister made the comment that she's never seen me struggle before... I would definitely disagree, but I believe that many times I have been lucky to pick things up quickly. I have failed a great deal in life, but like to say that I'm too stubborn to notice. From my first, eye-opening fall on the skis I knew that I would keep trying until I was no longer a 'failure'. I embraced the fact that I was going to fall many, many times before I was going to succeed. I could have stayed down and saved myself quite a bit of pain and embarrassment, but the end result would have been a negative experience instead of positive one.

2. Enjoy the Process: I was in Ccolorado with my sister and her boyfriend on a beautiful day in December! How could I not enjoy myself? Over the course of my two day experience, I noticed plenty of people who did not. I was probably one of the worst out there at first, but I was enjoying the challenge. I heard and saw a bunch of people spouting frustration and looking dejected at the first fall. Call it my competitive nature, but I wasn't going to let the skis win. I enjoyed learning from my mistakes and was proud of myself for staying up long enough to wave to my sister and grin like an idiot.

3. Listen to your Coach: This may seem self-serving to my athletes, but it's true. We had a great instructor who was patient and clear with her instruction (and secretly amused with a pro athlete looking like a fool!). I think she told me over 1000 times to lift from my feet and not my hip, and I SWORE I was doing what she told me to do... It finally clicked after hours of practice and I couldn't believe that I really wasn't doing what she was telling me! Having an expert observe and comment is invaluable and even an educated observer like my sister throwing in comments was helpful once I got going. In short, leave all premise of knowledge behind and really try to learn something new!

4. Relax: If you've worked with me in the water as a new swimmer, I think I say this more than anything else. It's easy to say and hard to do! I "looked like I was taking a dump" for most of the ski lesson and really had a hard time letting go and trusting my body. Every time I started to get the hang of it, I'd start over-thinking and end up on my butt. There is a reason why the best athletes make it look effortless! They work hard at learning to be relaxed and efficient. While I didn't achieve either on skis, I at least got close!

5. Know When to Stop: I commented to my instructor that I'd ski all night until I got it right. She answered back that if I skied all night I would definitely get it wrong! Once I fatigued and my form (or what I had of form) broke down, I'd be practicing doing things incorrectly. No matter how determined you are to get something right, being foolish about how you go about it is no way to improve. Not to say I didn't work on form while fatigued, which is probably the most important way to learn a sport such as swimming, I just knew when I was physically at my limits. There is no harm in calling it a day as long as you're ready to attack the next day... Sometimes a bit of pride swallowing goes a long way!

That's it for part one. I'm off to train the swim/bike/run, but I always have my XC skiing lessons in the back of my mind. Until next time...

Utopian Coffee Signs on for 2012

2012-01-06T08:26:00.000-08:00

Utopian Coffee, a high-quality company out of Fort Wayne, IN will be part of the team for the coming race season. I always start my day with a cup (or two) of coffee, so I'm really excited to be able to drink the good stuff. They roast in small batches and usually have the coffee in customers' hands the same week! Brendon and Patrick are great guys who will do everything they can to ensure you've got the best cup of joe available. Check out their website here: http://utopiancoffee.com/.

More info to come shortly!

Andrew Starykowicz Interview

2011-11-17T08:21:00.001-08:00

Way back in 2005, Andrew Starykowicz passed me in the last 1/4 mile of Age Group World Championship to knock me out of the top 10. While I've never forgiven him for that, I can't help but admire his attitude when it comes to training and racing. Over the past year or so, he's transformed from a biker who can swim and sometimes run into a formidable top-level triathlete. He won the 2011 Rev3 series and I'm hoping to reverse the tides of 2005 this coming year.

Andrew runs a great blog featuring interviews with a lot of top Pros. I'm the one in the hot seat this week and he's managed to use two of my more flattering photos! Check it out here:

http://astarykowicz.blogspot.com/2011/11/eric-limkemann.html

2011 wrap-up and on to 2012

2011-11-16T08:34:00.001-08:00

The 2011 race season is in the books and I like to look back over the year and evaluate just how it went. What went right? What went wrong? Where do I go from here? I had a solid season with a bunch of top ten finishes and a bit of prize money to my name, but looking back I have plenty of room for improvement for 2012. Here are five points I came up with:

1. No more excuses. I've been racing 'professionally' since 2007, but really I've been working a 'real job' in order to pay the bills. That changed this year with my move to Richmond. I no longer have the excuse of limited time or limited energy to fall back on when training or racing isn't going well. I've had a modicum of success in the past few years, but it's always been tempered with "It's the best I can do under the circumstances".... For next year I'll get to say "It's the best I can do." The 2nd half of the season was work-free for me, but the real test will be to take advantage of my new freedom over the winter and see what happens. I've got no more excuses if I don't perform.

2. Stick to the plan. With a ton of races and series popping up for pro triathletes, I definitely have a tough time picking a path and sticking to it. The 5150 series and Hy-Vee or the 70.3 series and Vegas or the Lifetime Fitness Series and the Toyota Cup? I did a few of each of these races over the course of the season and managed to be mediocre in all of them. I wasn't at the starting line in Hy-Vee, Vegas, or the US Open! Why not? I didn't set out a plan and stick with it. I did finally put the pieces together the last three races to try to make a run at Vegas in 2012, but the bike crash in the Poconos and the still-healing performance in Miami didn't help. For next year, Matt and I have set a plan and I'm going to stick with it. More to come on that shortly, but here's a hint:

3. Embrace my body. I may sound like a pre-teen gymnast, but I have developed a bit of complex about being 'too big' to race at the top level. Instead of embracing my normal weight and developing the strength/power to move it fast, I tried to be the ideal 'skinny' triathlete. Years of swimming means that my shoulders aren't going anywhere and I'm not going to get shorter! Guys like Big Matty Reed and Starky have no problem pushing the pace with 180+ body weights. My goal this year is to eat well, recover well, and train hard. If I do that, the scale will say whatever it does and I'll do my best to have the muscle to move it!

4. Train Smart. I've been studying exercise over a decade now and have been an athlete for two. I still have a lot to learn. I made the first step by hiring a coach in Matt Russ at the Sport Factory. Having an outside source of planning and evaluation has made a huge difference. I follow workouts to a 'T', but still have to fight the swimmer's urge to go too hard all of the time. There have been key workouts when I'm not as fresh as I should be because I pushed the pace on the ez run the day before just to make myself feel better. Just because I have the time to train unlimited amounts doesn't mean I should. My goal for 2012 is to hit all of the targets in my big workouts and let the recovery workouts happen. I've been telling my athletes this for a while now, so perhaps I should start listening!

5. Toe the line ready to race. I love to train. I enjoy the process. I don't function well without a workout. However, Triathlon is about RACING. I'm learning to push my limits at the races, but still have a ways to go. Part of it is allowing myself to rest before big events but part of it is getting the right mindset. When I was swimming, I had the same pre-race warm up and always had the same music coming out of the headphones. It wasn't superstition, it was preparation for battle. With every triathlon slightly different, I haven't been able to find my groove regularly and at times haven't been sharp when the gun goes off. That will change in 2012.

More to come on 2012 sponsors, training, and races shortly!

First Endurance back for 2012

2011-11-08T07:26:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of finalizing the details of 2012 and just got confirmation that First Endurance will be fueling me throughout the year! The EFS system followed by the Ultragen recovery drink is simply the best way to ensure optimal peformance through the hard off season training. Multi-V keeps me healthy through all the training stress, which is very important as the winter weather rolls around. I'll add in Optygen HP and pre-race once the season gets closer. It's a perfect system to keep me running strong.

www.firstendurance.com

I will be updating my race schedule shortly along with a few more sponsor announcents. It's going to be a great year!

Miami 70.3 Race Report

2011-11-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

www.ironmanmiami.com

I've come to the end of the 2011 racing season with the completion of the Miami 70.3 race this past weekend. Fittingly, it was held at the same place that I started the season back in March. It was also a special race because it supported the Blazeman Foundation and I was able to meet up with Bob and Mary Ann Blais at the finish line. After almost 8 months of racing, a mid-summer move, and making the jump to racing as a 'full-time' athlete, it's been a long season! The race this weekend reinforced this fact as my body basically told me the season was about 9 miles too long... After leading the main pack out of the water and riding the best bike leg of the year, I struggled on the run to finish 17th in a race where I feel I should have been fighting for a top 10 finish. My time of 4:03 was my fastest for a legitimate 70.3 distance race, but I've got a fire in my belly heading into the off season. Here's a recap:

I spent the days leading up to the race hoping that a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico would not come through and cancel the swim. Rain and flooding made up most of forecast and foreshadowed the race conditions to come. Luckily, the weather cooperated and the race organizers were able to put on the race as planned. The pro field for the race was one of the and deepest I've competed against and I was excited when race day rolled around and I felt fresh and ready. The rain and wind were present in full force and after a 20 minute delay, the race started with an Olympic distance-like sprint with over 30 men fighting for position.

I settled in to the lead pack after the first few hundred meters and realized that a few men had already broken away. Knowing that I could make up much more time on dry land by conserving my energy, I decided to swim my own pace and not try to chase down the extra :30. I exited the water right with Michael Raelert and Matt Reed. Perfect. Going through transition, the I was right in the midst of the main pack and feeling comfortable. A group of 8-10 of us took off together on the bike and I settled into my pace and focused on staying upright against the blowing rain.

I maintained my own pacing and HR and found that group was pushing too hard too early. With the wind being an unknown, I decided not to push the pace and keep my wattage right around 290. It paid off for me in a PR bike split and a negative split effort, however in hindsight the flat course and large group would have been a better bet! Looking at the results, a group of 5 guys that came out of the water with me rode together (separated by around 10 seconds over the 56 mile course) the entire time and the legal drafting effects gave them a 5 minute advantage to me heading into the run. Even a few of the guys who were blown out the back of the pack put in a few minutes on me, but I was confident that my smart pacing would pay off once we hit the run.

I hopped off the bike in 12th position and knew that a few guys ahead of me would be running slower than 1:20 1/2 marathons, so I my goal of a top 10 finish was firmly in place. I hit the first mile in just under 6 minutes with a 150 heart rate. Perfect. The wind was howling and the rain was coming down, but I felt good. By the second mile, I was settled in and went through a part of the course that included a number of tight turns and wet pavement/mud. It only took one misstep, but I slid just enough to have to tense up. Bad idea. My whole leg locked up in a cramp and I peg-leg hopped for a few strides until it went away. I tried to settle back into my pace, but the damage had been done. Once the cramping process starts, it can be hard to stop! I never regained my smooth stride, and was only able to hit an average of 6:30 whenever I wasn't running into the wind. That's not nearly fast enough to make up time on the guys in front of me and I found myself being passed in the 2nd half of the run. Completely spent from fighting the weather and cramps, I came across the line more wiped out than I've ever been at a race.

While I'm pleased with my effort, my result makes me realize where I stack up heading into the off season. Since it'll be my first winter of full-time training, I'm optimistic about the progress I can make, but I know that it won't be easy. I have a long way to go to compete with the top athletes in the sport, but my goal to do just that remains the same. If I can put together the bike/run combo that I know I'm capable of, I'm in striking distance of where I want to be. Now it's time to get to work!

Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive during this past season. BlueSeventy, First Endurance, Great Clips Salons, ISM Saddles, Kiwami Triathlon, Newton Running, and 3Sports Tri Shop are my great sponsors. Thanks to Matt at the Sport Factory for the coaching guidance and the upcoming winter of fun. I'll be updating the website throughout the winter, but won't be racing until 2012. Miles to go before I sleep...

Crash-Sickness-Recovery

2011-10-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'm two days away from heading down to Miami for the last race of the season and find myself thinking about the last 4 weeks of training. I went down hard on the bike at the Poconos 70.3 race and since then have been fighting an uphill battle to get myself ready to compete at my optimal level. I've still got bruises and road rash from the crash, but after watching Chrissie Wellington's unbelievable performance at Kona, I hesitate to even bring it up! I am amazed how long the body takes to heal after a crash and it's a visual reminder of just how much of a beating a body takes during a race. The past week weeks have been all about coming back from that beating.

Coaches (including myself and my own coach) always stress recovery after a race, but it's hard to realize just how much damage is lurking under the skin. Having external reminders is a great way to realize the amount of time and energy it takes to get back to 100%. Reading the blogs and tweets of people who raced Kona and are already jumping back to full time training with their next race still 5-6 months away is almost scary! I'm not talking about Pros who will be back in action soon or have unlimited time/resources to aid in recovery. I'm talking about the average triathlete working 40 hours a week. There's simply NO WAY that the body has recovered completely from the effort of a full-on Ironman Race! The mental need to train is amazing and can be detrimental for us Type-A personalities! Anyway, off my soap box....

Aside from my colorful skin, the cold and wet race in the Poconos also set the stage for me to come down with a nasty little cold (helped along by my wife's hospital germs!). For roughly 10 days, I was breathing through a mask of snot and feeling completely exhausted. Sore, sick, bruised, bleeding, and two weeks away from a peak race of the season is not a position that anyone wants to be in! After a bit of internal panicking, I did what any self-respecting stay at home spouse does to feel better: I went shopping! Kidding (well, kind of).

In my defense, I did need a new helmet from the crash (above) and am sponsored by Newton (below), but the idea is that I took a step back from my panic and took a deep breath. I focused on taking care of myself and getting sleep. The choice between panic and believing in my training was important for me to mentally prepare for the coming race. I'm happy to report that I'm feeling good and hitting all of my training targets after a bumpy last few weeks. (1:05/100m in the pool, 300w on the bike, 5:45's on the road.) With the help of a solid training plan and my feel-better equipment upgrades, I should be ready to roll in to the off-season with a successful race! I'll report back here next week.

P.S. the MV2's are simply amazing!

Poconos 70.3 Race Report

2011-10-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend I headed up to the Pocono Mountains for their inaugural 70.3 race in Stroudsburg, PA. It was an interesting weekend to say the least, but I came away with a race that I'm proud of despite being beaten by the entire women's pro field!

Race weekend started with a traffic-filled drive up from Richmond. During the drive, I learned that the swim had been cancelled due to the terrible weather the region has been having the past month or so. It was disappointing, but completely necessary for safety. I mentally prepared for a duathlon as I sat in DC traffic for hours! After arriving and loosening up on a bit of the course, I went to bed in a pretty good mindset. The next day, I went through the pre-race routine and was told at the race meeting that they expected another almost 1/2 inch of rain overnight and the bike course had been altered to account for a few road problems. One of my athletes (Justin Galbreath) and I drove the course and I noted how hilly, technical, and rough the roads were. We finalized our plan for the cold, wet duathlon and went to bed to the sound of pouring rain.

Race morning was cold and wet as expected. Everything went smoothly as I warmed up for the time trial bike start (without being able to ride the bike!) and I was the 2nd one to take off around 7:30am. The first few miles made me realize how much I rely on the swim to warm my body up and get ready to ride! I pushed the pace and was able to maintain my bike position for the first hour or so until a group came by me around mile 25. I stayed relaxed and tried to ignore the numbness creeping into my upper body and feet. After a few rolling hills, I lost sight of the group only to re-find them 10 minutes later. I knew I had more in the tank and picked up the pace to try to bridge the gap.

Around mile 35 or 40, I still had them in sight when I came into a sharp wet, turn. The wet, rough road got the best of me and I suddenly found myself lying on the road! I sat there for a second collecting my thoughts and realized that nothing was broken on either myself or my bike. I stood up and had to decide what came next. I've never dropped out of race, so my decision was pretty easy: get back on the bike and go. I put it in the easiest gear I had and started spinning through the rest of the course. My hip and knee were injured enough to not attempt to push the pace despite watching almost the entire pro field come by! Without a high heart rate to keep me warm, the last 15 miles were some of the coldest I've ever ridden. I couldn't lean on my aero bars, so I sat up in the wind during the descents and counted the seconds until I could get off the bike!

I made it into T2 and realized there were less than 10 bikes on the rack... I can only assume that the cold or the roads or common sense had a few of the other guys drop out, but I slowly put on my running shoes and started to walk out onto the run. My goal was to use the run to loosen up my hip and 'make lemonaide' from the situation. Bloody and sore, I jogged along and constantly checked for pain. The spectators were great and I spent the next 13.1 miles encouraging others and talking with the aid station volunteers. It's a different side of the sport than I've seen before and it was great!

I watched the Men's race unfold. Then the women's. Then the age group athletes came through the out and back course. I held steady 8 minute miles and made it a point to engage anyone who was cheering along the side of the road. It was a long, tough run that put my positive attitude to the test, but I made it to the finish line about an hour after the first place finisher. Thinking of the fighting spirit that is associated with this sport, I capped the race off with a Blazeman Roll and a 13th place finish (13th out of 13 pro men, but probably in the 100's overall finish).

The medical tent was great as they dressed my wounds and did their best to keep me warm. I was absolutely freezing (which probably helped with swelling!) due to the cold, wet weather and my low heart rate over the last 2 hours. I came out of the tent just in time to see Justin come through the finish for a 3rd place age group finish in his first 70.3 race.

All in all, a great deal went wrong with the weekend. From the weather to the swim to the crash, I can name a lot of things to complain about, but I'm strangely proud of the fact that I finished the race and really didn't think twice about the decision when many of the other pros decided not to finish. I'm sitting here typing with a baseball for an elbow, but I'll be ready to race my last race of the year in 4 weeks down in Miami. Had this been my last one, I probably could have toughed it out and fought for a money position. Honestly, I'm happy with the way it turned out!

Thanks to the Reinhardts and Galbreaths for making the time outside of the race enjoyable and congratulations to Justin on almost getting a 70.3 worlds spot. Considering it's his first race and he's a swimmer, I have a feeling that spot will come soon enough! Of course thank you to my sponsors and everyone who helps me do what I do. If you don't know why I rolled across the finish line, please find out and support the Blazeman Foundation. With Kona coming up next weekend, a quick YouTube search will provide all the motivation you'll need to live life to the fullest!

Syracuse 70.3 Nutrition Report

2011-09-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Fueling for a 4 hour race is a bit different from the sub 2 hour races that I've done up until this point in the season. That, combined with the cold temperatures, made this race a bit interesting from a nutrition standpoint.

62 degree water should not steam like this!

Leading up to the race, I followed my normal routine as much as possible. I generally cook my food for every meal, but when traveling this is next to impossible. Luckily, I was able to score a bit of home cooked and local restaurant food in the days prior to racing. Saturday night, I went for a Blimpie sub for convenience and loads of sodium that comes with processed meats. Not necessarily an everyday food choice, but it hit the spot! I made sure to finish my meal by 7am 12 hours before the start of the race.

Race morning started with my normal oatmeal with bananas, honey, peanut butter, cinnamon, walnuts, and blueberries (I brought my own and almost NEVER start a day differently). I sipped on EFS while driving to the race site and embracing the cold.

That's frost on the ground... Great!

Half way through warm up and roughly 40 minutes before race start, I consumed the 'holy hand grenade' of First Endurance liquid shot, pre-race, and water. The mix of carbohydrates and caffiene really gets me ready to attack the race. I use 1 1/2 scoops and 3/4 flask. I sipped water after that up until the cannon was fired.

On the bike, I chose to use the liquid shot mixed with water for the majority of my ride. I had a dilute EFS solution as my second bottle, but due to the low temperature my body needed the calories more than the electrolytes. I consumed roughly 700 calories throughout the ride and finished both of my bottles right before entering T2.

On the run, I take a liquid shot with me and sip on it before every aid station where I grab water. I do this because I'm used to the First Endurance products and don't like to change it up on race day. I generally go through 3/4 of the flask and take 1-2 cups of water each aid station (drinking only 2-3 sips and dumping the rest on my head). In the run picture below you can see the flask in my right hand if you look hard enough...

After the race, I have Ultragen waiting and try to get to it as soon as possible. Post race food usually takes me an hour or so before I feel like eating it, so getting the Ultragen in during the first 30 minutes is key! The last 24 hours have been all about re-hydrating and re-fueling. Two days after the race, if I treat my body right I'm ready to get back to work!

Syracuse 70.3 Race Report

2011-09-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I made the trip up north to compete in my first 70.3 race of the year. I drove up with a friend from warm, sunny Richmond to cold, overcast New York and slowly realized how much difference a few hundred miles makes on the weather! The days leading up to the race were spent shaking out the drive, adapting to the sub-50 degree temps, and finalizing my race plan. By the time race day rolled around, I was ready to go and excited to get back to longer distance racing.... Until I stepped outside on Sunday to greet the 42 degree air temp!

I started out race morning with an attempt to warm up spinning on the bike, but it was an exercise in futility as I started to loose feeling in my hands and feet. I racked the bike and set up my transition area before a slightly more successful run warm up. Along the way, I stopped for a bathroom break and came across the most welcoming Port-a-Potty I've ever seen! Potpourri, carpet, decorations, hand sanitizer, and loads of toilet paper! I was so impressed, I took the time to snap a quick picture before getting back to work...

After a final transition check, I zipped up the Blue Seventy wetsuit, donned the matching neoprene cap and slid into the water for a quick warm-up. The 62 degree water actually felt good compared to the air and I felt strong as we lined up for the start. As the cannon sounded, I took off into a steady rhythm and quickly found myself in the lead. Knowing it was going to be a longer day than the Olympic races from earlier in the year, I stayed relaxed and stayed in control of the race all the way until I came out of the water 23:23 later in the lead.

Coming into T1, I maintained my lead as I took the time to dry off and then the arm warmers came on. Then a hat. Then the gloves. I finally made my way out onto the bike with already-numb extremities and worked to find my goal wattage. For some reason, I am not a good cold-weather athlete and I gave up quite a few minutes early in the bike. Knowing the first 10 miles were mostly uphill, I stayed calm and tried to keep within 15% of my target output. At times throughout the ride, I was putting out over 500 watts with a single digit speed and a max speed of 51 mph with no power output! Every time I'd start to warm up, there would be a quick downhill that would give me a chill. Despite the challenge of the hills and cold, I achieved my goal wattage (just over 87% of my threshold levels) that would let me run well off the bike. I came into T2 in 8th place and knowing I needed to run a sub- 1:20 half marathon to stay in the money. With numb hands and feet, I slipped on my Newtons and took off feeling very, very good.

The run course mirrored the bike course with a steady diet of hills throughout. Through highs of 7:45 pace and lows of 4:45 pace, I maintained a sub 5:55 pace through the first half and started feeling even better as my feet started to regain feeling. Unfortunately, along with feeling came the realization that the fast downhill running on numb feet had produced a large, painful blister. My legs wanted to go, but each step felt like I was stepping on a thumb tack. I was passed at mile 12 as the thumb tack turned into a nail. Knowing I was in 9th place and just out of the money, it was a frustrating hobble home for a 1:20.34 run split and a 4:10.12 final time. My finish earned 330 valuable 70.3 World Championship points for the 2012 season.

Doesn't look like much, but ouch!

All told, it was a solid first 70.3 race for the season. My weakness on the bike and poor performance in the cold were on display, but having the fastest swim split and a solid run split were positives. I executed my nutrition and pacing plan perfectly and did not make mistakes that affected the race. Looking forward, I'm hoping to build on this performance for the final two races of the year.
Thank you to Jason and his family for making the trip an enjoyable one and thank you to all of my sponsors who make it possible for me to race month after month. I'll be back in action in two weeks at the Poconos Mountain 70.3. Until then, train hard and stay warm!

My Bike Fit with 3 Sports

2011-09-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I picked up coffee and expresso and delievered it to Ben and the staff at 3 Sports before hoping on the bike and experiencing my first Retul bike fit. Actually, before I hoped on the bike, I had a chance to oogle over the cool stuff in the store and watched Ben battle with my aerobars that were broken in the middle of the bike ride at Chicago. After he fixed me up (and we determined to order new bars to be safe), I was ready to ride.

First up, we talked a lot about how I ride, how I feel off the bike, and any aches and pains that I may have. He measured almost every body part (almost...) and set up the Look Keo cleat alingment sensor on my pedals to see how much my feet turn during a ride. Based on what the cool littel gizmo said, we adjusted my cleats a decent amount. I was suprised to find that it didn't feel any different. Apparently, I'd been riding at the far edge of my float instead of the middle of the pedal. With that taken care of, we started to look at my position with the help of strategically placed LED sensors from the Retul system. We took 3-4 caputres and made slight changes each time. All the while, we were constantly discussing what was changing and why. My seat moved forward a good bit... simply so I could sit where I am supported by the saddle instead of on the very tip (wich made the ISM saddle even MORE comfortable!). We moved my bars in and down to accomodate my wonderfull swimmers shoulders and angled my soon-to-be replaced bars upward to account for the way my wrists were bent uncomfortably.

Over the 2 hours or so, we dialed me in with various changes simply so I could maintain the position that I naturally settle into on the bike. Instead of making my body adjust to the bike, it now adjusts to me. The end result is only a slight change in my postion, but now I'm supported ideally at all contact points with the bike. Seems simple, but it could make all the difference in the world if it allows for a very slight power increase and a bit more freshness coming off the bike. I'll be riding tomorrow to see how it feels and plan to go back 2-3 more times to make sure we've got everything where it needs to be. The fit process is a continuous process of feedback and adaptation which is exactly what I think it should be. The bike is a tool for my racing and I'd be foolish not to ensure I'm using the right tool for the job. I appreciate Ben's knowledge and really enjoyed the process of dialing in the bike. I learned and re-affirmed a great deal about how I ride my bike.

I'll update here as the process continues, but the real update will come when I toe the line in Syracuse in just over 10 days!

Life as a "Full Time" Pro, pt. 2

2011-09-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I started looking at how my life has changed now that I'm a "full time" athlete focusing on training/racing without many distractions or potential excuses. I examined different aspects of coaching and this week I'll look at recovery and diet. These two aspects of training have always been my strong points, and it 's been interesting to see how I've evolved in the last few months.

1. Diet. I've always been aware of what I put in my body. In high school, my only allowance was a monthly OK from my parents to buy vitamins and recovery products from GNC. In college, my first email to our strength coach after receiving the pre-season workout book was to get his advice on what I should eat before/during/after workouts. I really felt like I'd nailed my diet plan over the years.
Fast forward to today and I'm finding more subtleties to explore than ever before. Of course, I've been fortunate enough to connect with First Endurance and use their products as recommended for training and have eliminated the guess work that comes with training. This has not changed now that I've got more time and energy to focus on training. What has changed is how/when/what I eat when I'm not swimming/biking/running. It's not rocket science. I eat fruits and veggies, lean meats, and nuts. Nothing extreme. I eat enough to fuel my body but not enough to gain weight. I can't remember my last fast-food stop and cook almost all of my food, but there's nothing wrong with a pizza and beer every so often. However, I've changed my eating pattern more based on rational thought rather than feelings/stress/etc. I never eat a huge meal then hop into bed like I had to in the past. I don't drink coffee past 4pm (which was a huge necessity in the past). If I am craving food or sweets, I will take a nap instead of shoving my face. With reduced stress, I don't have the urge to eat my feelings like a middle aged woman coming off a break up (no offense to any of you out there!). The little things that I never noticed are the little things that have changed and I feel will add up to making me a better athlete.

2. Recovery. Basically the same story as above. I've never been as diligent on recovery as I have been about diet, but my mom can tell you that I needed 10 hours of sleep in high school to avoid being a royal pain in the ass. Working early practices with coffee and late night practices, again with coffee, affected my sleep patterns more than I realized over the past 4 years. This was obvious to me, but not as obvious as it is now that I consider 8 hours a rough night and hardly ever go through the day without a nap. Sleep is important. Find a way to get it!
The second part of recovery is taking it easy in the days between hard workouts. I've heard it before many times, but most age groupers train too hard on ez days and too ez on hard days. I can comment that many pros do the same! I didn't have the confidence to go ez because I didn't feel I was ever fresh enough to have good workouts. Now that the excuses have been stripped away, I find myself able to go EASY on base runs and ride between the hard stuff. I just finished a swim workout where the last 1k took me over 20 minutes... and I didn't stop! Tomorrow's ride and run are that important and today's workout has served it's purpose. Now I'm sitting with my feet up NOT exhausted and ready to tear tomorrow apart. Hopefully any athlete reading this has felt the same way lately!!!

Next week, I'll look at the intangibles that go into racing at the highest level....

Chicago Triathlon Race Report

2011-08-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

www.chicagotriathlon.com

I was in the windy city this weekend to race the Lifetime Fitness Chicago Triathlon. Despite the city living up to it's billing, I came away with my best race in many attempts with a 10th place finish and bike/run splits that were my fastest since first racing here in 2008.

It was a mild, windy day as the 11:30 race start approached on Sunday. The swim was non-wetsuit and the water was very rough, so it looked like a good opportunity for strong swimmers to make an impact on the race. I started out comfortable and quickly found myself in the front group as we rounded the first bouy. The waves were small and choppy, which made it tough to find a solid tempo. I worked my way up through the group to come out of the water in 3rd place just a few seconds away from Hunter Kemper and the swim prime.

The 600m run to transition all but neutralized my strong swim and I came into T1 in 8th place right in the mix with the leaders. The short sprint followed by the first few miles of hard riding exposed my weakness and I fell back to 9th 5 minutes into the bike. I keep my effort steady and fought the headwind heading North on Lakeshore Drive. My ISM Saddle saved me from the man-eating road conditions as I maintained my position and started making up ground on a few of the leading cyclists. I was passed around mile 20 by Dave Thompson, but was able to keep him in my sights for the rest of the ride and came off the bike in 10th place just behind Dave and Filip Ospaly. Despite the wind, my bike split was almost a minute faster than years past! I took off on the run with the wind at my back and feeling strong.

I clicked off 5:30 miles for until the turn around, where I saw I was just over a minute behind the next runner. Unfortunately, a group of 2-3 other racer had made up a bit of ground on me! Turning into the wind, I pushed myself to maintain the gap and finish the last three miles quickly to accomplish my top 10 goal. Despite being a bigger target for the wind than some of the smaller runners, I was able to come in just over 1:56 for a 10th place finish and a run split that was again better than all of my previous years. I was happy to continue my streak of finishing in the top ten and making a bit of money as well.

After the race, it was great to visit with a bunch of great people who had come out to watch the race. It's amazing how much energy comes from a bit of support! Based on my current training and the past few results, I'm extremetly excited for my last three races of the year. I've been racing olympic distance races all year and will now switch to the longer and better-suited 70.3 distance. It should be a great way to end the year and begin the process of qualifying for the 2012 70.3 World Champs. I'm headed to 3 Sports of Richmond for a Retul Bike fit next week to dial everything in for the 56 miles of cycling fun that comes with the distance!

I want to send out a big thank you to David Carlins and Gloria with Magellan Development for hosting me at the beautiful Aqua in Lakeshore East and making the weekend enjoyable. I was lucky enough to get in a swim session at the Aqua monday before I flew home and it was as close to paradise as you can find! Of course thank you to the race organization for continually putting on a first-class race year after year. My sponors are always there with support: BlueSeventy (saw Mike cheering on the run!), Kiwami Triathlon (Sorry I missed Andre at the Expo), Newton Running, First Endurance Nuturtion, ISM Saddles (Saved my butt on LakeShore), Great Clips Salons, and 3 Sports of Richmond.

Finally, I always have the Blazeman Spirit in me when training and racing. The courage and fighting spirit of the Blazeman is something we shoudl all apsire to. Check out the latest breakthroughs of the foundation and give them your support! I'll be back in action in a few weeks up at Syracuse 70.3. See you there!

3 Sports is now my official bike shop!

2011-08-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

I've teamed up with Richmond's best triathlon store to get the most out of my training and racing equipment. These guys know a thing or two about triathlon and carry all sorts of good stuff to keep me at the top of my game. From First Endurance to Cervelo to Zipp, they've got what you need. I've also been lucky enough to get an appointment for a Retul bike fit to maximize my position on the bike. Regardless of your triathlon needs, 3 Sports can help.

Check them out! www.threesports.com

Life as a "full time" Pro Triathlete

2011-08-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

It's been about two months since we settled in Richmond and I began my life as a 'full time' athlete. I've been thinking about what has changed for me and thought I'd share. This is an N=1 observation, but it may give a bit of insight into what goes into training to race at the highest level possible. Enjoy.

In college, you don't realize just how lucky you are to focus on your sport (while getting that pesky education...). When I left Pitt in 2007, I was the USAT Rookie of the year and had the idea that I would continue to improve at a steady rate... Given my newly-aquired MS in exercise physiology and experience as a swim coach at the highest level, I figured I had things all figured out. I was wrong. The past 4 years have been mildly successfull including qualification for 70.3 World Champs, a 2nd place in the Rev3 Series, and a handfull of solid results. Unfortunately, I don't believe I'm much further along than where I was in 2007. This season has shown steady improvement that will continue into the coming seasons and here are my reasons why:

Coaching. I hired a coach at the end of last year thanks to persuasion from people much wiser than I am. Having the objective observer looking over me has been key. Depsite my education, I wasn't giving myself what I needed to succeed. Matt Russ at the Sport Factory has been invaluable to my continued Success. I've also been able to do a bit of online coching with the Sport Factory that allows me to satisfy my desire to coach with my feet up.
Not Coaching. I no longer stand on a pool deck for up to 6 hours/day. No compression socks in the world can save the legs from training 2-3 hours then standing for the same amount of time. Not only that, but I am very passionate about the athletes I coach and spend countless hours and energy planning their training, progress, etc.. Althougth I miss the pool deck and will probably return when I'm done racing, the time and energy that went into swim coaching now goes into my own training and recovery.

Next week: #3 and #4 Recvoery and Diet

Slowtwitch Giant Eagle Story

2011-08-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

While I'm pretty confident I'm no longer a "super-swimmer" (and really never was even in college, but my standards are pretty high), it was nice to see a mention of my race in Columbus this weekend show up on the front page of Slowtwitch! You can read the story here:

http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Yoder_Parker_top_Giant_Eagle_Triathlon_2227.html

Giant Eagle Triathlon Race Report

2011-08-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

After recently moving to Virginia, I found myself back in Ohio this weekend for the Giant Eagle Multisports Festival in downtown Columbus. The unique point-to-point race was the first of it's kind for the area (although I've heard it was a Bud Light Series race back in the day...) and drew a pretty solid pro field for it's first year. I've been training well and have produced two top 10 finishes in my last two races, so I was looking forward toeing the line in what amounts to a 'hometown' race. I ended up coming away with a 3rd place finish in a time of just over 1:48.

The race started out with a two lap swim in a local lake north of the city. After an early morning EFS "holy hand-grenade", I was ready to go! I settled in behind John Kenny after watching speedster Dustin McClarty take off the first 200m. I took advantage of John's steady pace to keep my heart rate low and stroke relaxed. The last 100 meters I surged slightly ahead and come out of the water in second place 15-20 seconds back of McClarty and feeling great.

This was my first race with a PowerTap race wheel to measure my power output during the bike and I used the computer to monitor my HR and effort for the first few miles. I settled into a solid rhythm and followed my goal wattage that I'd set up with Matt earlier in the week. Andrew Yoder blew by me like I was standing still, but I was encouraged to see that my power was about 20 watts higher than I had anticipated with my goal HR! I eventually passed McClarty and was in 2nd for most of the bike until eventual 2nd place finisher Kaleb VanOrt came by me with about 4 miles to go. I came into T2 with a 55:12 bike split at 335 watt average and still feeling good.

The run was a 2-lap course where I was able to click off the miles and ensure my 3rd place finish. I knew I had little chance of catching VanOrt and had enough in the tank to hold off anyone behind me. The run pace seemed more like half ironman pace than olympic distance pace, but the hard effort on the bike kept my legs from turning over. I was able to come in with a few high fives at just over 1:48 for the race with a 35 min run split and 3rd place on the day. I'm very pleased with my highest placing of the year and a bit of prize money as well! I'm in the middle of transitioning to 70.3 training, so it's encouraging to see that I can put together a solid olympic distance race. I'll try to do it again at the Chicago Triathlon at the end of the month before finishing the season with three 70.3 races.

It was great to see so many people at race. Thank you to everyone who came out and said hello at the race. Also, congratulations to everyone who raced over the weekend. Thank you to my great in-laws for hosting me for the weekend and cheering me on during the race. Of course, thank you to my sponsors: Kiwami Triathlon, Newton Running, BlueSeventy, ISM Saddles, First Endurance Nutrition, and Great Clips Salons.

On a final note, I'm happy to be able to put a portion of my prize money to the Blazeman Foundation. The first half of the year has been a bit of a dry spell for me, but I hope this contribution is the first of many to come for the rest of the year. Please check out the link on my site to the foundation and help fight the war on ALS!

Back to Ohio!

2011-07-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I'll be heading back to Ohio to race in the Giant Eagle Triathlon in Columbus. I lived in Ohio for 4 years and never had an Olympic Distance race in the state until after I moved! It will be good to get back and see a bunch of familiar faces!
The website for the race is http://gianteaglemultisportfestival.com/index.html

If you're in the area and looking for something to do on a Sunday morning, head down to OSU and catch the race festivities! If you're an early riser, you may be able to catch the swim as well. John Kenny, Dustin McLarty, and I will hopefully be putting down some pretty impressive splits heading into T1. Since the race is a point to point race, it may be difficult to see both the swim and the bike/run, so my opinion is to sleep in a bit and catch the back half. See you there.

Lifetime Fitness Minneapolis Triathlon Race Report

2011-07-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

www.mplstri.com

This weekend I was in Minneapolis for the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon. The race has a long and storied history as one of the top non-drafting Olympic distance races in the U.S. and I was excited to finally make my first visit. I came away with a solid 8^th place in a field that included top names like Matty Reed, Greg Bennett, Andy Potts, Cameron Dye and David Thompson. I knew I was in for a challenge, but now that I’m a ‘full-time’ pro, it’s time for me to start mixing it up with these top names. I flew in Thursday morning and was able to get in a solid bike and run before the heat came out. The pro meeting was short and sweet and the dinner afterwards was awesome with Reed, Dye, and Bennett relaxing two days before race day. The next day I had a great shake out with Matt and Cameron as I previewed the course and mentally prepared to race. The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the amazingly accommodating and friendly Best Western Hotel provided by the race.

Race morning started with a shuttle ride to the race start and a perfect ride/run warm up. The weather was threatening and for a moment I thought the swim may be cancelled, but the women pros started right on time at 7:00am. The men started exactly 10 minutes and 43 seconds later to create an “equalizer” race. The first man/woman to cross the line would earn an extra $5000! The concept had been used in the past to add a bit of excitement to the race and it was great to see it back. We hit the water and I settled in with the top group right behind Greg Bennett. The pace was pretty smooth and everything was going well until about half way when Greg lost the feet of the guys in front of him (he actually apologized later… a class act)! By the time I realized we’d been gapped, I had 20m of open water to get back to the leaders! Luckily, I’ve been swimming well and was able to get back with the group and came out of the water with the first group chasing Andy and Cameron out of the water. I had a quick transition and headed out on the bike just ahead of eventual winner Matt Reed.

On the bike, I felt strong and immediately went to work over the relatively rough roads. My legs felt good and my ISM saddle kept me from getting too beat up. I lost time to the leaders and I know that a bike focus over the next few weeks and months is needed to put myself at the front of races like these. I held a steady 25mph pace despite having my seat post slip slightly over a particularly bad pothole and came into transition only losing one spot from my swim finish.

I hit the run running shoulder to shoulder with Brian Lavelle and we ran together for the first lap of the two loop course. Around mile 3, I was able to pick it up and put in a solid 5:25 mile to open up a lead and maintain my 8^th place position through to the finish line. I felt stronger every mile that went by and ended up negative splitting a 35:14 run to cross the line in 1:56 and change. While my speed still isn’t where I’d like it to be, I feel like I can maintain a 5:45 pace for 13.1 miles which bodes well for the 3 half ironman races I have planned to end the season!

I’m sitting in the airport and am pleased with the way the weekend turned out. I’ve successfully managed my move to Richmond and I’m starting to see the benefits of added time to train and recover. I’m looking forward to the coming weeks and months to really take advantage of the chance that has been given to me. Thank you to everyone who has had a hand in making it happen! Thanks to the race organization here in Minneapolis, the Best Western in Eagan, and of course my great sponsors! It was great to see Mike from BlueSeventy and the crew from ISM at the race. Kiwami Triathlon, Newton Running, First Endurance, and Great Clips Salons round out the team. I’ll be back in action at the end of the month back in Ohio at the Giant Eagle Triathlon in Columbus, OH. Until then, stay tuned to the blog for hopefully more training updates and triathlon-related goodies!

My buddy Adam and his family in the Blazeman Newsletter!

2011-06-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

An exerpt from the Blazman Foundation Newsletter:
(By the way, Adam qualified for Kona wearing Jon's number!!!)

Adam Webber, Blaize, EagleMan and #179

Our trip to EagleMan earlier this month was special in many ways...we finally got to meet 2yr. old Blaize Webber, a very active toddler that was named after Jon. We met his dad at St. Anthony's two years ago shortly before he was born. Blaize was born with his own set of physical challenges but that does not slow this young boy the least! He is such a delight and certainly reminded me of Jon at that age...always on the go!! Adam wore #179 this year at EagleMan and we were delighted!!!

Bdad, Stephanie, Adam, Blaize and bmom at EagleMan

This event, thanks to race director Rob Vigorito's generous donation of 20 charity slots of which we filled 11 this year netted over $8000 toward the ALS tissue acquisition fund at the University of Maryland's Brain and Tissue Bank. This tissue will be used solely for ALS research...to be shared with ALS researchers around the world. This was Jon's mission as he gave of his own brain and tissue upon his passing...he believed in not only "talking the talk, but also walking the walk". We are very proud of our son who faced the certainty of ALS death with strength and great courage.
We hope sooner than later to achieve ...not hope, but a cure...we long to hear the words..."I am an ALS Survivor"!!

Featured in Washington Post Video for the DC5150 Race

2011-06-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a week since the DC 5150 race and I'm back in the midst of tough training for my next race, but this video brought me back to last week's race. It's the Washington Post's take on the weekend's event and I'm featured a number of differnt times. Most importantly, I look like I know what I'm doing when they show me running! Take a look here: Washington Post Video

Open Water Swimming

2011-06-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Since I've moved to Richmond, I've found myself without an easily accessible pool for the first time in my life! I've always either coached at a pool or swam on a team that had regular practice times. Now I'm in a new city where I need to join a pool/gym to get swim time! It's a weird situation for me, but it's forced me to think outside the box... My current training location is the James River!

Cringe as you may, I've really enjoyed a change from the black lines of the pool. I've been forced to practice sighting every day and I'm learning how to read the current. These are skills that don't come naturally to a pool swimmer! There are downsides though...I do tend to shower a bit more and think back to the Seinfeld episode where Kramer starts swimming in the Hudson River. I also have to deal with fishermen and mother nature, but in all its been a great change of pace. My last race in DC I was able to split a 17:44 for the swim, so I feel like I'm benefiting from the change.

If you have access to open water, take advantage of it! The pool can be a great tool for speed and technique, but open water is where most triathlons are contested. Take the plunge and try something new.

Gratuitous sponsor promo: A BlueSeventy wetsuit would make open water swimming that much better!

Washington DC 5150 Race Report

2011-06-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

www.dctri.com

This weekend, I visited the nation’s capital for my third race in the 5150 series. Since I recently moved to Richmond, this race now qualifies as a local race for me. I drove up Saturday afternoon just in time for the Pro meeting and was ready to race less than 20 hours later. Coming off a month of sporadic training and the stress that comes from moving, I was keeping an open mind about the race and the way my body would respond.

It was overcast and drizzling as we jumped into the Potomac River for the 9am start. I settled into second place behind John Kenny and swam comfortably through the course coming out of the water in just over 17 and a half minutes and feeling really good! I was in 2^nd place (not 1^st as reported here) ahead of a large pack of athletes. Years of swimming and the BlueSeventy speed suit helped my confidence heading onto the bike.

I rolled out of transition and pushed the bike to stay ahead of the group. I was successful for the first 5 miles, but was eventually swallowed up by the group of 10 or so athletes that exited the water behind me. As I kept pushing, my knees and lower back gently reminded me that I’d been moving boxes for the past few weeks! I was able to hold it together and came into T2 in 8^th place, but I was not looking forward to the run on pretty trashed legs. The first miles were pretty rough as I struggled to find a rhythm, but about half way I hit my stride and was able to bring it home a bit faster heading into the finish. I came across the line in 9^th place and completely beat. I was very happy to be in the top ten for the race, especially on a day that was definitely not my best. My pacing, nutrition, and effort were right on target. If I can add in a bit more fitness, it could be a great 2^nd half of the year!

I’m looking forward to getting back to a training routine and having a solid string of upcoming races. My next race will be in Minneapolis at the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon. Thanks to everyone who has been supportive of my racing, especially in this year of transition. I’m now training full time and will have the results to show for it shortly. Thanks to Kiwami Triathlon, Newton Running, First Endurance, ISM Saddles, BlueSeventy, and Great Clips for their sponsorship.

My New Blog!

2011-06-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm working on transfering over to my new blog site from my old site. Hopefully now I'll be able to keep it more up to date. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions on making it great! Thanks for checking it out.