Perfect Summer Training and Three Weeks Till Milwaukee

The countdown continues until USAT Age Group National Championships in Milwaukee and while the training is ramping up in intensity and specificity for shorter races it doesn't mean you can't throw some fun days into the mix.  This past week I hit the bike for an extended day in the saddle, Jess and I got some beach time, and new trails were explored.

With sport, you have to love the process, otherwise motivation will come and go and so will improvements.  I told myself day 1 that I wouldn't stop the little things I love even when I decided to commit my focus to road triathlon.

This past week I joined my buddy, Marcus, for his Ironman Boulder training ride including a backloaded 2,500 feet of climbing from miles 40 through 70.  We took the eastern Colorado Springs roads where the only cars seen are the ranchers trucks and you pray it's not a windy day.   I found I need more practice shooting with the GoPro on the bike as this was the only real quality shot I managed.  This next week I'll promise to do better as I've seen impressive shots on Instagram from other riders.

Growing up on the east coast, one of the things we constantly discuss missing is the beach.  So, Jess and I spent some time on the beach in Boulder at the Reservoir.  Who said you can't spend some time shoreside on the sand in landlocked Colorado?  The surprising part is how wicked hot it can get when you don't have an ocean breeze at the beach.  We are pretty sure our Colorado beach dates hit the heat index harder than our previous home in Virginia.  Colorado Springs doesn't have the beaches like Boulder but they are well worth the drive north for the variety.

This summer we have taken on seeing a bunch of new places, whether by bike or foot, and trail running is fantastic cross training for the legs and the brain.  When the snow finally melts by the end of June the high elevation running and hiking goes a lot faster and requires less equipment, which is a runner's dream on technical terrain as safety becomes less of an issue.  I like trails all year long and I'm not sure when the scars on my back from Crags Trail will go away, but at least in the summer we don't have to worry about the hidden ice!

Boulder Peak Triathlon Race Report

We were back in Boulder, Colorado for another race this past weekend finalizing my 5 races in 5 weeks streak and firmly earning a nap.  As always, I had the best support in the world from Jess which makes the early mornings easy.  This week the Life Time Fitness/Ironman event - Boulder Peak Triathlon - went off without a hitch.  The course support was excellent and the climb up Olde Stage Road left many legs screaming after only 6 miles into the bike course.

It was a nice sunny warm day and the competition was fast including one of my past teammates Tyler Evans who finished 3rd in the Pro race.  He showed up strong a couple weeks after an unfortunate bike wreck and really earned it out there - check him out!  For my race, I started about 10 minutes after the pro group in the age group race and, like usual, despite it feeling fine during the swim I had a poor swim time and was surprised with just how behind I was on the start of the bike.  Luckily, I had the legs to crank out the fastest bike split of my age group and come home with the fastest run split as well.  Despite the land sport efforts, with my swim time those two "sport wins" didn't result in the overall three sport win.  I'll be hitting the pool and the upper extremity strengthening hard this next month hoping to make up as much as possible for my long term lack of arm sports!  We will see in Milwaukee how that has all gone.

The reason this race is special is beyond the beautiful venue that Boulder always provides.  The long steady climb including a mile averaging 15% grade up Olde Stage Road added a new element to the triathlon.  A lot of triathletes, like yours truly, can sit in aero position and hammer out a steady flow of watts for hours on end; this race required each athlete to work hard just to keep moving with most athletes spending time around 5-7 mph for a long period of time where aero position won't do you much good!  The first half of the bike course was advantage to the cyclist, the second half was advantage to the time-trialist.  I was hoping to have a shot at the "Reach the Peak Challenge" which was a separate timed portion from T1 to the top of Old Stage Rd.  After the race I found out that the Pros were included in the challenge and that my legs aren't quite up to that level yet.  Instead, I was happy with a respectable 6th in that competition.  If you want a triathlon with fast competition, beautiful scenery, and great support, this top-10 triathlon in the country a must-do.

Splits for those interested:
Swim: 29:04, 17th/47 Age Group
Bike:   1:06:47, 1st/47 Age Group
Run:    37:46, 1st/47 Age Group
Total:  2:16:10, 2nd/47 Age Group

Thanks as always for your support!  Till next time, train hard and enjoy the process!

Boulder Triathlon Race Weekend Recap

It seems like just yesterday I was spending all of my time focusing on the Boston Marathon, and then all of a sudden Ironman Boulder 70.3 and Boulder Sunset Triathlons are in the books.  After Boston I took a while to bounce back with a slow return of high energy.  I tried to focus on swimming and biking without losing my running fitness which was at an all time high in April.  I did miss out on significant heat training with decreased running time and enjoyed a sufferfest on both triathlon race run legs on 80+ degree days.  

Last year got off to a slow start in competition due to the wonderful reason that Jess and I were married in June and my focus was on enjoying that period of my life.  However, we are now back to competing more often and allowing time for more consistent training.  Improve fitness has allowed for 3 race weekends in a row (so far) with an 11th overall amateur at Ironman Boulder 70.3,  4th overall at Sailin' Shoes 10K, and 5th overall at Boulder Sunset Triathlon.  This weekend we are racing the HuHot Half on the 4th with a fortunate early start so we can finish the half marathon with plenty of time to celebrate America's Independence.

My triathlon season is starting to get into full swing after this point as my focus is on Age Group National Championships in Milwaukee in early August and a variety of races leading up to the year's end cap of Ironman Austin 70.3 in November.  I have been fortunate to be a member of a great swim program in Colorado Springs by Pikes Peak Athletics where my swim fitness continues to improve even if my times remain painful to see.  However, the fitness has allowed me to put in top end bike and run splits where I have been able to claw back into races and finish well.  I've been lucky to continue to have great support from family and friends as well as new support from The Runner's Tea and some pending brands who do so much good for the individual athlete and the competitive athletics community.  That said, I am completely on the Matcha Green Tea bandwagon and The Runner's Tea is easy on the stomach which makes it my go to before running above coffee.  We have enjoyed researching and picking some current diet trends as we make our own "Lara Bars", as well as Kale Chips, and Beet Juice.  We aren't as young as we used to be and could use all the diet help to our performance that we can muster.  I'm doing my best to get Jess to share her recipes!

We hope to come back with some good news this weekend after our race here in Colorado Springs and the following weekend at Boulder Peak which is the Rocky Mountain Triathlon Regional Championship.

Have a great week and good luck in your racing endeavors!  See you out there!