So big things first... Charlotte Susannah was born on June 12 at 6:52am - 8lbs 7ozs- 21inches. she has since grown quite bid by now and her big sister (5) and big brother (3) can't wait for her to mobile. It is always amazing how small they are when they are born ... it makes my boy look like a grown adult... The kids have really taken to her with little issue. Mom is doing wonderful.. she is an amazing woman.
Ironman St George: Race went ok. The morning started early like all long races.. breakfast and then off to the race venue to drop off bags. I grabbed a ride with a couple others who were staying in the same building so I did not have to get the family up way too early... on the way to the race.. Utah's finest decided to pull the car over but after a quick no ticket stop we were on our way.
I dropped off race bags and boarded the bus to the start... It has been a while since I have done a long race with out the support of my large traning group Racelab. I got to the swim start and went to get my bike already... asked to borrow a pump for a minute (we could only bring what would fit in our morning clothes bag) and the guy next to me says' "Umm.... no I just want to go" OK... hope karma finds its way to you in the morning... so I waited in the long line to ensure I had enough pressure in the tires...
Swim: The water was a baumy 56 degrees - so needless to say I had on a thermal cap, ear plugs and the race cap. The swim was rough.. got beat up pretty bad by a bunch of people who just could not swim straight... some cut the course and kept rolling... not sure what happended to them. I could not pull away as my right calf cramped twice and my left once during the swim.. gotta love cold water races... the water had a long lasting effect on my all day as at the time I did not realize that the side stitch that I had would stay with me until I finished...
Bike: The bike went well I tried to pace myself and stuck to my heartrate plan. The only issue I had was trying to get rid of that stupid side stitch... it just wouldnot leave.. the climbs were nothing I was not trained for so they were not really that bad at all.. plus a slight tail wind on the steepest one helped.. we did climb alot.. something like 8000 ft but being a person of smaller size that was cool with me.. met some great people out there including a race marshal who I chatted with for a while. The scenery was amazing though!
Run: The run started off great considering you gain and lose 1400 feet each out and back portion.. started on target with a 8:05 pace on the uphill section on the way out. .then when I wanted to take advantage of the fast down hills my old friend side stitch decided he wanted to rear his ugly head and slowed me down. I am not one to complain about pain but I could not eat/drink like I wanted to with it and it bit me on the butt. I had to result to some walking which is not what I planned for.. i trained hard for this run and I set up the race to have a great run but with a knife in the side sensation and low food it was not to be.. so I pushed where I could and finished.. 11:40.. 1 hr slower than I projected based on this course and all of it was lost on the run... I forgot to mention too.. I cut my foot in a training incident 4 days before the race, but that is another post...
So 2 weeks later I decided to do the Tempe International Sprint triathlon.. might as well have fun.. I cleaned the bike from Ironman and road for an hour or 2 since Ironman... ran a bit.. swam some too.. nothing much... the race was fun and fast (except my swim - which was long).. but boy I did not have the power needed to push my normal pace on the bike.. much different than long sustained efforts of an Ironman... run went as I passed a few on the run to finished 8th overall.
I then took some much need time off relaxing (aka training just not the volume) and kicked off my more serious training with the mountain man triathlon. Race went well at an altitudeabove 7000 feet. Swim went pretty well for a 200+ meter longer than supposed to be course... the bike is always challenge on this course as you have 3 climbs onthe way out you need to dose your energy out for. road well.. caught the waves in front of me and was off on the run.. the run went well.. i ran down quite a few people on the flats as well as the 1 mile long switch back climb. finished strong and in the top 15 so was happy...
next update wil lbe about my currnt training, upcoming races, and so great product review.. have a great day.
