Winter riding in Spokane

So I woke up today and decided I wanted nothing to do with my trainer.

Hope everyones winter training is rocking!

The Reset Button

So the 2010 season ended, I went back to school, and took a little off season from triathlon (some of it not intended). I also took a break from my blog, so I apologize to the few people that actually read this(mainly my mom :) ). Fall in Spokane has actually been pretty great! Winter got here a little early. Us Spokanites (the hardy bunch that we are) set a record snowfall for the month of November. The snow makes for interesting mountain bike rides, Slick running, and quite a bit of shoveling. I have had mono for the last I don't know how many weeks, but I finally feel like I am on the upswing. I am hitting the giant reset button for my training. Today was my first day of actually working out in quite a few weeks, and although it was slow going, it felt great to be active again! I did realize today that I have a ton of hard work ahead of me to get back into shape, but I have every opportunity and resource I need to get back in shape. If I fail at getting back in shape it really will be my own fault, I have no excuses. Sitting around has made more hungry than ever to get out the door and train. You really don't realize how much you miss something until it is gone. Well that is all for now. I hope everyone's off season is rocking, and I hope to see you out on the snowy roads of Spokane.



P.S. For those of you that can't find me on facebook anymore, don't worry I did not un-friend you. I have just decided that I was spending way to much time on it. It has been deactivated so that I hopefully can focus more on school and training. If you want to get a hold of me shoot me an e-mail at Jhadway@gmail.com and say hi. Or come visit me down at the Runners Soul.

2 weekends 2 races

Erik Anderson/ Runners soul open

We all have physical potential as athletes. You can physically be in the best shape of your life, but if you can not mentally push yourself to your physical limit, it is really all for nothing. Yes physically you could have the potential to run a 4 min mile, but does it really matter if mentally you can not push yourself to that point? You always hear the saying that there are multiple athletes physically capable of winning the race, but what it comes down to on race day is who can mentally pull it all together. In my training and racing I always try to look where I am weak, and if you want to improve you always have to be working on your weaknesses as an athlete.

I knew one place where I have been weak as an athlete is this idea of competing to your physical potential. This is why I signed up for the Erik Anderson/Runners Soul open (an 8k college cross country race). I did not care what kind of shape I was currently in, I wanted to simply just practice racing and competing. The goal was to cross the line knowing I left everything I had on that day, on the course.

Going into the race I really had no idea what to expect for time, but my goal was to be near the front (I will be honest and say you always want to win races too :)). Weather that was a realistic goal or not, I was about to find out. If you don't believe in your mind that you can hang at the front of a race, you never will. Right before the gun went off all I thought about was leaving everything I had out on the course, and fulfilling that physical potential.

The leaders took off fast and I normally love to start hard at the front of races, but I knew I needed to race smart in order to have a good result. At about a half mile into the race I was in around 20th place, but to my right was David Hickerson and a group of guys that I knew would be the eventual leaders. Knowing this I just sat back, and we slowly picked off the rabbits. It didn't take long for a lead group of about 6 athletes to from. We quickly dropped the main field, and I knew this was exactly where I wanted to be. The goal for the next four miles was to simple hang tough. I knew one of the athletes (Jono Lafler) in this lead pack had run 14:09 (5k) in track this last spring, and that all the athletes in this group were capable of similar times. I wanted to prove to myself that I belonged at the front of these races, and now the opportunity had arrived. The first lap felt relaxed, I just sat in 2nd to 4th place and stayed as relaxed as possible. But as the race went on, the lead pack started the put in more surges. In triathlons you find a steady pace a stick with it, but in running races the pace always changes and you need to be ready to change gears.

Holding onto the lead pack

Starting the second lap I was still with this lead pack, and I had hit the point where normally I would trail off the back. That is the moment I knew I needed to start believing, believing that I was physically capable of being with this group, and that I belonged. Sadly you can't just flip a switch and suddenly toughen up, you have to find motivation, and really focus your mind. It was at this point I thought of a race I recently watched. The elite athlete in this race pushed himself so hard that he needed to be pushed out in a wheelchair. I simply asked myself if I was willing to push this hard? If you want to win a race you have to be willing to hurt more than the athletes next to you. Towards the end of the second lap, I found myself dropping off the back of the lead pack. My legs were loaded with lactic acid, and I was close to my limit. I knew if I let the pack go I would never get back into it. I closed my eyes and surged hard back up to the pack. This happened 2-3 more times in the race, and every time I hoped that was the last surge.

Starting the 3^rd lap, I suddenly felt more relaxed. We hit a long straight away and I decided to push to the front of the race. Running into the lead I pushed hard. I did not know how much longer we had in the race, but I knew it couldn’t be (or was hoping) much farther to the finish. It didn’t take long for 2 athletes to pass me back, and I slowly dropped off the back again. At this point I was committed and refused to give up. With about a half a mile to go I ran back into the lead. I pushed knowing I don’t have a strong kick. With 600 to go the leaders all strung out and put in one last final surge. This surge was one I could not hang with. The leaders slowly pulled away, but David Hickerson was only about 10 yards ahead of me. David ran for my dad and is a 3:50 1500m athlete. If anyone could kick it would be him. With 200 to go I simply focused everything I could on moving my legs as fast as I could, passing Hickerson right before the line. The second I crossed the line I knew I had left everything on the course. In my mind I knew I left it all out on the course, and the pain in my legs also confirmed this. At this point I could not help but smile. I had hung with the lead pack for most of the race, and set an 8k PR by over a minute. I had accomplished what I wanted to and in a matter of 25 minutes gained mountains of confidence in my ability to run.

Trying to out kick Hickerson to the line

Official Results

Grand Columbian Olympic Triathlon

The weekend before the Erick anderson/Runners soul open I raced an Olympic triathlon. My goal for the race was just to have fun. I have been racing a lot of half iron distance races this year and wanted to try an Olympic. There really isn't much to say about the race other than that I had a blast and got to hang out with a great group of people. I will just leave some pictures and a video link from the race.


Getting ready with some tri-fusion team mates



I love my Helix



Some fellow club members cleaned up the age group awards


You didn't race hard enough if you hair is not messed up at the finish :)

Thanks to Dave Erickson for making some sweet videos of the race. This is the last video of 5 you can check out his blog here to watch the rest of them.




Official Results

Lake Stevens 70.3 2010

We all have goals in life. Setting them is easy, but actually achieving life's goals can sometimes feel impossible. Before I started the 2010 triathlon season I set a goal that I wanted to be the top amateur across the line at either Boise 70.3 or Lake stevens 70.3. Once this goal started ringing in my head, I knew I had to accept a simple life lesson. You can not hope for the perfect day to come together if you truly want to achieve your goals. You have to prepare physically and mentally for things to go wrong. I spent many long hours training this winter knowing injury could occur at any time. Just when I was feeling in the best shape I have ever felt, injury knocked on my door and payed a visit. It really happened at the worst possible time. I was 2 months out from Boise and was told that I could not run a step the 8 weeks leading to the race. I had worked my butt off for pretty much a year, and as I stood at the finish line of the Boise 70.3 I realized I was no where even close to grasping my goal. I now had some massive work to do.

Fast forward two and a half months (from Boise)and I now found myself treading water at 6:30am on the start line in the waters of lake Stevens. The sun was slowly cresting the skyline and my second chance at my goal was now present. Nerves are always a factor before you start any race, but despite these nerves I knew I had no excuses. The horn went off and we were quickly under way. My race plan was simple. Focus 100% on what you are doing at the moment, and don't think about what is coming later in the day. The only time that matters is now. With this strategy set I focused on keeping strong technique in my swim stroke. A lead pack broke away from the main group and I pushed hard to stay with them, but they were gone. I found myself leading the second pack for the first half of the swim. At about half way another swimmer pulled up next to me, and I decided since we were swimming side by side I might as well grab some feet. The rest of the swim was pretty uneventful. My main thoughts were to keep the swimmer in front of me in sight, while also trying to relax my body as much as possible. As I exited the water and looked at my watch a smile spread across my face. I now had a new half iron swim PR :).

Swim 29:29









T1 was fast and furious as usual. My Helix came off super quick, and I hurried to get my helmet and sunglasses on. Leaving transition was a whirlwind. Due to the colder temperatures and moisture lake Stevens has in the mornings, my glasses were fogged up. My legs were screaming and my heart rate was skyrocketing. Simply put the first couple miles on the bike felt like chaos. All I thought about at that point was pushing my pedals over. The first lap was hard. It always seems like the terrain is changing on the lake Stevens bike course. One minute you are going up a hill, the next you are screaming down another. Some hills can be a little longer others are just a short tease. I just always felt that my rythm was constantly changing. Luckily I had done this race in 2009 and the feeling was almost the same. The first lap felt hard and chaotic, but the second felt great. As I rode the first loop I pushed knowing (maybe hoping) that this would be the case for 2010. It may have not been a good Idea, but I pushed hard banking on the thought that my legs would feel better on the second lap. Luckily for me experience( the little I do have :) ) came through, and as I started my second loop of the bike I began to feel strong and relaxed. Feeling good I rode the second loop with a bit of aggression. With only a short ways to go in the second lap I had passed the last athlete in my wave and was headed for transition. Once I entered T2 I did not know what my time was, but after looking at the results later I had ridden the fastest amateur time on the day (by one second), and flown on my airfoil a new half Iron Bike PR.

Bike-2:25:50






Leaving T2 I knew I was leading my wave, but I did not know what was going on in the other waves behind me. If I wanted to reach my goal, there was no time to relax. My legs felt fine, but my body felt a little strange. After the race my family told me that I looked a bit pale on the first lap of the run. I put a lot of energy out on the bike, and was beginning to wonder if I had spent too much of my energy too early. Regardless of whether I burnt myself up on the bike or not, the only thing that really mattered was focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. I had 13.1 miles to cover and lots of thinking about my ride was not going to give me any locomotion. After the first lap I began to push hard. Being that this course has some hills on the run, I approached all the up hills very slowly. When a descent came I really opened up the gas and at some points it probably looked like I was sprinting. The last 3 miles were spent in the hurt box (maybe the really hurt box). 3 miles is a short distance, but at the end of races it can sometimes feel like an eternity. As I turned to run the last 400 yards to the finish, I was more than happy to see the line. It only took one look at my watch, to bring a smile to my face. I was tired, but I knew this was a huge PR.

Run 1:17:55








Overall time- 4:15:42

I am super happy with my race at lake Stevens. After most of the waves had finished I knew I had reached my goal of being the top amateur at the race. All I can say is reaching my goal felt great. It took a ton of hard work, and despite some setbacks at the beginning of the season my goal still became a reality. A huge thanks to everyone that has encouraged me along the way. I have met some awesome people through this sport, and I appreciate their friendship. Spokane really is a great place to live and train. For now I have some summer to enjoy, and some more months left in the racing season. After that school begins again.

Official Results

Chelan Man half Iron 2010

Sometimes knowing what to expect from a race course is worse than racing a course for the first time and not knowing. Since I knew what to expect at this years race, I was preparing for a tough day with lots of heat. Last year this was the first triathlon I ever won, and I wanted to come back this year and see if I could defend my title.


Pretty excited about getting up at 4am



Getting my sweet B70 Helix on

The swim
This has to be my favorite part about racing in lake Chelan, the water is so clear and clean. All night the wind had been blowing pretty hard, and as we got ready to start the race the wind was not giving up. The water was choppy and wavy. The waves had moved the swim course buoys into an odd curved shape, and even though there was a line to follow under the water I decided to start on the other side of the crowd and just shoot straight for the far turn buoy. The race started and I pushed hard to get ahead of the main pack. With some luck I broke out the front of the main pack, and found myself swimming behind the leader for quite some time. This was awesome because he broke through many of the big waves for me. As we swam toward the far buoy I felt super relaxed. Getting closer to the far turn buoy I noticed we were also slowly creeping towards the underwater line, and as we got closer I noticed there was another swimmer parallel to us swimming along the line. We merged together right before the turn, and just before we made the turn I lost both of these athletes feet. I was actually ok with this because I knew I was still in 3rd overall. After the turn buoy I swam solo for quite some time and I eventually decided to take a look back and see who was behind me. Looking back I noticed about 4-5 athletes in a line behind me. I kept pushing hard. The waves that I thought would now be at our backs were actually hitting us from the side. You could almost say it encouraged some great side to side rotation ( only to one side though) in my swim stroke. I continued to swim solo for a while, but eventually one of the athletes in the pack behind me decided to pick up the pace and take over. I happily let him go buy and hopped on his feet. The only real goal I had at this point was to stick right on this athletes feet. Coming close to the end of the swim there was a pile of rocks that the race director warned us about. I went to the right of these rocks while the athlete ahead of me went left. We then found ourselves merging into each other, and our strokes were definitely colliding. At this point I just wanted to keep my straight line, and pushed harder to hopefully get ahead. The other athlete was probably thinking the same exact thing as we swam side by side, smacking arms with almost every stroke. As we came to the swim finish I stood up and noticed that the other athlete I was swimming with was John, a great athlete and a great guy from my home town. At Boise 70.3 we came out of the water at the same time, and I thought it was funny that it happened again.

I was really happy with my swim. John was 3rd out of the water and I was 4th. My time was about the same as last years, but the conditions slowed everyone's times down. Last year I was 21st out of the water at this race, and this year I was 4th so that is a huge improvement that I was very happy with.

Swim time- 30:30


If you look close you will notice there are two swimmers side
by side in this picture. I am the one on the right side, and
John is on the left.


Exiting the water



T1 is always frantic

The Bike
I really did not have a lot of pre race plans for this race, but one goal I had for the race was that I wanted to have the fastest bike split of the day. Coming out of T1 I could see my competition up the road, and I relaxed knowing I had time to slowly gain on them. This course starts with an out and back section that has quite a few rollers, then after you come back you take a right hand turn and complete two large climbs. It didn't take long to catch up to the leader, and after trading the lead with him for a while I decided to stay about 100 yards behind. Shortly after the turn around that gap started to grow and I was very slowly loosing ground on first place. I knew there wasn't time to worry about the leader slowly slipping away, and I focused and what mattered. Focusing on strong efficient pedal strokes, and I pushed onward. Around mile 30 I had lost more ground on the leader. I had actually lost site of him, and he had more than a half mile lead on me. This is the point where the two major climbs began. Both climbs really aren't that steep, but they are pretty long. It didn't take long before I could start to see the leader on the first climb, and as we descended down the backside of the climb I found myself again about 100 meters behind him. As we started the second climb (the biggest and longest of the day) I decided this is where I wanted to finish the race, regardless of how it would effect my run. I worked up and passed the leader, but on a flat section he passed me back. We hit another small climb and I passed him again, but again it didn't take long for him to pass me back. I knew we had one more climb left and I really gave a solid effort. After this long climb is a steep descent with a sharp left hairpin turn. Descending fast is free time, and I took the descent in a fairly risky fashion hoping to make up some more time on my competition. Once at the bottom of the descent my legs actually felt great! It was about 7 miles from here back to T2, and I was riding pretty hard. I was surprised at how good my legs felt at this stage of the race. Coming down the last long straightaway to T2 I glanced back and found that 2nd was no where in sight. In short I was very happy with my ride. It was the fastest ride of the day, and that what was on my mind leading into the race.

Bike time-2:31:37






Just leaving T1


Heading back into town after the two large climbs

The Run
Throwing down a great bike split is cool, but there is something I have learned watching triathlons. The best bike split does not come from the person with the fastest time on the bike The best bike split comes from the person who wins the overall race. So starting the run I knew I needed to make sure my effort on the bike was not in vain. For this run I tried something new. I took some nutrition with me as I ran (and ate less this race on the bike). I left a bag of Gu chomps lying on the ground in transition and as I ran out I placed them in my back pocket. This worked out really well! As I ran I would just chew on one chomp at a time, and I tried to spread them out throughout the first two thirds of the race. I started this race pretty conservatively. I will be honest and say that if there was one thing I was dreading from last year it was the run course. It is a great course, but It tends to be very hot (no shade at any point), and for the half iron race it can get pretty desolate at times with nothing around. I just kept telling myself to stay relaxed all the way to the turn around. I got to the turn around and felt great. As I looked at my watch one thing was now on my mind, The course record. I knew I would have to work for it, but I wanted to give it a go. Starting at about mile 8 I picked up my pace substantially. Every time I crossed a mile marker I would look at my watch and try to do the math in my head. The only verdict was that it was going to be close. By mile 10 I felt like I was running sub 5:30 miles (I still felt great though). The funny part of it all, was that at about this point Michael Gordon (the course record holder) was out spectating the race and rode by on his bike. He gave me some words of encouragement, and continued on down the course to cheer on some more athletes. He is an awesome athlete and a great guy. If he would have been racing, I am certain the course record(his own) would have fallen. By mile 11 I felt like the record was going to be a couple minutes out of reach, but I still kept a heavy pace because I really did no want to just give up. Mile 12 came and it suddenly looked like the record was within reach. I knew was that this was going to be close. I could see the park where the race finished. All I had left was a long straightaway down a hot road, a short steep climb, and a left hand turn to the finish. Even being only 2oo yards from the finish it was still very close. But when I entered the finishing chute I was certain. I had just missed the course record. I was 43 seconds off of it to be exact. I had given 120%, and in all I was still super happy with my day. I walked away with another win and defended my title form last year.

Run Time-1:23:59

Total time 4:28:04

Official Results




At mile 2 on the run


B70's new tri suits are amazing!



Downhill finish


A huge thanks to my sponsors and the crew at Nuun for supporting me. I would also like to thank my parents for coming out and cheering me on.

A cool story

Just thought I would pass along a cool story about one of our family friends, who has embarked on an epic journey. Dave Fuller is an assistant cross country coach with my dad Up at Ferris high school. He and his son have decided to ride across American unsupported this summer in order to raise funds for hospice. Here is an article about why they have decided to do it, and if you want to follow their journey you can follow their blog that will be updated as they go. You can also donate to the charity on their blog site.

Medical Lake Trailblazer Triathlon

I love small town laid back races. Having a relaxed atmosphere helps you loose those pre race nerves that often plague you before big races. There are a lot of things that make this race a blast, but one of the coolest parts about this race is being out on the course with so many friends. In spokane most Triathletes know each other, and when everyone gets together to race a good time always ensues.

This year Dave Erickson came and made a video of the race for everyone who competed to enjoy. He did an awesome job and we all owe him big time for making this sweet video. The video is divided into 3 parts (swim, Bike, Run). So instead of a long post about my race I will let the video do the talking. I will say I am very happy with my race results, and can't wait to race this race again in the future!


Part 1-The Swim


Part 2- The Bike


Part 3- The Run



Some more photos from the day

Boise 70.3

I don’t know what it is about Boise, but this race always hurts. My main goal for the race was to prove that even without my run I can still be competitive in a triathlon. I wanted to improve on my swim time from last year and also show that I can hold my own on the bike.

The swim-29:56

A photo taken by Alex Endo before the swim start

I have been working on my swim for a while now and I knew there really was no excuse not to beat last year’s time. How much faster would be the real question? Sitting in the water waiting for the gun I was actually pretty excited to get the race rolling. My wave headed out last, and after the horn sounded I just focused on a high turn over and getting out fast. I started on the far right side along the buoy line, and right away two swimmers shot off the middle. I quickly tried to get over to them to draft some feet, but they were quickly gone. It didn’t take long for another swimmer to pull up next to me, so I slowed down a little bit and pulled up on his feet. I held these feet all the way to the first turn buoy, but after the turn we were swimming through a huge crowd and I lost the feet I was following. I will admit I was a tad bummed I had lost the feet ahead of me. But none the less I kept pushing on, weaving through the waves of people that started ahead. Just before the last turn I glanced to my right, and noticed a white cap. After glancing over a couple more times I quickly realized that it was the feet I was following earlier. Sweet!! I moved to my right a little and was back on some feet. Finishing up the swim I felt very relaxed. This was my first race in my new Helix wetsuit and I can honestly say I loved the suit! As I stood up coming out of the water I looked at my watch and saw 29min. I was stoked, I wanted to break 30 min and I had achieved my first goal of the day. I was 4^th out of the water from my wave and my official time was 29:56. This is a six minute improvement over last years time. Huge thanks to Kevin our swim coach at Whitworth masters for working with me over the last year. My swimming has taken a huge jump, and I owe it to him pushing us in workouts at the pool

The bike-2:26:39

From the start of the bike I pushed a solid effort. The wind was absolutely brutal out on the course, and it took some focus to keep my bike upright. Due to the strong winds that were blowing, it became hard to stay in the aero position. I focused hard at staying low, and not getting out of aero. At one point early in the ride, I was riding by another competitor and the next thing I knew he was leaning on me due to a strong cross wind. I just leaned my shoulder into his as he yelled, “sorry I will get off your shoulder in 2 seconds”. Laughing, I told him it was ok. I guess doing some mountain bike races when I was young paid off J. I tried to ride controlled as I rode into the strong headwinds, and when a tailwind was present, I laid down the hammer. Nutrition wise the bike went great, the night before I laid out a plan of nutrition, and as I came off of the bike I felt well fueled. Although the bike was the windiest ride (in a race) I have ever done, it was also one of the best rides I have ever had. Yes the time was slow, but the effort was solid. Overall on the day only 2 other age group athletes out rode me, and this is a huge improvement over last year.

The Run-1:31:34

Starting the run

Finishing up the race

I started the run very conservatively, because I really had no idea what to expect. For the beginning 1/3 of the first loop, I was running very cautious and slow. I ran solo for a while, but it didn’t take long for an athlete to run up and pass me. At that moment my decision was to tack on and follow this athlete. It worked well for the remainder 2/3 of the first loop, I ran shoulder to shoulder and stride for stride with this other competitor. Shortly after the first lap he started to build a gap, and soon thereafter he was gone. The temps were hot, and people were cramping left and right. Due to my lack of running I wasn’t sure if I would be the next victim of cramps, but I had been drinking citrus Nuun all week to keep myself hydrated. Cramping never became a problem. Right around mile 8 things started going down hill, and my pace started to drop. Nutrition wise I was fine, and there was no pain from the injury in my leg. My legs were just working at their maximum capacity. I gave 110% on the run, and really a 1:31:34 was all I had for the race. I am happy I stuck the run out, as it was at times not easy to keep going. My plan to just put one foot in front of the other got me through the 2 loop run course.

Overall I am very happy with my race in Boise. I am happy that I have improved on my bike and swim, and now I just need to get back into running shape. A huge thanks to Dave Erickson for driving down with me. I had a blast and chances are I will back next year. If you are ever thinking about doing Boise 70.3, my advice is to go! The community support is awesome, and the venue is top notch. I love the idea of starting at 2pm, and wish there were more half Irons that started this late. So for now the main goal is to get back into shape, I will post on here what my next race will be. Thanks for reading.

Thanks Dave for the after race photo

Boise 70.3 Pre Race

This is my second day here in Boise and things are going great. Got some good pre-race workouts in and now it is time to hang out and get ready for the race. The race has not even started yet and I am already having a blast. I drove down with Dave Erickson, a local T.V. news anchor from Spokane who is not only covering the race but competing as well. This morning we got up early and headed out to lucky peak reservoir to get in a little swim, The water was a little cold (loose your manhood type cold), but one race day it really does not matter cause everyone has to deal with the temperature of the water. This is my first swim in my new Helix wetsuit , and it felt awesome! my confidence in breaking last years swim time just grew a little. Later in the day while out riding I saw an old rival from last year (Its a friendly rivalry) Matt Sheeks. I was riding in the opposite direction but once I saw Sheeks go by I quickly flipped a U turn. Last year at Lake Stevens 70.3 Matt passed me on the run, I passed him back, but with about 400 meters to go Matt returned the favor and beat me. He is racing Pro this year and after our ride is looking fit. My bike is all set up and ready to go, so for now I think I will go check out down town Boise, before I head out to the airport to pick up my dad.


If you want to check out some of the stuff Dave has been working on for the race, here are some videos. It is cool to follow Dave around while he interviews all the pros, and if he needs someone to hold the camera that is where my film shooting skills ( lack there of actually :) ) come into play.


Athlete Check in


Interviews with some of the Pro's
Chris Lieto


Craig Alexander


If you check out Dave's Blog covering his road to Boise you will find more videos leading into the race, more pro interviews, and a look at some of the race course.

The MRI resutls are in

Went and got an MRI done on my leg yesterday and the results are already back. I have never tried so hard to keep myself still. The MRI lasted 40 min and at one point I even fell asleep. once asleep I started moving so they had to restart, whoops. Long story short I have a bruised femur bone (already knew that) and a tear in the vastus lateralis muscle(new info). So for now the Onion man triathlon is out. I am also suppose to lay off of cycling for a little bit(whoops). The doctor said I can still do Ironman Boise 70.3, which is good because I am getting a little anxious to race. My training will be a little sparse for Boise ( no running for the 7 weeks leading into it), but that is fine and I am still gonna give it my best shot.

Unload, sort, stack

If only this sweet song was playing while I worked :).

300 miles later

After 300 miles spent just this week on my Kestrel airfoil, It is time for a review. I wanted to wait until I spent some time on the bike before I gave my Impressions. Here are 5 thoughts on my new ride.

1. The weight-As the old saying goes "Aero trumps weight", But what happens when your bike has every aerodynamic advantage (and more) than your previous bike, and is 4 pounds lighter(yes this is weighed at a LBS)? Its a thing of beauty. The obvious place you would notice this is while climbing, but I have actually also noticed things like trying to get up to speed after standing at a traffic lite are a much quicker process.
2. The Geometry-The airfoil allows you to ride in a steep, yet comfortable position. Most TT bikes are built to be ridden in Time trials, and built for pro cyclists riding in a grand tour. The airfoil is built for the needs of the triathlete, offering a steep front end for aerodynamics, but achieving it with a geometry that is still comfortable. (I would also like to thank Todd at TTbike fits.com for helping find the right position.)
3. No Seat tube-Yes it is a little strange, but this bike has no seat tube. At first I did not know what to think of this. (and yes your buddies you ride with will try to think of stupid jokes of what happened to your seat post) But I quickly came to love the Idea that I no longer hear that horrid sound of gravel tearing through the carbon of my rear wheel cutout.
4. Descents- Yes the climbing is great on this bike(for a TT bike), but the descents are even better. I no longer get squirrelly when I am flying down a hill. I feel it is because the Kestrel has a longer wheel base, but when I am flying down hills (50mph reached so far) the bike stays straight as an arrow, and you feel nothing but smooth sailing.
5. The name- So when I got the bike I quickly looked up on wikipedia to see what a kestrel actually was. I had visions of a huge prehistoric sized bird that strikes fear into small asian towns, leaving their villages torched from the flames the bird spews from its mouth. But in reality it is actually a small hawk, about the size of bird my cat caught the other day. So I guess I won't be getting a tattoo on my arm after all.

In Nutshel-I love my new ride.

Quick Update

Most people have already heard this, but for those who were wondering why I did not run Bloomsday (yes it was awhile ago) there is a reason why. The day after the spokane river run I took a spill on mybike. Yes I was riding slow, yes I was pretty much on flat ground with nothing around, and yes I quickly got up and looked around to make sure no one saw my stupid crash. Long story short, after going to the doctor I found out that I bruised my femur bone. It has been 3 and a half weeks since the crash and i still can't run a mile without pain setting in. I am going back to the doctor today to check and make sure that nothing else is going on besides the bruised bone.

Really where this puts me is with no excuses not to be in the pool and on my bike every day. In the long run it could be a good thing. Right now I hate not running and not being able to race. But with running being my stronger discipline of the 3 sports, I am confident that I can pick up my run fitness very quickly. So this time period will give me a chance to hopefully get much stronger in my cycling and swimming.

A Great Excuse

So while my sweet new Kestrel is being built, I currently do not have a Triathlon bike to train on. This gives me a great excuse to go ride my mountain bike! All I can say is that I am lucky to live where I do. With trails like this pretty much off my front porch, What more could you want?

BTW- Sorry if the video is a little bumpy my single speed has no suspension.

Watch Riding Deep creek in Sports | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Spokane River Run

All I can say is that this has to be my favorite race. Why you might ask?

1. It is 5 min from my house.
   
2. I train on these trails every day.
3. probably one of the most amazing courses I have ever run!
4. Always a great crowd participating in the races.

I decided this year to step up to the 25k distance. Honestly my main goal was to get the course record(1:34:30) at the 25k distance. It would be the longest race I have ever run (15.6 miles), but knew the awesome trails and views would help the time fly by! The day before I rode the course on my Mt. bike just so I knew what to expect. After the ride the plan was made, and points of attack decided.

Lining up for the race I could not help but think how the weather could not be any more perfect. I guess just another reason to make this my favorite race :).

As the race started I decided to run a pace that felt relaxed, not worrying about what paces the other competitors were starting at. I had the lead from the start but Second place was hanging about 200 yards back and looked strong. If there was one thing I would change about my race, it would be the fact that I spent way too much time worrying about what second place was doing. Staying focused and running my own race would have been a much better plan. The rest of the race was filled with rocky climbs, great views, and windy single track trails(a great combination if you ask me). I crossed the line in 1:30:40 (5:50/mi pace) and had achieved what I set out to do. As of right now I hold the 10k (32:38) and 25k (1:30:40) course records. There are two other races that occur on the same day(5k/50k), and eventually I would like to some day try and hold all four records. We will see I really am not chomping at the bit to run a 50k anytime soon. So there you have it a sweet and simple post for a sweet race. I will leave you with some more pictures of the days run though :)

Trying to keep the pace relaxed at mile 3

Fueling up with some Gu, and Nuun at mile 9


The last small climb of the day

Next Event
Bloomsday run

Monday

The components of a great Triathlon run week

Spring has sprung and before you know it, the Triathlon season will be upon us. With any task in life the goal is to finish strong, and your next triathlon should be no different. Knowing you have strength to finish your last event in a triathlon(the run), can be a huge confidence booster. So lets start with what the main components of run week are, and then we will talk about how to put the components together.

Main Components of a run training week

1.Medium long run- This run is a relaxed pace run that is just a tad shy of your long run. I usually undertake this run as part of an easy day. The idea? get out the door, relax and enjoy your run. In my training for example I run 8-10 on my medium long run days and 13-15 on my long days.

2.Speed days on the track- There is a reason I did not simply write speed days. As much as we all hate going to the track(I despise it) and running our guts out, the truth is it gives you a workout that is hard to find anywhere else. the track is a super easy way to compare times in an almost controlled environment. An a example of a track session is.

2 mile warm up

6x800 with a 200 jog rest in between (NO WALKING)

2 mile cool down

The reality is track workouts are simple. choose a pace at which you want you run your 800's and try to keep them consistent throughout the 6.

3.Long run days-Long runs are usually a time when we throw pace out the door and just worry about time or mileage. Don't! Long runs can start easy, but after the first 3-4 miles you should be picking up the pace a bit, and running a steady effort. Don't run your brains out, but give it an honest effort.

4.Tempo runs-Go for a run that is divided into 3 sections. First is the warm up run, easy and relaxed. Next is the middle section of the run where you are running at a face upbeat pace. This pace should not quite be as fast as your track session but close. After this do yourself a favor and cool down.

5.Recovery runs- For many recovery may result in a day off, but it is good for the body to keep moving. Recovery runs are simple. Just get out and run. It doesn't really matter how fast or far (sometimes I just run an easy two miles).

6.Brick Run-Bricks are runs where you first cycle then Immediately following your ride, go for a run. A brick run is only necessary one day a week. It mainly gives you confidence to know that you can run off the bike.

These are the components of a solid run week. Now the question is how do you put it all together? The key is when you have a hard day follow it by a recovery or easy day. Don't stack two hard days back to back. Here are two examples

6 Runs a week

Sunday-Medium long run

Monday-Track session

Tuesday-Off day

Wednesday-Long run

Thursday- Recovery run

Friday-Tempo run

Saturday- Brick Run

5 Runs a week

Sunday-Long run

Monday-day off

Tuesday-Tempo run

Wednesday-Short Brick run

Thursday-Medium long run

Friday-Track session

Saturday-off day

One last note. Speed work (Tempo runs and track workouts) are something that you should not just jump into. It is important to have a solid base before completing these. Read more about Base work Here

Getting Crazy!!

Well my spring break officially ended today, and like most college kids I am trying to recover from the last's weeks activities. No I didn't go to cancun, or get wild in some exotic location. I had a date with the Roads, pools, and trails of Spokane. If you are ever curious as to what a week of training looks like for me. here is your chance.

Sunday- Run- Easy 8.5 miles @6:50/mi pace
Swim- A great swim with Roger and Nate 4,200yards

Monday- 40 miles hard on the bike followed promptly by Speed workout(8 miles) with the ferris boys on the track. Night swim of 3,500 yards with the Whitworth masters group.

Tuesday- 70 miles on the bike at a solid effort. and a night swim that never happened :)

Wednesday- morning run of 14 miles at 6:55 pace. Masters swim of 3,000 yards.

Thursday- 41 miles of hard intervals on the bike. In the evening an easy 4 mile run

Friday- Morning tempo run (8.5 miles), easy 30 mile ride, Friday night masters swim (2,800 yards)

Saturday- 84 mile ride with Sam, Troy, Sean, Paul, and others (awesome ride). evening run of 6.5 miles.

Weekly totals -Swim 13,400 yards, Bike- 265 miles, Run-49.5 miles

So there you have it. For now its back to school. Summer and the race season will be here before you know it.

Ch-Ch-Changes

2010 is now well under way, and I have some sweet new changes to kick off the season!

I have been selected to be apart of the New Nuun-Blueseventy Tri project elite squad. Fresh for 2010 the team consists of 15 members. I am thankful for this huge opportunity and consider it an honor to work with two of the Leading companies in today's triathlon industry. Not only have Nuun and Blueseventy created a new team, but they have also enlisted an all star line up of sponsors to support our team. Supporting our journey will be.

• Kestrel Bicycles

• Fuel Belt

• Bont cycling

• GU energy Labs

  

• TT bike Fit.com

• 2xu compression

• Speedfil hydration systems

To bring these products together is something that is very exciting. All that is left to do is let the racing begin!


Another sweet change is a new job. You will now find me working at Runnerns Soul in downtown Spokane. I have already started working here and can say I love it! If you are in the market for some sweet new shoes, got some running questions, or just wanna come hang out. Come down and give us a visit!

P.S. For those of you that see me working around Safeway, you can still find me working there too :).