Josh's Adventures

It's good to be back!

2011-12-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

After taking a break from the blogging world I am now back and ready for 2012. The 2011 season ended early due to a stress fracture in my foot, and shortly after that school started back up. During that time I took the longest break from training that I have ever taken. This gave me the opportunity to work much more than I normally do. The Goal this fall has been to save up as much money as I can, allowing me to have a race budget for the 2012 season.

Although a long break was not on the schedule, it has been very good for me. It has mentally and physically given me a refresher. Taking time off of something you love makes you realize how much you truly like doing it, and has caused me to take a step back and reflect on why I do this sport. It gave me a moment to look at where I am as an athlete and where I want to be in 2012.

My 2012 Racing Schedule is up and posted on my website.

2012 Goals

Every year I write goals. I feel they are very important in keeping me working towards a larger picture. Something I never do though is tell many people what my goals are. This year I have decided to something different. Here are my athletic goals for 2012.

Running

● Break 14:45 in a 5k on the track

● Break 1:08:00 in a half marathon

Triathlon

● Break 27:00min in a half iron swim

● Ride within 5% of the fastest bike split at a race

● Have the fastest run split at every race I enter

● Break into the top 5 at a larger race (Rev3, Ironman, wildflower)

● Finish within 3% of winner

● Race and Complete 5 half Ironmans

The only thing left now is lots of hard work, and no excuses.

Demand More From your Sport

2011-08-22T21:53:00.002-07:00

If you race triathlons for any time at all there is something you will quickly notice. Triathlon races are a product, and just like any product you can buy at the store some companies make a great product while others struggle. With companies like Challenge, Ironman, Revolution 3, Tri-star driving the price of our sport up. It is up to us as athletes to maintain the quality in the products we buy.

It really is simple. If you don't buy a product, the smart companies will realize they need to improve. If you keep paying for a horrible product companies won't change and take your money happily. This year more than ever I have raced in and noticed races that are cutting corners left and right. They are putting out a horrible product that we as athletes are paying way to much for. As much as I hate the price of the larger events like Ironman, for the most part their product has a high quality and this is reflected in the very large price tag (yes there is still some large names that put on bad events). What I have seen though is smaller races that jack up their prices because Ironman is doing it, while they deliver no where near the product that someone like Ironman or Rev3 does.

If I sign up for an Olympic distance triathlon, I want to swim a 1500, Ride a 40k, and run a 10k. Yes I understand if things are slightly off, but a swim that is 600 meters short I feel is plain lazy on the race directors part. Recently I watched a half Ironman In my home town that had a swim that was well over distance and a bike that was 4 miles to far. This race also had athletes riding through intersections with a 50mph speed limit that were not protected (I hope you look both ways before you cross). This is exactly what bugs me. Race directors who cut corners and throw together a weak product hoping people will still show up and fill their pockets. Weak products weaken our sport, and get rid of any validity we might ever have.

Triathlons are hard events to compare with one another. Most of the time you are racing for placement in the field and not shooting for a certain time. This is due to a dependence on conditions like wind and temperature. These conditions should really be the only variance we see in races. When a race is 4 miles to long one year than 3 miles to short the next, you can never have things like course records. When an athlete records a fast amazing time people will immediately question the course and call it short. Thus our sport has lost its validity. Can Ironman call the record breaking time in their Austrian race a record when the bike for years has been and was 3 miles short? They really shouldn't, but they did.

I am writing this post to encourage my fellow athletes to hold onto the quality of our sport. If you race an event that is a poor quality event for the price being charged, let the race director know. If a race director still does not change, don't support the event. You wouldn't pay full price for for a remodel job on your house that was not complete or horribly done, so don't support race directors that do the same.

Timeline

2011-08-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Due to a stress fracture in my right foot the rest of my season has been put on hold. This is what I have been up to since Rev3 Portland.

Rev3 Portland- I raced in Rev 3 Portland. (can't wait to race more Rev 3 events) This is where I first noticed something was wrong in my foot.
Road trip- Immediately after the race I hopped on a plane and flew to Denver. My Girlfriend just recently moved from Denver to Spokane. So We took a pretty cool (fast) 18 hour road trip driving her car and some belongings up to Spokane. There were some places along the route that I defiantly want to go back and visit some day.
Work Trip- Two days after getting home from my road trip, I had an amazing opportunity through work to go and attend the inaugural Dendoshi Brand development even't that Mizuno running North America put on. The conference was held on the Lake Lanier Island resort in Georgia, and was a beautiful location. It was 3 days packed full of meetings but I learned a lot of things at this event and am very glad I went. You also can't beat a Free trip (thank you Mizuno). Mizuno is a company that is very passionate about what they do. They are also deeply tied and loyal to their history as a company(mizuno is 106 years old by the way). They are always learning from successes and failures they have had as a company to continue to improve their products.

The Lake- Shortly after the Mizuno trip I headed up to our family lake Cabin at Priest lake to really just enjoy the summer, and also enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with my family. Most Summers I skip family trips and vacations because I can't miss the training time. But since an injury was forcing some time off I loved the opportunity to hang out at the lake.
Painting the house- My parents started a project this summer of painting their house, and we all were wondering how to paint the high parts. After some thought I came up with a plan and it worked. Luckily OSHA did not drive by :) .

New on the North side!- Most people already know this but a new Runners Soul has opened on the north side of Spokane. When I wasn't painting the house the other place I could be found was setting up and working at the new store. If you have not stopped by come check out or new location (10208 N. Division). It is going to be pretty sweet!

Watching some races- Spokane has some pretty cool events. Two recent ones that I watched/worked at are the Troika half iron(we will call it a 74.6 :) ), and the hot summer nights 5k series. Troika rocked this year! There was a stacked field of local athletes that really raced hard and created a great race to watch. It was fun to follow the race all day on my bike and watch things unfold. Congrats to Troy Nelson for running away with the win.

The next race I worked at was the Hot summer nights 5k series. If you are looking for a race that is cheap ($5 you can't get much cheaper), and a blast you really should come out for the last race of the series this next Wednesday. Did I mention the insane amount of prizes that are given away. Robyn wanted to do something a little more than just standing on the corner and telling people which way to turn, So we decided to add a little sound to our corner with some Kriss Kross and salt and pepper pumping people along. It took me awhile to figure out how to mount a 90's boom box to the back of my tandem, but I got it and we had fun.

Mt. Spokane Hill climb- I wanted to do this race after I knew I couldn't run. But as the summer unfolded I rode a lot less than planned. It was the night before this race and I had mentally backed out due to the fact that I had not ridden a bike for two weeks. Luckily my neighbor called me and talked me back into it (I owe him one). All I can say is that hill climbs Hurt!! I had fun though. I have never held my heart rate that high for that long. My average heart rate was 193BPM for 53min. I added some data from the day. If you want the direct link here it is. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/106656494

Whats next?- Although this season did not go as planned, I still feel very blessed to live the life I do and have the opportunities that I have. I will be continuing school here in September. So for now the plan is to work as much as I can and save up money for next season. I also want to find a coach. Every year at this time I set out on the hunt for a coach and end up deciding to coach myself again. I don't want that to happen again. So for now the goal is to find the right coach at the right price. The rest of the summer will be filled with mainly work and starting structured training again. This time off has made me anxious to get back at it.

**If you own a business (or now anyone who does), and would like to know how sponsoring a professional athlete can benefit your company, don't hesitate to contact me. I am looking for a sponsor who can help cover part of the cost of coaching.

Rev 3 Portland

2011-07-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

When I heard Rev3 was posting a race in the Northwest I knew I wanted to be racing at their event. I was excited to race a tough hard course that featured downtown Portland. When I was notified that the course was changed to a flatter course I originally was not excited. But this disappointment soon changed. I realized that I have never raced a fast course like this and it would be something new, offering a great test for me. I am going to keep this blog short.

The swim-31:41

My swim skin from blue seventy was great!
The water felt awesome and I was not cold at all.
Ok yes my swim was a disaster :)
I better get back into the pool.

The bike- 2:15:10

Due to my slow swim I spent the majority of the bike alone.
The first lap of the course felt great, but half way through the second lap I was ready to get off the bike and start running.
I tried to ride within myself, and set myself up for a solid run.
I actually liked how you could always see your competition at every turn around.

The run-1:11:59

Yes I know what you are thinking, How short was that course? I asked other pro's who wore Garmin watches and most had exactly 13 miles, so we were about .1 short.
I ran with my Garmin watch for the first time ever in a race to pace myself, and yes I will probably be doing this in the future :).
I have never felt so relaxed and happy while running in a triathlon.
I am thrilled with this effort and I feel like I have now started to run at a level I feel I am capable of.

Total Time- 4:03:00

I would like to give a huge thanks to Mike and the crew and Blue Seventy for helping me get a swim skin for the race, Gu Energy supplied me with all my nutrition for the race and all I can say is I didn't feel anywhere close to bonking. I would also like to thanks Manny and the crew at Fitness Finatics for letting me borrow a disk wheel for the race.

Here are some photos from race day

Some New Photos

2011-06-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

Recently one of my friends and old Co-workers from Safeway asked me if I wanted to take some photo's with him. He recently started his own photography business and does some great work. You can check out his website at www.ArelM.com.

Change of Plans

2011-06-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

After being sick for two and half weeks, I decided at the last minute to pull the plug on Boise 70.3. I was kind of disappointed to not show up, but I knew my lack of training the last 2.5 weeks had left me a little unprepared to race a half iron distance race. I still wanted to race something on that weekend though, so I decided to find something local. This found me at the Moses Lake Olympic triathlon.

Really my goal for the race was to just have fun. The distances tend to be off at this event, so I knew goal times would not matter. Overall I am happy with the race. At the awards ceremony the race director announced that I had the new course record, but I know the swim was short again this year like it had been in previous years, so I don't think they can ever really claim course records on that course. For now it is back to training and getting in shape for Rev 3 Portland which is only 3 weeks away.

Official Results

Here is short video from the race

Racing HQ

2011-05-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

The room of a student/athlete in his 20's is usually not a clean one. This is where I start and end my days. Here is a look at a young triathletes room.

Training and racing shoe of choice.
My Messy desk

Rush Hour 2 might just be my favorite movie :).

Workouts, Race results, testing results, goals, training plans, race strategies. They are all in this black binder.

I will admit I like to cut photo's out of magazines and put them in places where I can see them daily.

Some books from school

Who doesn't have a foot bowl?

My cracked frame that is now on chandelier duty

Swim bag and my old wetsuit hanging out

An old bag from high school. Arcadia is an amazing race.

The daily workout board. It really does not get used as much as it should, we will call it the couple times a week workout board :).

Some #'s from races.

My Red ryder BB gun sits behind the door in case of emergency. Have only shot myself in the eye once with this bad boy.

I like maps, and this is a very old(50's) map from a class room.

Bike box waiting to go on a trip soon.

The table that gets piled with junk after rides. Don't let this picture fool you, I cleaned it up a little.

Some magazines for reading. Lava is becoming my favorite of the two.

The bikes sitting on the wall.

Waiting for the next race!

Pretty much the gear closet. Shoes, helmets, bike parts, clothes, wetsuits, Race gear, training gear and one big organized mess.

Shoe rack #2, I am starting to think I might have a shoe problem.

Wildflower

2011-05-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

As athletes we always have doubts. For me the words "what if" travel through my mind more than they probably should. What if I am not ready, what if I fail, what if everything I have worked towards falls to pieces? It is an easy whirlwind of thoughts to get your mind caught up in. But one of the biggest parts of being an athlete is confronting these doubts and taking a risk. I had doubts going into wildflower on whether I was ready or not to step up to a higher level of competition. I can now say I am super glad I went to wildflower and raced, and it just might be one of my favorite races :).

Race morning started at just after 5am. I could hear a random guy yelling "good morning wildflower", just as he had done the morning before. I crawled out of my tent and ate some breakfast. Usually when I travel to races I can never sleep the night before a race. But for some reason I slept super well the two nights leading into this race. My accommodations were an old tent that I bought in 4th grade at Fred Meyer, it was missing the rain fly, and had seen some better days. I took the foam out of my bike box, and used it as padding between my sleeping bag and the ground. I did not have room for a pillow, so a sweatshirt did the trick. When it comes to trips I tend to be the person who is unprepared. In high school I spent two weeks at a running camp sleeping under a beach towel because I forgot my sleeping bag. After eating I gathered my stuff together in a back pack, hoped on my bike and headed down the hill to transition. Set up did not take me long and before I knew it I was in the water warming up for my race.

The swim

They started us off with a long countdown. I decided to position myself towards the back because I knew that swimming is not my strength. There is no point in starting out front and getting in the way of the other athletes. I dove into the water, and for the first 200 meters got pummeled. The first turn buoy was right behind the sun and I think because of this all of us were running into each other. I worked at staying calm and keeping good form. I honestly thought I would be by myself in this swim, but to my surprise I was sticking with people. The lead pack pulled away pretty quick, but a smaller pack formed and I joined in. Once we hit the farthest point on the course I decided I wanted to push harder, and pulled out from the pack and pushed to the front. It took some time but I eventually made my way to the front. Minus the initial 200 meters my swim felt super relaxed. I really have not worn a wetsuit since September, and my helix still felt just as comfortable as when I got it last year. As I swam up to the swim exit I really did not know what to expect for a time. As I stood up and looked at my watch I was super happy to see 27 minutes and 48 seconds. This is a huge improvement for me, and although it is not a fast time for most pro's it is a PR for me and you always have to be happy with a PR. In 2009 at my first half ironman event my swim time was a 35:19, so I am glad the time in the pool is paying off and improvements are still being made. I am hoping to keep the ball rolling and slowly keep progressing.

Swim-27:49

The Bike

Wildflower starts with a steady climb out of transition that lasts for a while. Everyone I had talked to before the race told me to just stay relaxed, and don't get anxious at the start. Sadly I did not listen to this advice. I started the bike quick, and passed Matt Shryock and Brendan Halpin (two athletes from Missoula). I could also see other athletes ahead of me and worked hard to catch them and then build a gap between me and them. As I made it to the top of the first hill, I noticed the winds were starting to pick up, and I knew it was going to be a hard day. I knew with a strong headwind it would be important to stay down in my aero bars. I did a good job of this the first portion of the ride, and I caught and passed quite a few athletes that had swam faster than me. About half way through the ride though the wind started to chip at me. Matt Shryock and Brendan Halpin were slowly gaining on me, and instead of staying in my aero bars up small climbs I found myself standing up and trying to power through the wind. Just before mile 40 Matt caught me, and not much longer after that Brendan also made a move. They were both riding smart and looked strong and powerful. At this point we made a right hand turned and started to head towards "nasty grade". I could still see both Matt and Brendan but they were slowly starting to pull away. I had heard a lot about nasty grade, but if anything I knew this hill would help me. Being that I am less than 130 lbs hills tend to give me an advantage over my competition. I passed two more athletes up nasty grade, butt the two Missoula boys were pulling away even quicker at this point. Eventually I lost sight of them, and tried to stay relaxed. I was still pulling away from the rider behind me, and with less than 10 miles to go I started to prepare my mind for the run.

Bike-2:32:29

The Run

The temperatures started to climb at this point. The first mile of the run I tried to just get my legs underneath me. I caught another athlete pretty quickly, and built a pretty solid gap. As I continued to run I could not see anyone on the trails in front of me. I started to wonder how far behind I was. After another 2 miles of running I saw another athlete and worked on pulling him in. I passed him on the long climb just after mile 3 and continued down the trail. At around mile 6 I caught and passed another athlete and put about 600 meters on him. It was at this point I passed some University of Montana students who were working an aid station, and they told me Brendan Halpin was just up the trail. This gave me some motivation and I pushed hard to try and catch him. Eventually the trail merges with the road, and It was at this point I saw quite a few athletes, Jordan Rapp, Matt Lieto, Bjorn Anderson and a bunch of other big names were all running in the opposite direction. Brendan Halpin was about 100meters up the road at this point, and I was still working to pull him in. The road continued to head downhill and I noticed the athlete I had passed before was slowly closing on me. At this point I was looking and hoping that the turn around to come back up the hill would appear at any second. We had about two miles to go and I knew I was running out of gas. As soon as I made the turn to head back up the hill, I knew I was blown. My pace had dropped considerably, and about half way up the hill I was passed back. I tried to hang on for as long as I could, and eventually we caught another athlete. He was blown up worse than I was, and I made the pass. The last mile of this race is all down hill so I kept telling myself to just make it to mile 12. The other athlete was pulling away and I just had to hold my position. Once I made it to mile 12 I started to get excited. I looked back and saw no one behind me on the last downhill. I made it to the bottom and ran through the finishing chute. I had completed my first wildflower. If there is anything in this race I am disappointed in, it is my run. I trained for and planned on a run that was much faster. But what I ran is what I had on the day. I guess I gotta go back to the drawing board and change something.

Run- 1:21:08

Overall time -4:24:48

There are a lot of people that helped me get to the starting line of this race. I will be posting a blog post about them shortly, but this race would not have been possible without the help of the Bloomsday Road Runners club. I also have to give I huge thanks to fitness fanatics. I cracked my bike frame 2 weeks before the race. I showed up the day before I needed to head out for wildflower with a frame, and they were amazing about helping me get my bike built up so that I could be on my way to California. Since I am not old enough to rent a car in California, I also owe a huge thanks to Kara for driving me around. I learned so much from this race. It has left me with quite a bit of motivation, and has shown me a lot of things that I need to work on to continually improve.

Slammin saturdays

2011-03-26T16:05:00.001-07:00

Today I decided to do a longer workout that incorporated some race style intensity. My main goals were A)to practice pacing myself for a longer effort, B)To practice fueling for close to 6 hours of working out, and C)to practice running on heavy legs. The workout consisted of a 40 mile ride, 8 mile run, 40 mile ride, 8mile run. The first bike and run were meant to be easier efforts to set myself up for a solid bike and run for the second time around. I must say I will be doing this type of workout more in the future. I have never done a workout that felt so close to racing, both in effort and intensity. Transitions between bikes and runs were about 2 minutes.

Bike 1-http://connect.garmin.com/activity/75250182

40 miles -average speed 20.9 mph

Run 1-http://connect.garmin.com/activity/75250906

8 miles-average pace 6:21 per mile

Bike 2-http://connect.garmin.com/activity/75250161

40 miles- average speed 22.4 mph (same loop as the first)

Run 2-http://connect.garmin.com/activity/75250896

8 miles- average pace 6:00 per mile (same loop as the first)

Now I am gonna go sleep for a couple days :)

First Race of the 2011 Season

2011-03-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have raced anything (my last race was in September). So I decided a week ago it is time to find a race. I am always uncertain at the beginning of the season because I never know where my fitness is at. This is the main reason I signed up for the St. Paddy's five, I wanted to test where my early season fitness is at, and practice getting my head into race mode. I am very happy with the day. I set a PR for 5 miles, and feel like my run is on track for 2011. Here are some photos from the race. It was great to see so many friendly faces out on the course today.

Official results

Kids and Sports

2011-02-27T21:59:00.000-08:00

In many of my recent conversations the topic of children and sports has continually come up. Specifically the question of how young is too young for competition. I struggle with this question a little bit because A. I am very young and do not have my own kids, and B. this can be so dependent on individual kids. What I can offer people though is the experience I have had competing at a younger age, and what I have seen in many of the athletes I have grown up with.

Most people know that I have grown up with a Dad who was a very fast runner, and he is also currently one of the top high school cross country coaches in the nation. My sister was a state champion and ran on a full scholarship for a DI school. I guess you could say I have grown up around the sport. Seeing my dad run from a very small age, and growing up around his athletes defiantly planted beliefs in my mind from an early age. The first time I ever ran for a time was in 3rd grade. We had to run the mile in P.E., and I ran the fastest time in the class. Up to this point I never ran, I was a carefree kid who's parents let me spend my days playing with the neighbor kids in the woods behind my house building forts. But after that day in P.E. running became a form of social acceptance. I wasn't the biggest kid in school (I am still pretty short :) ), and this was the first thing I found that somewhat defined who I was. My new definition became "the fast kid". I was excited to run home and tell my dad what I had completed the mile in that day. When I told him what I had done he smiled, but was more concerned about if I had fun running. It wasn't until almost a year later that I ran again. The lady who babysat me after school had enrolled her kids in the cross country program at a local elementary school, and asked my parents if it was ok for her to sign me up. My parents asked if I wanted to do it and I said sure. For me at that moment I wasn't sure if I liked running or not. I won the 4 races we ran that season (1.5miles), and it was at this point running changed for me. My parents never put any pressure on me, they did not care about what times I ran, there only concern was that I was having fun. People would put expectations on me and my dad would quickly play them down. But as a kid I would hear these expectations from other people outside my family, and wanted to fulfill them.

Everywhere I went from that point on I would hear the words "that is Hadway's kid". This built a thought in my mind at a very young age that I wanted to make my dad and mom proud. I was running at this point to fulfill the expectations that other people outside my family had put on me. In middle school I was still enrolled at a private school, and they did not really have a middle school cross country program so I just ran with the high school team. As middle school went on the shoes I felt I had to fill kept growing, the only way to fill these shoes was to run faster. It really was at this point that a hatred for running started inside of me. I liked to make my parents proud and I liked to please others, but I really did not like running for what it was.

I won most of my races in middle school and won the all city meet both years (still only racing 1.5 miles). With every good result I had, I also felt the bar of expectation raise. My sister was winning races left and right at this point, and was looking like the favorite for the state title. Outside of school I was know as Hadway's kid, but in school I was also know as Ashley's little brother. These were expectations I felt I had to fill.

Once I hit my freshman year of high school, I really did not like running. My coach would tell us to go run and I would go sit on the train bridge for 40 minutes of my 60 min run. I did like the attention I got at races, but besides that there was nothing I liked about running. I was known for going to races and taking them out blazing hard, and then fading to 3rd or 4th. I placed top ten at state my freshman year, and could not wait for the off season so I could sit around and not run. I ran the 3months each track and cross country season and that was it, nothing more than I had to.

My sophmore year saw expectations grow even larger, and with that my hatred for running was at an all time high. I ran, I had no idea what I liked about it, but I was out there doing it. My cross country season unfolded very well, I placed 2nd at most races behind my team mate Steve who ended up running on a full scholarship for a DI school after his senior year. Sate cross country ended up being a let down, and I did not perform well. I placed well behind people that I had beat handily all year. I think physically I had the ability to run faster, but mentally there was no motivation. It was at this point I needed a change. I told my parents I no longer wanted to go to a private school, and wanted to go to mead high school (a nearby public school). The only problem with this was that mead high school was over capacity, and being a student that was out of district there was no chance of me getting in. What did end up getting me into the school was my ability to run. Mead high school at that time had arguably the nations top cross country program. They were coached by Pat Tyson. He was roommates with Steve Prefontaine in college, and ran at a high level for the university of Oregon. In his time at mead he had 11+ state titles (9 of those being in a row), and had countless teams ranked #1 in the nation. Mead was also the main rival for my dads team. But my dad did not care. He wanted me to be happy and go to school where I wanted.

Running at Mead was a big change. We had practices twice a day. The first practice was at 5am before school year round, and the second was after school. Expectations were high, and I was breaking down hard physically and mentally from the running, and trying to fill these expectations. I think the only reason I did not quit before the end of the track season was the fact that I was penalized for being an out of district athlete. This penalty forced me to run JV for a year. The only thing running through my mind at this point was that I wanted to quit running. Every step I took running I hated. I really did not let my parents know this though. I still wanted to make them proud, and fill the expectations others had put on me. By this point most coaches in spokane knew I was Hadway's son and expected great things out of me. Running JV, the season was pretty uneventful. My times got much faster, and people were expecting great things of me come fall cross country. Once school ended running did not. Athletes on the team had to go to flathead running camp, and our team stayed for both sessions (2weeks) when all other schools only stayed for 1 session. This camp was where I hit my limit. I could not do it anymore. Looking back at it now there was nothing wrong with the camp. It actually really is a great camp, but if you don't like running, 3 runs a day is not your first choice for spending two weeks of summer break. I could not fake it anymore. I wanted to quit.

I returned from this camp and ran 1 week of summer practice, It was at this point I went to my parents and told them I wanted to quit. They supported my decision knowing that I was probably throwing away a scholarship to college down the road. They never tried to convince me to go back to running and I know my Dad got a lot of questions and heat from a lot of people as to why I was not running. My dad knew though that if I did not love running, it was a waste of time to make me do it. He wanted me to pursue something I had passion for. I got a job a couple months later as a bag boy at Safeway, and that ended my running career. I was a sophomore in high school.

From this point on I went from being the "fast kid", to being know as "a waste of talent". I avoided kids on the team and my coach. I really was done with running and did not want to listen to them try and get me back on the team. Looking back at all of this now, I can say that quitting running in high school was one of the best decisions I ever made. I would not be the person or athlete I am today If I would have kept running. Physically I had some ability, but mentally I was not tough and did not have my heart and mind engaged towards running.

My passion for triathlons today is something that I found and love. I don't do it to please anyone else or to fill the expectations of others. I truly love the sport for what it is. The other thing I i have watched and realized is that a lot of the kids I grew up running with, now hate the sport. Most that went to college and ran on scholarships did not run a step after college because they were so burnt out. So that is a quick write up of my experience in sports at a young age. Since I like using lists lately here are some of my thoughts on younger kids and competition.

Kids need to be doing sports because they are fun- When kids are in elementary school don't focus on times, don't focus on winning, make sure the child is having fun. If a child does not love the sport because it is fun, they will never be successful in high school and beyond.
Weather you realize it or not kids want to please you- I fell into this in elementary. Many people thought I loved running at a young age, but what I really loved was pleasing my parents. I wanted to make them proud, even if it meant doing something I hated.
Kids realize the expectations put on them at a young age- I realized in 3rd grade the expectations people had of me, I worked hard not to let them down. Pressure is something that can start building at a very young age. The sooner it starts building, the sooner it can blow.
There is plenty of time in life to be competitive- If I had to do it over again I would have saved all my competition for middle school/high school. I recently got the opportunity to talk to an Olympic distance running coach Joe Vigil. He said that physically we can go forever, but the mental aspect is the first thing to burn out. He refers to athletes that did not run in high school as "fresh" athletes. I am in no way saying don't compete in high school, but I find his point very interesting.
Endurance sports can be hard on growing bodies (especially before 6th grade)- Keep it short/keep it fun. I am lucky in the fact that all the way up to middle school the farthest distance I ever raced was 1.5 miles. I have many friends that I ran with who were amazing athletes in elementary, but were hurt and broken down all of their high school careers.
Let kids find what they are passionate about-If a child truly finds something that They are passionate about they will be unstoppable.

All of these ideas are based off of my experience as an athlete who was completely burnt out on sports before I even got half way through high school. They are also based off of many other athletes that I have grown up with. I would love to see more young adults in their 20's out competing in sports. I think this could be achieved by first exposing children to sports in a fun lite hearted environment at a young age, and second by keeping a balance throughout high school that does not leave athletes burnt out. Sorry about the length of this post, its a little on the long side.

New Website

2011-02-10T22:54:00.000-08:00

I was recently toying around online and made a new website. Don't worry this blog is not going anywhere :). Take a look at the website and tell me what you think. Who knows how long I will keep it around, but I did have fun making it

www.joshhadway.com

20,000 Miles

2011-02-01T15:16:00.001-08:00

My freshman year at the state XC meet

Last week while entering my daily workouts into my training log, I decided it would be cool to add up all the miles I have swam, biked, and run since I started triathlons. After quite a bit of digging through the last two and a half years of training (yes I was procrastinating from doing my homework), I realized that if I completed the next days workouts I would pass 20,000 miles of training. It was at that moment I came to realize something. What has happened in those miles is something far greater than the pursuit of a sport. Those miles have taught me more about who I am than probably any other thing in my life. Here are some of the lessons I have learned from the sport of Triathlon.

Chase your dreams- Life is about finding something you are passionate about (whatever it may be) and chasing it. Obtaining things will never make you happy. Set dreams, be passionate about them, and give everything you got to chase them. A life that is driven by dreams has more value than any material object you will ever own.
Who cares what other people say-There will always be someone telling you that your goals/dreams are a little crazy, and it can't be done. Don't second guess yourself. If you truly believe in yourself, belief will change your world. If you fail and everyone sees it, who cares. Get yourself back up and give it another shot. I have learned more from when things go wrong, than when things execute according to plan.
Excuses get you nowhere- Regardless of weather you have a legitimate excuse or not, if you really want to reach your dreams you have to find a way. I love reading about the personal lives of professional athletes from any sport. Something I have come to realize is it is not their ability to compete on a high level that makes them great. It is their ability to overcome everything life throws at them, that makes them rise above the rest. Rule #76 no excuses play like a champion.
I have amazing Parents-I have realized how amazing my parents really are over the last two years. In high school I walked away from a sport that potentially could have payed my way through college. When I quit because I hated the sport, my parents did not try and convince me to keep doing it. They let me pursue whatever passions I had at that time, and never forced me to do a sport I didn't want to. They have supported me more than I could ever ask for, and for that I am very grateful.
Today is all that matters-The only thing that is going to get you closer to your goals it what you do today! Yesterday has already left, and tomorrow still ceases to exist. You can sit and plan all you want, but planning is not executing. You can only control this current moment, so don't waste it on things that don't matter. Make it productive. Every second you sit is another opportunity passed.
Appreciate what you have-I have honestly grown up with the best life a kid could ask for. I have so many things that I take for granted, and so many opportunities I have passed by. I have learned that I need to appreciate all of these things and not take them for granted.
There is no place like a country road-When you are young you want to be where things are happening. Loud music, lots of people, and big cities. Out in the middle of nowhere on a country road is not one of these places. I never understood why people live way out in the middle of nowhere with no one else around. But after spending countless hours peddling my bike with not a single person or building in sight, I have found these moments to treasure. I have come to love these moments of solitude. There is great value in simplicity.

2011 Racing schedule

2011-01-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

These are the major races I will be racing in 2011. Along with these races you will still see me at many of the local events in Washington :).

Wildflower (Long Course)

April 29th, 2011

Ironman Boise 70.3

June 11th, 2011

Rev3 Portland (half Iron)

July 10th, 2011

Lake stevens 70.3

August 14th, 2011

One more 70.3 event in September still to be determined

Winter Training

2011-01-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Its January now, and the more I think about it, the more I realize the tri season will be here before you know it! The thought of this makes me pretty excited. Most people already know this by now, but I have decided to race professionally in 2011. I am actually pretty thrilled to hopefully take my racing to a new level in 2011. Life hands us opportunities (you will never straight up get what you want, you will only get opportunities), and this is one opportunity I want to take. I have everything I need to be successful and achieve my goals in triathlon. It strictly just comes down to hard work. If I work hard, focus, and am dedicated I will most likely achieve the goals I have set in 2011. If I get lazy and lack consistency the failure falls back on me, and the opportunity I have been given will be thrown away. Excuses get you no where, and I have none. Something I realized in 2010 was that in order for me to be successful and achieve the goals I set out, I needed to train for adversity. If reaching my goals meant that I needed to hope for a perfect race, I might as well have flipped a coin, because the chances of things coming together perfectly on race day are quite slim. The thought continually ringing in my head last year was that I need to focus my training so that even on a mediocre day I can still achieve my goals. This meant a lot of hard Winter training. This is an idea that I want to carry with me now for 2011. Yes 2011 has already had some bumps, but that is just apart of life. Overall I think I will be more than ready to improve on my results of 2010. I am just hoping we can start to get rid of some of this snow :).

Spokane has had more snow than usual this winter, and I actually think this has helped me as an athlete. I find that forced off seasons can actually be refreshing for me. If I lived in place such as Arizona, San Diego, or some place warm I would be hitting the training hard year round, and never taking a break. Yes I do still train year round, but the volume on the bike and run is decreased come winter. In the summer sometimes I get sick of the trails by my house, but now after running on the same icy snowy stretch of road day after day, I have a refreshed appreciation for these trails. Come fall I sometimes get a little sick of spending long hours on my bike out on the roads, but after a winter of trainer riding my excitement to ride on the roads has skyrocketed. Although these conditions aren't ideal for training, they are ideal for refreshing my appreciation of what I do have in the PNW come spring and summer. I will hopefully post a race schedule on my blog soon, and give some more specific updates on how my training is going. Monday I start practice with a local high school swim team, so there should be some good posts about me getting killed by kids way younger than me. I guess it is an opportunity to get faster, or drown :) .

Winter riding in Spokane

2010-12-23T19:40:00.001-08:00

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

Hope everyones winter training is rocking!

The Reset Button

2010-12-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

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

2010-09-27T19:10:00.001-07:00

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

2010-08-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

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

300 miles later

2010-05-15T15:35:00.001-07:00

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.

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.
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.)
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.
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.
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

2010-05-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

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

It is 5 min from my house.
I train on these trails every day.
probably one of the most amazing courses I have ever run!
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

2010-04-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

The components of a great Triathlon run week

2010-04-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

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!!

2010-03-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

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 :).

Risk Vs. Reward US national cross country championships

2010-02-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

Thank you eve nelson for this photo

Where there is risk, also lies reward. The higher the risk, the higher the chance of reward. As athletes we take a risk every time we compete. I was reminded of this as I sat at home watching the winter Olympic games. Watching the womens mogul competition I watched as a young Canadian athlete standing at the top of her run, in front of her home crowd had a choice. She could ski it "safe" and probably walk away with a silver or bronze meddle. Or she could go after the course with everything she had in hopes of capturing the gold, doing so risking walking away with nothing. The first half of her run, flawless! Her hopes of gold came down to the last jump, and as her ski's left the snow perfection rested on this one moment. With her nation watching, failure suddenly struck. she smacked the ground hard and was thrown like a rag doll down the moguls.

As athletes this is our risk, our fear. One word Failure. Not just failure, but failing for everyone to see. In school when you fail a test you often tuck it quickly into your binder so that no one else can see it. But in sports and athletics there is no place to hide. You are testing yourself in front of your family, friends, home town, and for some even their nation or the world. If you fail everyone will know. I don't think Nerves come because we are afraid of the task we are about to complete, or the distance of the race. Those butterflies in your stomach, that knot in your throat, the anxiety before the gun goes off. We feel these thoughts for the most part because we fear failure, and not reaching our goals. I never really get nervous performing in practice. But performing the same activity in front of others I find sometimes that my nerves are on edge. Never the less if you want big rewards you have to take great risks, and not be afraid of what others think.

This weekend I decided to race in the USA Cross Country national championships. The reason I decided to run? I guess I could not pass up the opportunity to race against Olympic athletes such as Dathan Ritzenhein, in my home town. The race was a 12k cross country race which I knew would be long and tough. As I looked at the race course that I would be competing on I realized something. The race was divided into 6 very short laps, and with the competition I was racing, and not knowing where my fitness was there was a good chance(in my mind) of getting lapped. That thought of failure was looming over my shoulder. But I decided it does not matter. Failure is part of the game, and if you always avoid it (never take risks) you will never have great results.

My plan for the race was to try something new. I decided to start my race slow and build from my starting pace. I knew this would be hard for me since I love to get sucked up in the pack and run fast from the start. After the gun went off I had to tell myself to let everyone go. I just kept a smooth relaxed stride and watched as the lead pack slowly pulled away. About 700 meters into the race I turned around and noticed that there were only about 10 athletes behind me! This was something new for me. I could see the back end of the race! At that point I wanted to put in a monster surge and run my way back up to the pack, but I knew that would not be apart of my plan. As I passed the first mile the race volunteer yelled 5:40! Ok I now need to pick it up! This pace was no where near my planned race pace. The next two laps I just worked on moving through the crowd. Slowly picking people off, and gaining positions. I would be lying if I said the race was not tough. Running on grass, and for sections marshy muddy grass. Your legs quickly become fatigued. It is a very different feeling from running on the road. The last two laps I found myself hanging onto athletes that were slowly going by me, trying to stick with their pace. I had no idea what to expect for a finishing time, and as I came to the finish I saw 39:08.

It was at this moment that I was very happy I did not let the fear of the race keep me from competing. In all reality my fears of being lapped were something I had created in my head.

I had averaged 5:14's for a 12k (Bloomsday distance), placed 48th at the US National cross country championships, and set a new PR for the 12k distance. I think the thing that was most amazing about this race was having it in my home town. I have never had a race quite like this one. There was no point on the course where I didn't feel like I had someone cheering for me. I am super thankful for everyone that cheered or yelled my name out there, and I really do appreciate your support. By the way if you were wondering what kind of field this was racing. a pace of 5:49 for the 12k got you a place of 6th from last in the 100 man field.

So for now my training focus will change a little. I feel like I have lots of fitness still to gain in my running before this summers triathlon season, but it is time to get focused on my bike. I will keep doing what I am doing for my run training, but now I will gradually add more and more cycling to the weekly schedule. The 2010 triathlon season will be here before you know it and there is not time to waste :).

First race of 2010

2010-02-09T08:47:00.001-08:00

Man it feels good to be back out racing. All it takes is one race and my motivation almost doubles. This sunday I competed in the BRRC partners in pain 5k. My plan for the race was to just run hard. The gun went off and I ran as hard as i could for as long as I could (kind of an elementary school of thought). The first mile was 4:48 and shortly after the mile Chad Portwood took over and took charge of the race. Surprisingly the race felt very smooth and relaxed. My time was 15:35. I am very happy with that time, especially since it is still the off season. Last year I ran 16:00 at this same race, so to be 25 seconds faster gave confidence in my training a major boost.

Up next is the is the USA XC National championships. This Saturday Spokane is hosting the USA National cross country championships. I honestly could not pass up the opportunity to race top level athletes in my home town. I should probably rephrase that and say race on the same course as the top US athletes. Since the race is a 12k cross country race, my goal for the day is to pace myself taking the first portion easy and build the rest of the race. So if you are in Spokane this coming weekend (2/13/2010) come out to Plantes Ferry and check the race out.

Going through the valley, and goals for 2010

2010-02-02T00:28:00.000-08:00

For the most part winter training has been going great. I am still chipping away at my swimming, and starting to feel much stronger in my strokes. The goal, the last couple months has been to drag myself to the pool at least 5 days a week. I set this in my mind to be a burden(hence I used the word Drag) but in reality it has become something I enjoy. January has been good and I have averaged over 17,000 yards a week for the month.

While swimming has been going great. My running has been a little rough. After two hard spills on my Mt bike that were only a day apart, I started to notice some small aches and pains. These grew to larger aches a pains, and after a short while running was painful. I realized something at this moment. No one else truly cares that you are hurt (Just putting it in a blunt sense). Injuries are part of competition and you can either do something about it, or you can not. I decided that I was not going to give up at this point. I still kept my 40 miles a week of running going, and If I am honest I hated almost every second of it. With school and work I found myself running through the night at 10,11, sometimes even 12pm. There is a road that parallels a river by my house, and you run elevated way above the river. At night this river casts off fog and you find yourself running in a somewhat surreal state. The river and road twist and turn together traveling south and just when you feel like you are running in a strange dream the headlights of a lone car over take you, temporarily blinding you to the night. It was on one of these nights that I realized I am in a valley, and I have hit the bottom. Pain at the moment was demotivating me beyond belief, and I just wanted to stop! Thoughts(recurring ones) create beliefs, and beliefs can turn to life patterns. If you begin to stop on runs, it becomes easier the next time, and you soon find yourself giving up as the normal habit. In short I hate to stop on my runs. and if it wasn't for the engraning of this thought into my mind, I would have been walking through the dark. Lucky for me my Being stubborn and continuing to run has not created any further injuries, and after 3 long weeks I finally feel back! At the moment I feel very glad I ran through the pain because I feel stronger than ever in my running. Will I actually be faster, we will just have to wait for the first race and see ( I really don't know).

What lies ahead for 2010? My race schedule this year will look very similar to last years. I will be racing Ironman Boise and Ironman Lake stevens again, and hopefully(with some hard work) be improving on my times. Many already know this but I have decided that my goal is to aim towards a pro card. Why do I want it? To me it isn't about holding a card, If the card is the only thing I am after then I am only lying to myself. The pursuit of a pro card is mainly to push myself as an athlete. I have found in competition that I rise to the level at which I am around. If I know I am about to go up against great athletes who will quite easily put me to shame, I will still put my best foot forward. I am not afraid to go all out, and completely fail. This has always been my weakness as a runner. You could line me up against the worlds greatest, and in the back of my mind I would believe that somehow if I give it my all, I can take him. In reality there is no chance, but I would still give it a go and try to push that athlete as long as I could (even if it was only for 100 meters). I have quite literally done this at countless races. I know I should stop doing it, but it is an urge I can't resist. I guess you could call it a competitive habit :). But with a chance of making myself look like a fool I have decided to go for it. I could care less about racking up 1st places at races. I care about being a better athlete. 20th and a faster time sounds a whole lot greater to me than 1st and a slower time. So if Luck lands right( I will need it) I will be chasing this dream whole heartedly. All and all I am excited. I can not wait for racing to start!

Just keep Swimming

2009-12-18T00:54:00.001-08:00

Well we have hit the off season again, and like I do every "off season" I sit and think about how training has not really changed that much. Yes I will admit that the volume is not quite as much as during the season, and intensity does not really exist (on my runs that is). My runs are now horribly slow as I am forced to practice high knees to keep my feet from dragging through the snow. Even as the snow flies and temperatures drop, I really have no desire to stop training at the moment. The way I see it I got all my off seasons (truly doing nothing) taken care of when I quit running in high school 2004-2008. We will call that a solid four years of rest. my giant taper :)

What has been the focus this off season? After the 2009 season I felt frustrated by my swim. I wasn't swimming as fast as I wanted too, and as the season went on, progression in my swimming was not occurring. The Height of this swim induced frustration occurred at the Spokane Tri where my swim was well lets just say it, Slow. I put in the hard work, and time in right? What went wrong?

This Brings me to the off season and what I have been up to. Since the Spokane tri I have been working hard to improve where I was weak in 2009. That weakness, yup you guessed it my swim. I had to have a little reality check with myself early this fall, and I quickly realized that what I thought was hard work was really not going to get me where I wanted to be. It was time to step it up. The improvement of my swimming has been my goal for this off season. For now I need to keep chasing that black line, and hopefully come spring some changes will be seen in my swimming ability from the previous season.

Time to start your base

2009-11-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

It is no secret in distance running that if you want to be a successful and injury free runner you need a solid base. Running under multiple coaches and for different programs, I quickly learned that this is the one aspect of running that holds true no matter who you run for.

This fall is the perfect time to start building a solid base for your 2010 season. To me a base really is just a period of solid consistent running. If you want to have a solid and consistent run in your 2010 triathlon season there are no shortcuts.

Why is a base so important you might ask? The idea to run more and hurt less is an odd one, and to most it probably doesn't make sense. For most people, when run training mileage and volume are increased injuries quickly follow. This is the whole reason why a base training needs to start in the fall. Start with a distance your body can easily handle, and make a commitment to run 5-6 days a week spreading that volume out over those days. If you can only handle 15 miles a week that is ok! Spread it out and run 3 miles each day, 5 days a week. After running this distance for 2-3 weeks(granted you started at a manageable volume) your body will start to slowly adapt, and it is time to add 2-3 more miles to your weekly plan. The gain doesn't seem like much but that is the whole point. You need to gradually introduce your body to running so that it can adapt to the changes. Repeat this pattern through the winter, and into the early spring. The key is to only add mileage after the body is ready. If you skip days and are not consistent you will not see adaptation occurring, and mileage increases will only result in injury.

Why is it that run volume must be spread out over the whole week? The idea in spreading out your running volume to 5 or 6 days is to create a consistent stress on the body. We think of our skeletal system as a somewhat dead structural system, that only acts in bodily support. In reality bone tissue is a living, and active tissue. If you introduce repeated stress to a portion of a bone, the bone will adapt and change. Osteoclasts reabsorb bone calcium from places where it is not needed and the osteoblasts take this calcium and place a mineral matrix where stress is introduced reinforcing the area. If you are skipping days running every 2nd or 3rd day the body does not know if running is going to be a regular occurrence and does not adapt. Along with general bone strengthening, tendons, ligaments, and muscle insertion points are also strengthened.

Along with a body that is ready to handle volume you will be pleasantly surprised with your new ability to run. Speed work is icing on the cake, or the roof of a house. You don't make huge gains in your performance based off of speed alone. Your base is where the majority of your fitness lies. Think of it as 85% of the structure and speed work being that last 15% that pushes you to the top. If you have no base, your improvement from speed is very minimal.

At what pace should off season running be at? This is the beauty of the off season. Just get out the door and train. Pace is not important. If you want more of a technical answer, I run my off season running at a high end easy- low end moderate pace. You don't want to be burning up the lungs. Again the idea being consistency and volume not intensity.

I have seen this played out time and time again with elite level high school runners in Spokane. The ones that excel and are injury free are the ones that spend their summers and winters consistently running steady mileage. In 2008 I came back to running. I quickly jumped into a season without putting down the foundation. Doing lots of speed to try and quickly gain fitness I was getting myself nowhere, and for those of you that don't remember I had one injury after the next. Plantarfacia, IT band syndrome, tendinitis, and many other injuries kept me from competing. In the fall of 08 I decided to get myself healthy and start the 09 season right. I have never enjoyed running more :).

At this point you have realized that it is only November, and the race season is still 7 months away. So I hope you just figured out that gives you 5-6 months of solid base training. When spring rolls around we can start talking a little speed, but for now get out the door and be consistent. Races are not won on race day, they are won in the early mornings of December and January, on the snowy roads, and rainy trails. They are won through the commitment you make to yourself to get out that door and train on a regular basis.

On a side note this has to be one of my favorite commercials by Nike.

Happy training :)

Spice Up your Running

2009-09-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

There are times in any sport no matter how much you love it, training can become stale. Running is no exception to this. We find ourselves running the same loops day in and day out. I know I can run the river loop by my house during the day, at night, with one eye, or probably even with both eyes closed. I personally have found the best way to bring excitement to my running is to add an element of adventure! Run some place new. The beauty of running is the fact that you can cover tons of ground and see things that would take someone walking hours to see. You can also travel places that cars and motor vehicles are not allowed. These are five of my favorite places to run in Spokane that offer a small element of adventure.

Riverside state park

There is much more to Riverside State Park then the Bowl and pitcher campground. Most people venture across the bridge but don’t branch out and cover many of the other amazing trails that wind throughout this massive park. A good starting point for your next run is the little dirt parking lot by the 7-mile horse stables. From here you can run the classic trail in the park “Little Vietnam” (honestly it’s quite Jungle like at times). This trail is a flat single track trail that winds along following the Spokane River. On hot summer days the dense vegetation on this route shades you from the hot rays of the sun.Even less traveled than little Vietnam is the single track trail system just south of deep creek. From the dirt parking lot at the 7 mile Bridge head west out seven mile road. After traveling about 50 meters past the centennial trail heading to 9mile, you will notice a post(trail 25) marking the trail on the right hand side of the road. Trail 25 is a very shaded run and is also a great run on hot summer days. All the trails in this area connect back up with each other, so feel free to pick small side trails. It does not matter what time of year you run these trails they are always a joy to run.

Indian painted rocks

Most residents in Spokane have visited Indian painted rocks at some point in their lives, But most people have missed out on the most beautiful and scenic part (the top). Located right next to the bathrooms you will notice a small single track trail, this is known as the “valley trail”. Pace your self at the start of this run because the trail does not stay in the valley for long. Eventually you will come upon two locations where this trail splits, stay left both times(if you are looking for a real monster of a climb take the first right, you will find yourself on top of rattle snake ridge in a little over an hour). Though challenging this run is very rewarding. Remember what goes up must come down. After running on top of this small mountain, and taking in its scenic views, you will hit a paved road and can either follow that down the hill, or follow the trail that crosses the road. Once at the bottom you take the traditional Indian painted rocks trail following the little Spokane River back to the car.

Dishman hills

Out in the Spokane valley is a large park (450 acres) named Dishman Hills. Located in this park is skull rock, which can be found in the enchanted Ravine. To get there you must first travel through camp Caro. Starting to sound like a treasure hunt? Ok sadly there is no buried treasure at Dishman Hills (I am still looking), but there are miles of well maintained and well marked trails. This Forest is scattered with granite rock outcroppings, and small ponds. If you explore around a little you will find small bridges, and many worth while viewpoints of the Spokane Valley.

Rim Rock

If you look west from SFCC you will notice a large ridgeline, which stands tall above the city. At the top of this ridge runs a road named Rim Rock. Just recently this road was gated off to cars, and incorporated into Palisades Park. If you want a simple run that has amazing views of Spokane and the surrounding area, park at the gate and run out and back on the road. The road is very flat, is dirt and soft on your joints, and is also smooth lacking rocks and roots that you may trip over running on trails. From this road you can also run many trails that take you deeper into Palisades Park, a natural wetlands (I promise you won’t get your feet wet). This park is also connected to Indian canyon, which boasts a small canyon with a scenic waterfall at the end of the canyon. Spring and early summer are the best times to visit this waterfall. Most years the falls dries up by late summer, so don’t procrastinate your visit.

Liberty lake County Park

Its parks like this that make me love the Spokane area. You really are not that far from town, and yet you feel as if you could get lost way out in the wilderness. Liberty lake County Park located on the south end of Liberty Lake offers miles of scenic running. Near the top of this trail system is a small waterfall, and there are plenty of places to stop and just enjoy the view. If you have never been to this park it is time to make a visit.

So next time you are dreading going out for a run, hop in your car and drive somewhere new. You may be surprised how much running in a new location can spice up your training that has become slightly dull.

Spokane Triathlon

2009-09-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

As I stopped my car in a field of weeds that was blanketed by a dark night sky on Sunday morning, there was only one feeling running through my mind. Excitement! I love to race, and to have a race less than 10 minutes from my house was a cool thing. This was the inaugural year for the Spokane Triathlon and I have to say for a first time race the directors and volunteers did a great job.

With the darkness came some colder temperatures, and from the moment I got out of my car I knew it might be a cold race. Setting up my transition area in the dark it was cool to see so many familiar faces. When you train with a group then race with a group, the level of tension before a race is minimized. Having friends around is a great thing :). Somehow I found myself frantically rushing to put my wetsuit on with only 10 min until the race start. I knew the water was cold but the reality is everyone has to deal with it, so I tried to have to best attitude I could about the conditions.

Honestly I think the fact that the air temperature was so cold, it made the low 50 degree water feel warm. That good feeling lasted until the water got passed my ankles. Yes I know I am a wimp. As I entered the water and tried to get a warm up in ( I think I might call it a cool down instead, or a deep freeze) I readied myself for the swim and the start of the race. The key to doing well for me at this race rested in my ability to stay focused on my swim. In the pool I feel like my swim has been improving, but that does not matter until you can bring it to the open water.

As the race started I gave it 110%, I needed to get out fast! I gave it my all but still found myself being swallowed up by the pack swimming behind me. I centered my focus on swimming with good form and finding a rhythm, but neither came. In mountain biking trails with rocks can be considered "technical trails" well I am proud to say for the first time in my life I swam a "technical swim". I had this great plan to swim a straight line right out to the last buoy, but this quickly became a problem as I was dragging bottom and hitting rocks. It became apparent very quickly that the water may be a little shallow in places. After the race one competitor talked about how he hit a lawn chair that was resting submerged under the surface of the cool water. Honestly lawn chair collisions are something I have never seen before in the swim of a triathlon :).

The swim out to the turn around felt tough but I honestly expected that because we were technically swimming in a river upstream the first half. The idea of swimming upstream quickly became apparent as the turn around buoys were encountered. Approaching these buoys I noticed swimmers struggling to get around them, and many swimmers missing them all together. As I swam perpendicular to the currents I realized indeed the struggle to reach these buoys. Never the less I made the buoys and was on my way back. Looking around at this point I knew I had fallen way behind. I pushed hard on the way back and gave it a good solid effort. The rocks were still there on the way back but I used a couple to my advantage as I grabbed them to propel myself along. Still feeling cold, I just wanted to be done.

I pushed hard to the dock and the boat launch that elevated the swimmers out of the lake. It was so cool to see such a large crowd waiting on the dock and on the shore cheering swimmers in. Crowds always get you pumped up. I hit shallow sand and started running(I can run fast so I gotta add it in wherever I can). After a few steps I found the concrete of the boat launch, and Wham!! Yeah, Definitely took a nice spill in front of the crowd. Apparently many swimmers ahead of me took some nasty spills, so the crowd was probably ready with anticipation for the next fall. I sprung back up shaking my head and took the long run to transition.

Swim: around 5-6 min slower than the leaders I think.....just thought about that Kalen swam like a fish lets make that 10min down then (results aren't posted yet)

Entering T1 I was really unsure about what I was going to do about the whole situation that was rapidly unfolding. I quickly got to the bike and started taking off my wetsuit. The problem was my hands were so cold I could not peel the suit from my skin. In frustration I stopped shrug my shoulders and shook my head. At this point I was a little flustered. But knew I could not give up. Eventually I got the suit off and started running out of T1 with my bike. I ran past the mount line, and performed a flying mount. Flying off through some cones and into the grass that is. After a slight course adjustment I was back on course.

Starting the bike I was a little flustered. The water had me a bit disoriented, but now that was past and it was time for the bike. I rode hard giving it all I had. I was about to tap into my huge advantage. I live within minutes of this bike course and have ridden it weekly for months. I know every bump, turn, and incline that Charles road has to offer. Sadly my secret advantage did me no good, as I struggled to catch riders ahead of me. I know the gears and speeds I like to ride on this road, and I was not hitting those gears. Only being about 7 miles into the bike I was cold and ready to just be done. I had another encounter with bad steering and swerved off into the gravel. My cylinders were just not firing. After the turn around I started to warm up. my body temperature was rising and I was on my way back. Luckily the way back of this route is much easier than the way out. A couple miles out from transition, I knew I had no excuses not to pull out a fast run. A fast run was the only way I could pull this race back together and make something out of it. coming off the bike I found myself somewhere around 8th to 10th place

Bike: 1:03:xx (again not sure as results are not posted yet)

T2 was there I executed it and got through it.

Starting the run I had no excuses, I lost tons of time in the swim and bike because I did not stay mentally focused and tough. In a nutshell I pushed hard on the run. It is what I do and am used to doing, so it really did not feel that bad. This was a very cool running course. A couple turns :), but I enjoyed the course very much. It was spread out and roomy but you could still see your competition. I was able to reel in some competitors on the run, and better my position.

Run: Mid 34's (again results not posted yet)

Overall time- 2:04:06 (thanks to Steve I have a picture to prove it)

I was reminded of something very important at this race. Something I was first introduced to at XC club nationals back in December. There is a huge difference between racing and competing. Racing is what you expect from the day, it is everything you plan for, and we train hard to emulate the coming situation and race. I expected to show up at this tri and race a certain race. Competing is rising to challenge no matter what is thrown on your plate. No matter what the conditions are like, a good competitor always shows up and competes. This is a huge aspect of what separates the good athletes from the great athletes. A great athlete goes with the surprise curves of the situation, takes unexpected punches and not giving up still gives it their all. In both XC Nats and the Spokane Triathlon, great athletes stepped up and performed on a high level despite cold conditions. They did not whine about the weather (both of these races were a little cold), they simple stepped up to the line and dealt with it.

Both Roger Thompson and Brian Hadley threw together great races on this day. I don't have results yet, but I am pretty sure Roger beat me by at least 6min (if not more) and Brian Hadley also had a very large gap on me. Even on a perfect day these gaps would not be closed by me.

To everyone else that was out competing on this day, nice job! It was so cool to see so many familiar faces out on the course. A huge thanks to everyone that was out on the course cheering us on. I know for me the cheers helped push me along. I really do appreciate that.

What is left for me in 09? The next two weekends there are two final triathlon races in the Washington season, but as of right now I am competing in neither. 09 has been a good season for me, It is my first full year competing in tri's and I have learned a ton, and grown as an athlete. I am pleased with the years results. I am super anxious to keep racing this year, but the fact that I am so hungry to race will have me fueled throughout the fall winter and spring. I know the weaknesses I have as an athlete and know what I need to do to improve on them. This fall winter and spring will be focused largely on improving these weaknesses. I will still be competing in 09 but I won't be in tri's. Most competitions this fall will be running, on a mountain Bike, and in the pool(maybe a masters swim meet).

Hooked on being Single

2009-09-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

Hooked on being on a single speed bike that is. Recently my neighbor who is an Uber Mt. biker let me borrow his single speed Mt. bike because he does not ride it much anymore. When we are kids all we want are bikes that have big shocks and lots of gears. I know I did. So I found it ironic how much I enjoyed the simplicity of this bike. No suspension and one gear. Your first ride takes a little getting used to but after a while I found it amazing how 1 gear could work in most situations, granted on the road it is a little slow, but on technical trails I can keep a pretty quick speed. What I like about this bike is the fact that it simplifies your rides. Your focus is drawn to one thing, pedaling hard! Yes hills can be a bugger(have found myself pushing the bike up a couple), but after a while you enjoy the challenge. Recently I find myself hurrying to finish my workout on my tri bike so I can go play on the single track trails by my house. If you want to try something new and different, hop on a single speed and give it a whirl.

Something is missing

2009-08-28T00:17:00.001-07:00

This may be somewhat of a rant on my part, but one concept I absolutely hate is the Idea of "buying speed"! What ever happened to working hard, and not letting equipment be a factor in the the outcome of a race. Has triathlon taken things too far, by opening the doors for an Industry driven sport? In my opinion yes.

Don't get me wrong I love triathlon, and will be competing at it for many years to come. But at some point I think the governing bodies of triathlon have to start putting limits on equipment.

Recently De soto released pictures of a new wetsuit they are releasing in February of 2010

The suit looks pretty normal just like last years models, but one major thing is different. This suit in many places has a thickness of 10mm. This is almost double that of a regular say blue seventy suit. What does this do? Well for one it makes swimmers sit much higher in the water, causing less of a reliance on form. Instead of spending time in a pool working on your posture in the water you could just spend time on a mechanical swim machine and use the suit come race day.

cycling is also on the same train. If you have not noticed the prices of a bike continually goes up. Bikes such as the trek equinox 9.9ssl cost around $7,000, throw on a set of zipp wheels and you are easily looking at 10 grand. Yes that is a top of the line bike, but even if a new athlete buys a $2,000 bike, they are still looking at at least $4,000 for a bike and a set of race wheels. It does not matter what bike company you look at, the prices are all going up. If rider A rides a $2,000 bike with no race wheels and rider B rides a $12,000 bike and both come out with the same bike splits, who is the better athlete? and was that shown in the results? that one is up to you to

decide.

Who does this hurt? I think the athletes that are at the very top of the sport are unaffected by this, and with the introduction of Ironman many athletes are concerned on time. Finishing is the goal. It is cool to see athletes achieve their goals, but these athletes for the most part compete in only 1 major event a year. Its the developing athlete who has aspirations of rising to the top, or new developing pro that gets hit the most. To compete in 4 big events a year will now cost a fortune.

I have not been participating in triathlon very long, but I am quickly realizing that something is missing. Most other sports have this but triathlon does not. It is the presence of a younger generation. I have many athletes around my age that are interested in the sport of triathlon but as soon as they hear the prices of things they quickly back away. They would make phenomenal athletes and would quickly rise to a pro level of competition. Sheer cost is driving them away. Right now if you notice most triathlons are dominated by athletes in their mid to late 30's. But when you look at sports such as running, swimming, and even cycling. Athletes in their mid to late 20's rule the boards. Is triathlon missing out on great athletes?

The current situation seems to work for triathlon. But in the future it may damage the sport. when all these athletes in their 30's reach their athletic peaks and start to decline, who will step up to take their places? Yes younger athletes will come along and fill their shoes, but the number of elites coming through the system will be much less. There will still be a high level of competition but the athletes competing at that level will be far fewer. Will this cause the sport to become stale? I guess we will see.

Although it was not industry driven I think we have seen the same thing occur in running. in the late 70's and 80's I am amazed when I look at age group times for running races. I talk to my dad about times he ran that would win races today by a landslide, but back then he was barely in the top ten. There was a buzz in the US for not just running, but running fast. Fueled by athletes like Pre running gained greater attention from the eyes of the average person. But slowly competition thinned out, and the desire for strong competition was lost.

Yes I don't think triathlon would be the same if it was not for companies developing triathlon specific items. But at what cost to the sport? When we really look at it, has the average time for finishing an ironman gotten faster? Yes the top pros have gone faster, but overall is everybody going faster? It is probably a safe bet to say that in may ways the average athlete is getting slower, and the high cost of entering the sport is driving future elite athletes away. We may have gotten to the point where the pendulum has swung too far, and for the health of the sport we need to find balance.

Lake Stevens 70.3

2009-08-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 3am on race morning and the first thing I thought to myself is, "what am I doing?" Why would anyone want to get up super early, drive in the dark, and jump in a lake just as the sun is coming up? But after a little while I got my mind and body going, and I was ready to race. Yes I was a little bit nervous for this race, but it wasn't a bad thing.

This year I have been struggling with my wetsuit. Is it too small, am I putting it on right, or am I just a wimp who needs to suck it up? I think my questions were finally answered at the race on Sunday. I made sure to spend extra time putting on my wetsuit, and doing a very good job of putting it on. I made sure to pull my wetsuit up as high as possible. The idea was to bring as much material to my upper body to loosen my shoulders. This worked well. For the first time ever I started my swim pain free, and my shoulders felt great! User error, go figure :).

As I headed out on the dock to start the swim, I was excited. They delayed the start for 10min due to fog on the lake. Even with the delay the fog lingered and they decided to started the race. I decided to position myself right next to the line that was placed under the water and follow it from the start. The start of this race can be summed up in three words, Wham, Bam, and Slam. It was a rough start!

I pushed hard to get out of the chaos, but I think every swimmer wanted to be on top of the line. I constantly had people merging into me the whole swim. At one point I found myself smacking some dude in a speedo right on the butt, and I decided that was enough I am out of here! I looked up and saw that a lead pack was forming into a single file, and pulling away. I pushed to try and catch this pack, but I was always about 10 meters behind. At the turn around the lead pack was gone, and I could not see anyone ahead of me. It was actually kind of nice to have clear water ahead and no one merging into you. Coming in from the turn around the conditions were beautiful! It was cool to see the warm sun slowly rising, and patches of fog scattered on the lake. It was a moment where I just thought to myself this is cool.

Lines running under the water are a good thing, especially on foggy days. I think I would have swam straight across the lake, and missed the first turn buoy if it wasn't for this under water line. As I got to the boat ramp I was happy to be done. This was not my fastest swim of the year, but I would consider it one of my best. Most of my other races I found myself constantly getting passed by other swimmers, but on this day I was the one that was constantly passing. It finally felt good to be in control of my swim, and be pain free.

Swim- 32:24

It always feels great to be out of the water. My transition went well, and I found myself heading out for two loops of the bike. The night before I planned the points where I would ride easy, and the points that I would attack. I waited about 4 miles until I started racing. The Temps were still a little cold, but bearable. At around mile 6 I found myself riding up on the back of the Female pro's. All I can say is Female Pro's are tough. I don't know how many times I traded the lead back and forth with one athlete. At one point I told her sorry as I passed her for probably the 10th time. She smiled and told me I was fine. I was passed by 4-5 athletes from my wave fairly early on on the bike. I wanted to go with them but decided to stay on the pace I wanted to ride.

The first loop was a little shaky. It might have been the cold temps but my legs were hurting pretty bad. My gels turned to logs as I tried to squeeze them into my mouth, and I had a hard time tearing them off of the top tube, due to the fact that my hands were freezing. At this point I wasn't sure what to expect.

Shortly after finishing the the first lap, things started getting better. Riders that I let go on the first lap were coming back and my legs suddenly felt great!! If your legs feel good it means its time to go hard. The second loop was fast, and the best part was I was smiling the whole time. I was having a blast.

After you complete your two laps on the bike course at Lake Stevens, you then turn off and head about 4 miles back to transition. I decided at this point to just pace off of a rider that was about 400 yards ahead of me and just keep a steady consistent rhythm. Heading into transition I had a moment of where is my spot? For some reason I knew I was on the second rack from the end, but I could not find my tag on the racks. Its a weird feeling to be one of the only people in transition with tons of people staring at you, and you are just staring at the racks looking for your spot. after about 5 seconds of staring it clicked and I found my spot. My transition area was a mess!! Honestly half the stuff in it was not mine. Luckily my shoes were still in the vicinity of the area, and I quickly put them on.

Bike-2:30:36

Heading out on the run I was excited. My energy levels were high, and I was just enjoying the day. I knew my plan I wanted to execute for the run, and I started at a conservative pace. It didn't take long before I heard footsteps quickly coming up behind me. The second I got passed I knew exactly who it was. Matt Sheeks a Stellar athlete that ran for Portland, and beat me at Boise 70.3. His pace was blistering and for about 600 yards a tagged on to the back of him. As I ran at this pace I knew in my mind that I had to let him go. At Boise he ran a 1:16:00 off of the bike, and knowing this I decided to let him go. At this point I needed to run my race, and maybe there is a chance he will come back.

As we entered the next aid station I slowly dropped off the back. The plan was, the race does not start until I finish the first little loop section and enter back into town. I was feeling awesome at this point, and really wanted to hammer, but still decided to wait. Once I hit this point I decided to let loose a little. I picked up the pace and still felt super relaxed. I was having a blast, and enjoying my race.

The next out and back section was where I made up some ground I pushed the up hills, and went even faster on the downs. As I hit the second lap I knew it was time to go. I picked up the pace even more and continued the pursuit of athletes ahead of me. As I entered town again I saw a familiar sight, Matt Sheeks was just up the road and I was slowly gaining on him.

I kept my pace steady, and knew I had plenty of time to make up ground. With about Two miles left in the race I decided it was time to make my move. Sheeks was only about 5 feet in front of me, and I knew I had to make a statement. I waited until the next hill and made a decisive move. I was now gaining ground on my competition. It was at about a mile to go I finally started to feel the race catch up to me. I was laboring hard to keep my pace, and was worried that sheeks was on his way.

At half a mile to go reality caught up, he was back. Sheeks returned my favor and I had nothing left to go with him. At that point I just worked on holding it together and finishing the last half mile.

Run-1:18:36

The finish line was awesome, I looked down at my watch and saw 4:24:00 and was more than happy. This was a great time for me and I had one of my most enjoyable races to date. This race was a huge learning experience for me, because I am starting to learn to race my race. Don't go after every rabbit that flies by. If you are patient hopefully your competition will come back. Not only was I excited about my overall finishing time, but I was super excited about my run. I Finally ran where I wanted too, and It felt great. A huge thanks to everyone that was there and everyone that cheered for me. It was so cool to see faces I knew out on the course. Nate, Matt, Greg, Natalie, Jessi, Merissa, Craig, Erica, Michael, my sister, Borther in law, and my Parents. You guys are awesome, The cheers and support you all gave me out on the race course definitely got me through the day. A huge thanks also to the Crew at fitness Fanatics, without a doubt I have gotten more than I payed for every time I visit that store. They are always willing to help in any way possible and answer any questions I may have, and I appreciate that a ton.

Total time-4:24:28 (5th amateur, 18th overall)

Goals

2009-08-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

We Love goals when we achieve them, and hate them when we don't. They are our biggest competition. At times we find ourselves alone out on the race course with no one in sight, your mind is wandering and your pace is dropping. Its at this point your goals are putting in a surge and leaving you behind.

I love goals because they give you something to strive for when no one is around. You can set goals on a daily basis to push and prod you to a faster workout. You will always remember the goals you set in your head, and will always know when you are cutting yourself short to achieving these goals.

In December of 08 I sat down and wrote out many long term goals and goals for the 09 season. At the time they seemed a tad unrealistic, but with hard work achievable. I did not tell many people these goals because I felt that others might find them to be a tad unrealistic. I think its ok to be ambitious with your goals. We all have crazy goals that we keep way in the back of our minds, aspirations that others would laugh at us if we told them, so we set those aside and set smaller goals because we are afraid. It is the person who isn't afraid to set crazy goals that will see the biggest results. You can't be afraid of failure.

Of my goals that I set for my 09 season I have achieved almost all of them. Meeting these goals feels amazing, better than any result others see on paper. The cool thing is only you know if you have achieved your goals. That ambition that others thought you might be a little crazy for going after, doesn't seem so crazy any more. In fact I only have 2 goals left that I want to achieve this year, and of the two I think one will follow the other. Its funny, that the goal that I thought would be the easiest to achieve this year, has become one of the hardest.

What is this goal? Its the goal I set for running this year. Specifically the time I want to run in a half Iron triathlon. At Boise I had what one would call, way too much confidence towards my goal. I started the run and thought pssch no problem. This race was a good learner for me because I definitely got K.O.'d by my goal. My next shot at this Goal was the Chelan man half Iron, but after the last encounter with my goal I was running a little bit scared. So this Sunday at Lake Stevens I have my next shot to beat my goal. I am excited to go after it, and I will be racing this goal more so than I will be racing the competition. Goals are always ready to race, and this Sunday I hope I am too.

Chelan man 2009

2009-07-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

I had Two goals for this race

Swim a halfway Decent swim.
Execute a successful nutrition plan

The swim
My plan at this race was to get an actual warm up in, and I for once I did. It was not a long warm up, but it was better than nothing(which is what I did at my last race). We waited for what seemed like an eternity for the race to start and eventually they got us rolling.

I did not get bumped around at all at the beginning of this race, which was a nice change. From the start I saw a pack forming on my left, and knew the majority of the fast swimmers were in that pack. But as I started swimming I noticed a line running under the water, that was set for us to follow. I quickly decided not to join the pack on my left and shot over to the line. This was when I realized the first great thing about the Chelan man. The water! You can actually see, its clear and clean. If you accidentally take a big gulp of it, you really don't feel so bad because it tastes like bottled water.

As a swam along the line that was hooked to each buoy and ran under the water, I didn't really bother to look up. I think I hit every buoy head on, but that didn't matter and It did not slow me down at all. I knew I was staying in a straight line with every buoy beacuse I hit every one head on, without glancing up once.

I did not feel as relaxed at this swim as I have at other races, but sometimes that just means you are pushing harder, If you are not pushing hard it is kind of a given you will have a relaxed swim. One thing that made me think I might be pushing the pace harder was, right after the turn buoy I suddenly threw up. There goes the clean water! Luckily all that came up was the Gell I took 15 min before the start, and if I am being honest Gu tri-berry gels taste great when you eat them, and really don't taste that bad when you throw them up.

I kept on pushing not knowing what my time would be, and followed my nice white line. I reached the finish and as I stood up and looked at my watch I saw 30+ minutes. Sweet! I thought to myself. that is definently and improvement for me.

Swim time: 30:22

I got through transition pretty much un harmed and headed out on the bike. For this race I sat down about 3 days before the race a wrote out my whole plan from start to finish. My plan was to stay controlled on the bike untill mile 7.5. I feel Like I did a better job of this than at Iron man Boise. I slowly worked my way up in a "controlled" manner.

At about mile 7 I caught up to the lead of the race, and was sitting in second. But shortly after I gained my second place position I was over taken. I droped back and imeadiatly passed back as we started a climb. After the climb I was passed again, and again I passed on the next hill. Eventually the two of us caught up to the leader of the race, and I passed him. I led the race for about 3 or 4 miles at this point. I was started to realize my strenght was on the hills. I would quickly gain ground every hill we hit, but loose it on the downhills and flats.

Eventually I was passed again and droped back to second. I knew I needed to stop attacking, and just stay relaxed or I would quickly ruin my race. So I sat back in second and just tried to keep pace with the leader ahead of me.

Chelan has two very big climbs, on the second half of the bike, and I was slowly gaining on the leader all the way to the top of the first climb. Once we got to the top, the leader quickly vanished on a long decent, and third was very slowly chipping away at the lead I had on him. Going down the long decent I think my legs were spinning well over 100 rpm. My head was inches from my bars, and I was trying hard not to loose ground! I made it to the bottom of the decent still in second, and started the second climb.

On the second big climb of the day I was gaining on the leader again, but noticed that third was gaining on me. At one point we were all together again and as we topped of on the hill, I found myself in third. This is where we hit a slight surprise!

after a short quick decent we came upon a sign that said road construcion, and right as I came around the turn I saw a gravel road for about the legnth of two football fields! Great! I was given a heads up that this might be here, and I told myself that I would walk it and not risk getting a flat. but as I looked ahead the two leaders were riding to the right of it on some smaller gravel, and not wanted to loose them I rode right through it. Luckily I did not get a flat, and I really hope no one else that was racing out there that day got one either.

After the cyclocross section of the course we had nothing left but a long downhill. The leaders put some more time on me but I was ok with that. At this point I was already thinkging about the run.

Bike:2:34:30

I rolled into T2 about 3 min down from the leader, and 30 seconds on second place. I knew the win was dooable if I just stayed relaxed and did not take off too hard like I did at Boise. From the start of the run I kept telling myself to SLOW DOWN! The race will come back. I felt like I was jogging, but with the temperatues getting very hot I did not want to blow up in the heat. after about a mile I could see the lead and second place up the road. Normally I would pick it up and quickly try and catch them, but I knew sooner or later I would catch up.

I kept my relaxed comfortable pace going, and at about mile 3.5 I ran into the lead. I kept telling myself the race does not start untill the turn around, and was not in a hurry to drop second place. He was running strong, and was not fading.

From that point I was slowly gaining time, I was grabbing aything and everything from the aid stations, and still telling myself to SLOW DOWN!! Ok, yes I was a little bit afraid of blowing up again like I did at Boise. So I was running very conservative. as I hit the turn around my lead had grown. I told myself that at mile 8 I would put in a surge, but mile 8 came and went and with no one behind me, I kept running comfortable. mile 9 was suppose to be the next surge, but still with no one in sight I did not execute. I was afraid of blowing up. It was heating up quite nicely at this point, and there is no shade what soever on the half marathon course.

The last mile was a long one, but it was a good one! I could not see second place behind me, and I was still running strong. My nutrition plan got me through the race, and I was almost done. I rounded the last turn and finished strong.

Run:1:23:49

Total time: 4:30:35

This was my first win at any triathlon ever and I was stoked that I executed my plan and got the win. I met my two goals, and did not blow up. I don't know what it is about racing, but the more I do it, the more fired up I get to train harder. As the season progesses I find more motivation to train harder and longer. I am excited to hit the training hard again, and get ready for lake Stevens :)!

Friday Night lights.....on Wednesday.

2009-06-24T23:34:00.000-07:00

So its Wednesday, and just like every Wednesday I am suppose to go for a long run. I was going to just get the run over with and complete my run right after the swim in the morning. But that didn't happen and I found myself putting it off. I was finally out the door at 5pm, and decided to run to SFCC and back.

My run was going ok but I really was not into running 15 miles today. At around mile 8 I arrived at SFCC, and noticed they were having an all comers meet going on. I stopped for a couple minutes and watched. It was cool. These meets have everything from 3 year olds, college kids, and up to senior citizens. It was at this point I decided to sign up for the steeple chase. I had never done one but hey why not, its always good to try something new. It was a race under the lights so I thought that might be cool.

The gun went off and the first lap was great. Mainly because we got to skip the water barrier. But as I got to the first barrier on the track I realized, I am not sure how to jump this! I gave it a good jump and hurdled the first barrier. It was at this point I started calculating. 7 laps with 5 barriers a lap, that is 35 barriers I have to Jump!!! Frick!

Here is a look at my first attempt at the water barrier.
(this was my attempt to fly over the water)
(nope)

(Kinda ended in a face plant)

The rest of the water Jumps went pretty Similar to these pictures, every jump had a slight variation thought.

Next was the 4 barriers per lap that were dry.

After a couple laps I found myself asking the people in the meet how many more laps to go. I think I asked this every lap until the end of the race.

The race was 3,000 meters, and I was third. I was happy I ran 10:35 and averaged a pace of 5:27per mile. This was a good workout since it included 5 barriers per lap.

So slight change to my long run on this Wednesday with a steeplechase added on, but its good to change things up right?

Support a local Spokane Athlete.

2009-06-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

Live in Spokane and need some handmade Adirondack chairs to complete your deck or patio?
I am selling hand made Adirondack chairs. They are built to last, and built for comfort.

Features

Custom hand built wood chair, out of hand selected pine.
Ergonomically designed to support your back and create a relaxing experience.
Wide arms to accommodate drinks and other objects you may place on them.
Unstained to allow you to customize your chair (paint, Stain, or leave natural) to match your deck or patio.
Optional Leg rest available for added comfort.

Price-

Single chair-$89.99
added leg rest-$34.99

If you are interested, or know someone that may be give me a call at (509)328-5149 or shoot me and e-mail at Jhadway@gmail.com.
If you want to come see a chair in person just send me an email or give me a call.

Ironman 70.3 Boise.

2009-06-14T21:51:00.001-07:00

For about 6 months now I have been waiting for this race. I have been excited to finally try my hand at a Half Ironman for some time, and my chance was finally here. To my surprise I really was not too nervous leading into this race. Unlike my last race where I was putting my wetsuit on backwards, dropping everything in sight, and forgetting all the race gear I needed. This race I was pretty relaxed and calm. After driving down to Boise on Thursday I had a couple days to just relax and enjoy Boise. The one thing that stuck in my mind about Boise is the fact that everyone in that city rides bikes! Downtown is cluttered with bikes, and I think it is so cool that so many people commute on their bikes. Anyways back to racing.

Race morning....oh wait...... this race didn't start till 2pm, and my wave didn't start until around 3pm. So I had a little bit of time to kill. This was the point where I was a little nervous. Watching every single wave head out, added just a little bit to my nerves. It was at the point when they had us penned up like cattle at the edge of the water that my nerves were finally there, but nerves are a good thing for me. they keep me going. Just minutes before they let us into the water I ran into Adam Blalock, who lives in Moscow Idaho, and is an up and coming triathlete. Adams dad and my dad used to hammer each other into the ground in running races back in the days, so It was cool to see the younger generation competing in sports against each other. After a few friendly words with Adam we were off into the water.

Before the start we had to tread water for about 5 min. I placed myself in the front row of the swim start, and for some reason being in the water just relaxed me. I knew it would be a long day, but I really felt that I was ready for it. There was a countdown, and then came the horn. I was off in my first half Ironman. For starting in the front and not being that strong of a swimmer, I really did not get pounded at all. There was some small bumping but nothing too serious. The waves were kicking up pretty high, and the sky had turned black from clouds, but I felt really relaxed. The first turn came before I knew it. I felt that I carried a high cadence on this swim, and I felt very relaxed, scratch that super relaxed. Maybe I was a little too relaxed, and my swim time of 35+ min may show that, but I was happy with it. As I was swimming to the swim exit I felt like I could have kept going for another lap, but the swim was over and it was time to get on the bike.

Swim time-35:19

So if you know me at all you probably know that I struggle a bit with transitions at times. And the thing that slows me down the most is getting my stupid wetsuit off. Its not stupid its just tight!(maybe time to upgrade from the XS). But I was overjoyed that this race had Strippers, But only the kind that helps you strip off your wetsuit. T1 went well :).

As I left T1 and did my first flying mount well leaving the shoes on my bike (yes!), I looked off of lucky peak down at the course I was about to ride, and saw quite the mass of people ahead of me on the bike. I guess that is what You get for being the last wave. I got a little caught up in passing this large clump of people that was right ahead of me. I took off down lucky peak very quickly! My bike could be summed up by the word, left! I screamed this about 200 times, as moved through the pack. I think I will learn the word left in 3 more languages so next time I will have my bases covered no matter who I come up on. The first 30 miles of the bike were very rapid. The rain was pouring/monsooning, and the stinging from the rain kind of made me forget about the pain in my legs. As the rain was still pouring down I came up on my first hard right hand turn. Yeah Remember, In rain your brakes don't work so swell. So as I headed straight towards the races only hand cyclist about to partake in a head on collision, I thought about this fact. Luckily I narrowly missed him and just made my turn. Next was the "climb" to the Birds of prey sanctuary, which wasn't really that much of a climb at all. It was still pouring rain, but I decided that I was going to take the decent and turns off of this climb fairly quick and take a risk. But It was a risk I was willing to take. As I started bombing down the hill, I was confronted with a sign that said "No Passing Zone", well didn't see that as I flew by 5 or 6 fellow age groupers going 10mph and clutching their brakes for dear life as they went down the hill. Shortly after the hill was when I ran into Adam again. I gave him a friendly yell and he yelled back, as I pushed up the hill. The rest of the bike I just tried to keep a steady rhythm and tried to stay in aero. I Kept drinking my water, and got plenty of hydration from the rain. I took my 3 gels of nutrition for the day on the bike, and was cruising along just fine. At about mile 40 Adam came back, we quickly chatted about our swims(which he killed me at :)), and he was off. I tried to stick with him, but just didn't have it at that point. I decide I was going to stay in a relaxed steady pace until the finish. My ride into downtown Boise was Sweet! It was just cool to come bombing down a long hill and into the city. I took my shoes off a little early, but hey who cares. I just finished the bike of my first half Iron, and it felt great!

Bike-2:26:46

T2 was well just another T2, It was not as fast as Tim Swanson's who is the nations leading T2 athlete :), but it was good for me. I was very nervous dropping off my T2 bag earlier that day because it was so empty compared to everyone else's. But as I opened my bag and had only socks and a pair of shoes to deal with, I realized it was a good thing. The person next to me had 3 wardrobes of clothes, and a buffet of food in their bag that they somehow had to put on in a quick manner and carry for 13 miles.

Running has always been a strength of mine and I was very happy to be on the run. I took off pretty quick. With the rain still pouring I felt that I never really left the swim on this day. The beginning of my run was fast and comfortable......but maybe a little too fast and not quite as comfortable as I should of taken it. My first loop I stormed into the lead of my age group, by mile 5.5. I was probably running between 5:18 and 5:28. I made my way to the end of the first loop and there was nothing but smiles on my face. I love this sport! I only had 6.4 miles to go and thought they would go by like a breeze. At mile 7 I felt something strange start to happen, but it was nothing too bad. I was a little queezy but it didn't really affect my pace.

This is where my nutrition plan from the bike came back to haunt me a bit. If you remember I only took in 3 gels on the bike and 1 bottle that had one scoop of perpetuem. I think next time I will take a little more than that with me, but we will get back to that later. Ok so we are at mile 7.5 of a 13.1 mile run and my wheels weren't coming off, they are on the ground. I found myself at mile 8 running 10min a mile, and doing everything I could to keep forward progress.

This is the point that made this race a life changer for me. I don't think I have ever worked so hard or been so determined to finish a race without walking. Things around me started getting very dark, I felt a bit hot(even with the rain pouring down), and people were yelling so loud! Its only five miles, you run that all the time! I kept telling myself. But each mile felt like a marathon. I was afraid to grab anything but water for fear of throwing up. Somehow I made the next two miles without walking and found myself at mile 10, with a 5k to go. Those last two miles both just felt like marathons, and I have a 5k to go. Hmm this could be a long day. At this point I found myself getting passed by everyone around me, two people in my age group had stormed back by me, and I was doing everything I could to stick on people as they ran past. I promised myself no matter what I would not walk. No matter what that just isn't an option. at this point I was at mile 12 and as I glanced over my shoulder, Adam was back! he was closing on me fast. We had traded the lead 3 times this day, and just like our dads used to we were battling for position. I had nothing left but fumes and I thoroughly burned them all the last mile. I barely held Adam off. I was done with my First half Iron!!

Run-1:23:55

As I crossed the finishing line the volunteers had the look that death just rolled in. I wasn't feeling very good, but the fact that I finished my first half Iron had me pumped. They put a super sweet space blanket on me and the volunteers asked me where I was going. All I said was that way, without pointing in a direction or really knowing where I was going. I found my way to a chair where I sat, and was pretty much stuck in the chair for a bit of time. It took about 20 min for me to come around. But I was good. Ben recommended that I go get an IV, but 1. I hate needles, and 2. I was pretty much stuck in that chair and don't think I could have gotten up and gotten to the medical room.

As I sat in the car riding back to the hotel, Some thoughts rolled through my head. I had just gotten chewed up and spit out by my first half Ironman, but all I could think of was I can't wait for a chance to do that again! Overall my time was 4:29:22 and I was overjoyed with this. My goal for my first half Iron was to break 4:30:00 and I did it!! I was not going to let it beat me. And although my half marathon in this race was not my best performance, I am probably more proud of that than any other race I have ever done. I did not give up, and I persevered throughout one of the toughest physical and mental challenges I have ever completed.

I know the exact changes I need to make before my next race, and am very fired up for my next half Iron. Its not the competition I want to beat, its the race! We will see if my next half Ironman will bring me to a walk but so far the count is

Half Ironman-0 Josh-1

June 13th was a good day :)!

The Ball Begins to Roll

2009-05-23T00:14:00.000-07:00

Its Friday night one day before my first big race of the season, I am staring at all my stuff that I should be packing but instead I am blogging for some reason. All I can say is that I am super excited, a little Nervous, and also a little scared for my first race. The onion man will be the 3rd triathlon I have ever done, and my second Olympic. Most races leading up to now were to break up my training and test my fitness. But now my main season is about to begin.

This year is my second year in the sport of triathlon. due to injuries I did not compete much or train as much as I would have liked last year. This year I have been training injury free, and trying to focus on becoming a more rounded triathlete, not just a runner who tries to compete in triathlons, but a triathlete. I think this is so important, if I ever want to compete at a higher level. As a triathlete I feel more rounded this year, but as a person I also feel that Triathlon has changed my life in less than two years.

During the Long winter months there are many things I have realized and learned. I have seen myself change from the person I was only a couple years ago, to something much different. I have met amazing new people, and learned important life lessons. In the span of one year triathlon has completely turned my life upside down.

I guess for right now I would like to say thanks to all the people who have brought me this far. The season has not started yet but I already owe a lot to many different people, who have always been there to answer my dumb questions, offer encouragement, train with me, and give me words of advice. I would not be half the athlete I am today if it was not for the help of others. It is refreshing to be around people who are driven in their lives. I have huge respect for many of the athletes I train with. At times I find myself whining because I am too tired to train, or don't think I have time. All it takes is a step back and I realize that I have all the time in the world to train. So many of the people I train with Work full time jobs, have kids, and train. Yes they are Amazing athletes, but they are also amazing people who live their lives not wasting a second.

As I sit in the water on Sunday morning waiting for my first race of my first full season to start I will be probably quite nervous. Who knows what will happen, or even what this season will bring. For the first time in my life I barely have any money in my bank account, my social life consists of training, and I find myself sleeping through college. But for the first time in my life, I am waking up excited, because I have found something that I am very passionate about. I don't know what is around the next bend, but I am more determined than ever to take the next challenge that is handed to me. Lets get this 09 season rolling.

First Multisport event of the year

2009-05-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that I love the spring thaw Duathlon. This race has some of the best prizes around, it is only $25 to enter, and is a very well run race. For me this race was a test to see where I stand on the bike. Last year at this race, I lost over 10 spots on the bike, so this year I was hoping to not loose as much time.

I was very happy with my race. The hard work I have been putting in on the bike is starting to pay off, I did not get a bike split last year, but I am positive I improved on it. I am not sure what is more boring the video of the race, or a big long post. I will try the video. 90% of the video is me running around the same field. So if you are short of time just watch the start and you will get the idea that we ran a lot of loops around the grass field.

This coming weekend is the Onion man Olympic triathlon. This is my last test Before Boise 70.3. The test you are asking? How well can I swim. Swimming has been my weakness. I guess we will find out on race day :).

In other good news, that annoying video that always plays when you visit my blog, is now gone into the blog archive.

It’s all about the things you hate.

2009-04-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

For many people this post will be a "Duh" moment. But for me this change has been the one thing that has had a huge impact on my training and the way I perform. What is this "thing"? Doing the things you hate the most, consistently in your training. Pretty simple idea Right? I think We all have heard this and deep down we know it is true. I have always heard this since running in middle school, but it wasn't until I truly was honest with myself and committed to doing these things, that I saw massive improvements in my fitness.

Personally in my own training one huge example of this is the Long Run. I have always HATED longs runs, they take forever, you chug along at a slow pace, and lets just face it no one likes to run long. In high school I remember my coaches sending me out on long runs, and usually one other teammate and myself would instead run for about 30 min then go play with some random object we found in the woods that day. At this point in my life I was not that hot on the whole running thing, and could care less on how I performed.

As I got older and out of high school I suddenly had this desire to push myself , and see what kind of fitness I could achieve. I started to train very hard, but I still was not honest with myself. I still avoided the long run! Excuses like, it does not fit into my schedule this week, I am feeling tired or sick, or purposefully procrastinating so I would not have time to complete a run of longer distance, were all things I was guilty of. At this time I was running well, but was still far from the goals I had set for myself. Finally I made a promise with myself. I wrote out my training schedule at the beginning of every week, and decided that every Wednesday over the winter was going to be a long day, NO MATTER WHAT. From that point on I have run long almost every Wednesday over the last 5 months. That first 15 miles I can honestly say, WERE HELL! But every Wednesday after that got a little easier each time.

From that point on a strange thing has happened, I now LOVE my long runs on Wednesdays. I find myself sitting in class anxious to leave so I can get home and run long. The feeling of tackling something I avoided, hated, and was honestly a little afraid of also made me realize I could take on other mountains that stood in the way of my goals.

Another thing I always feared was the water.Even as a little kid I never completed swimming lessons because I was afraid of swimming laps. When I first started swimming again, I was about as bad as they come. Again it came to a point where I had to be honest with myself. I knew swimming with others would make me better. Sometimes you don't want people to see you being horrible at a certain sport, and I got caught up in my pride. It was the day I gave in and swam with other people that I truly started to see improvement! We build up thoughts in our head that people will laugh at us when we are bad at something, so we train alone in secret, thinking eventually we will get good enough to train with others. It was all in my head. All my fellow Tri-fusion teammates were all very sportive, and pushed me to be better at swimming. I have seen huge improvements in my swimming and I owe it all to the people I swim with week in and week out. I am in no means a fast swimmer, and still have lots of room for improvement. But the fact that I went after something I feared and conquered it, was probably one of the best feelings I have ever felt.

Why did I post this long boring Blog? These were two examples of things I avoided in my training, but once I made a commitment to get better at them, I saw huge improvements. For some people they hate hills, others just hate one sport of triathlon in particular. It does not matter what you hate or are afraid of, what matters is that you are honest with yourself in these areas and make a firm commitment to improve on them. Everyone has aspects of training that they HATE. But I promise if you commit to getting better at these, you will become a better athlete. So I challenge you today to be honest with yourself, and commit to tackling those things you hate in your training. I promise it will pay off in the larger picture of you as an athlete!

Training on Through

2009-04-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

I have this very bad habit of tapering for every little race that comes my way. It does not matter if it is the smallest most insignificant race in the world, I have this bad habit of taking the two days before the race easy. This causes my solid training to be interrupted by small insignificant races. This year I set a goal to train through races that are not A races. Even if this means doing speed or hill repeats the day before a race so be it. Solid training is more important than setting a PR at some random 5k.

With the Spokane river run coming up I Really wanted to beat my time from last year, This is one of my favorite races because it is right by my house on the trails that I run every day. I finally got some injuries off my back, and was training solid again. Against my strong desire to do a very mini taper for this race, I trained hard the week leading up to it.

The day before the race I decided to not give myself any form of a taper. Saturdays are a brick day for me, so as planned it was time for a Brick. My Saturday brick consisted of 60 miles at 21mph, followed by a 10 mile tempo run at 6:12 pace. Felling good i pushed hard on the run knowing I was racing in the morning. The plan was to fry my legs, Then come race time mentally work on toughing out a race. You can physically be the toughest person in the world, but if you have no mental toughness, your strength will not carry you far. I did not care what place I was in the race, as long as mentally I gave my best.

Race morning went pretty normal, hung out with some fellow Tri-Fusionites, and then warmed up for 30 min. Warming up my legs felt heavy and I knew it would be a long 10k. The Race unfolded with positive splits. I started fast then gradually slowed down. The one thing that had me nervous the whole race was weather to run through the giant puddle at the end or around it? I had been contemplating this all night. But when i arrived at the puddle I ran straight through it, splashing the race photographer. After the puddle it was a short run to the finish. My final time was 32:38(10k). I was actually quite pleased with this, because it is a new 10k Pr for me.

All I can say is that the Spokane River run is a great race. If you have not competed in it, you are missing out. It was so cool to see so many people I knew out there race morning, racing the trails. Untill the next race(which will probably be my next post) happy training :)

Snake River half marathon

2009-03-10T00:09:00.000-07:00

Many people are surprised when I tell them I have never done a half marathon before, but I really have not spent much time racing up to this point in my life. My last major time spent racing was my sophomore year of high school(2003). It wasn't until 2008 that I decided to get back into the whole racing scene. I decided that this winter I would focus on training every day. The expectation was that this would be a chore, but in reality I have grown to love it.

I woke up Saturday March 7th excited. I wasn't nervous or anxious, I was mainly excited. I had no expectations leading into this race, because I had no idea where my fitness was, and what a reasonable finishing time would be. So I set a General goal of being under 1:20, I felt that this would be an attainable goal for my first half marathon. The secret plan for this race was to pace off of Tom Pileggi a strong runner from Spokane.

Upon arrival at the race site I noticed that Tom was nowhere to be seen, my super strategy was suddenly gone. I pondered what to do on my warm up. With the gun in the air and only seconds before race start, the new plan was to not have a plan. Just run and have fun, its just another 13 mile training run right?

The gun went off and the race started at a steady pace, I decided to let Mike Bresson a super fast runner from Spokane go from the start. He has beaten me at many races by large margins. I knew his running ability was great, and did not want to blow up chasing him for the first 6 miles. This plan worked for about 100 yards. That is when I realized i was leading a pack of about 15 people into a headwind. If I am going to push a headwind the whole race, I might as well take my chances drafting off Mike. With this I pushed off the pack and caught up to the leader. The first 6.6 miles of the race were very steady, Mike kept a consistent solid pace knocking down consistent mile splits. I didn't bother checking my splits because I knew they would all be fast, why check them if you already know.

With the halfway point in sight (6.6) miles I felt very relaxed, my legs felt good, and my body felt great. We rounded the cone, and the race started to pick up. I knew at this point I was running a little bit over my head, but the only thought that kept ringing in my mind was to attack, take the lead and see how hard you can push it. Attack or be attacked. With no idea what I was doing I surged past mike, increasing our pace by about 35seconds per mile. I led for about 30 yards and Mike passed me right back, returning my favor. I immediately pulled up again on his shoulder, and tried to push the pace, hoping sooner or later he would give up. This exchanged happened a couple more times, and eventually the greater athlete came through. With one final massive surge Mike took off, laying down the hurt and dropping me hard. With his last surge he was putting tons of distance on me at a very fast rate. This occurred at about mile 9.

The next half mile was probably the hardest, I let Mike get away from me, and I knew he was in no way slowing down. Just before mile 10 I started to feel refreshed again, my pace picked up, and I felt fairly strong again. with only 3 miles to go, I pictured a short loop that i often run at home, and imagined this short easy run as the only thing I have left to do, to finish the race. The last half mile drug on, but in a short while I was done. I had finished my first half marathon.

I was fairly happy with my race, It is always great to race a distance you have never done before, because you always PR. I learned allot, and already have ideas of things I would do differently. My Final time was 1:10:21.

This race taught me allot. Mainly the fact that Hard work pays off. After club XC nationals I was a little bit bummed with my running performance, and decided I needed to be more consistent with my training. At the time following club nationals I hated running in snow and freezing weather, It was cold wet, and long. But I did not want to be the same athlete that ran Club Nationals. This race made my time in the snow well worth it. Seeing how hard work pays off, has inspired me to work harder, and chase some of the loftier goals I set many months ago.

It was great to see so many people out racing early in the spring. Everyone I knew that was at the race had a good day. Mike, Matt, Tim, Steve, Eric, Haley, Evan and Kirk all rocked the course. Setting fast times, on an early season race. I would also like to thank everyone who cheered me on as they passed the other way. This helped allot. I am also glad that Matt decided to ride down with me. The Radio in my car is broken and if he wasn't there I would of had to sing to myself all the way to Pullman :).

Polar Bear Plunge

2009-01-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

This was a blast!
I wonder if Speedo will Sponsor me after this?

USATF Frostbite 10k

2008-12-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

“It’s every man for himself today”…. “just try to survive”… “it feels worse than it looks”. These were the encouraging words that were ringing in my head as I warmed up for the USATF club nationals. I heard everything from -10to 10 degrees with pretty big wind gusts. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was going to give it my best come race time. As much as I did not enjoy this race it helped me learn allot about myself, and also what it takes to be great.

For the past two months I completed some of the best, most focused training I have ever completed since high school. For the first time since summer I had been injury free for quite some time, and to be honest I started to really fall in love with training. I was excited to run with a fast field and a fast group of guys at Club Nats. I can say that physically I was in great shape. This is where my personal lesson comes in, but we will get back to that after the race.

My warm up went well I was still cold, but not as bad as 30 minutes ago. As I took my sweats off I just told myself to have fun, and race my race. The gun was up and whether I was ready or not, the race was only seconds from starting. The gun went off and I began running. Luckily I did not start at the front of my team; I was tucked into a nice pack, protecting me from the wind. After about 100 meters I decided I wanted to be farter up to avoid the big jam up that usually occurs on the first turn. I worked my way out of the pack and into the COLD side wind. Luckily this idea somewhat paid off because at the turn I just slid my way around the congestion that was occurring. For the first mile I just tried to stay relaxed. I passed the 1 mile marker at 5:13. and not too much longer after that I finished my first lap.

Lap two is where my race started to go down hill. I can honestly say I just mentally checked out. People were passing me and I just did not care. I did not have any fight to go with them. Mentally I needed to change something if I was going to salvage my race. I heard this phrase not long ago that said “fake it till you make it”. The idea was that if you are having a bad race, just pretend like you are having a great time, and pretty soon you will feel good again. I decided to try and smile, but as I went to move my lips I realized they felt like rubber and would not move. That lasted 3 seconds. Hmmmm lets see what else do I got oh “Pain is only temporary” OK that made me laugh a little, the wind was icing my legs quite nicely, numbing my legs from pain. I tried numerous quotes that usually inspire me, but none worked.

As I was having these thoughts in my head I saw a competitor in front of me just stop, shake his head, and walk away. Shortly after, another competitor appeared from the pack ahead, and started running the opposite direction, he had one bear foot, and one shoe. At this point I immediately thought of Mt. Everest, where people get way too cold and start to do crazy things. I have huge respect for whoever this was because instead of dropping out, he ran back, put his shoe on and finished the race.

Right before I was about to start my third and final lap I suddenly started passing people. I had found motivation. The Idea of, the faster I go the faster this last lap would be over with finally was the motivational thought I needed to start racing. With a sudden gust of energy I was passing people by the dozens, I was feeling smooth and simply excited to be almost done.

It was here I mentally took another fall. Out of no where I got a sharp pain in my side, I never get side aches when I run, but this hurt quite bad. For the first time in my life I was 99% sure I would DNF the race. I started running a pace that felt like I was walking, and pressing on my side, because it was the only thing that made the running bearable. I couldn’t even count how many people were quickly passing me,

I had most definitely hit a low point in my race.

I learned a very good lesson when I hit this low point. I learned the value of running on a team. If I was running solo out there that day I would have dropped out, no questions asked, but I knew the team was counting on me to finish. This race was not about me, I had 6 other guys that were counting on me to finish. Snails pace or not I need to get to that line! So with this thought I just kept running. Still feeling in pain and running slow I came to the corner where some of the tri-fusion gang, was cheering me on. This gave me more motivation to finish, and I appreciate them cheering us on more than you can ever imagine.

After what felt like walking for half a mile, the pain subsided, I had half a mile to go and I had some serious work to do. I tried as hard as I could to pass as many people as I could. I wasn’t thinking about a time, all I could think about was points. Every person I passed was one less point counting against our team. With 200 meters to go I kicked it in picking off 4 more runners. With great relief I was done.

I was standing at the finish line cold, bleeding, miserable, but I was very happy with what I had just done. I got home from the race and started getting ready for the post race fun. I noticed I had a headache, but decided to go anyways. As I sat at wingers I realized I was not feeling well. My forehead was splitting, my vision was blurry and I could barely understand anything that people were saying to me. I decided to opt out of the USATF post race party, and my dad took me home. At this point I just felt like dying. I threw up everything I ate at wingers, and could no longer hold down water. I was dehydrated. It didn’t matter if I was standing up, or lying down, I still felt dizzy and hot. It was a long night, one at which I did not sleep. I was either trying to drink water, or throwing up the water I just drank. It was at this point I wondered why I do this, and questioned ever racing again.

December 13^th was a long day.

Every race you compete in will teach you something new about yourself, this race taught me allot.

Never give up- I felt like I could not take another step, with my side ache, but after a short while it went away. Suffering 1 more minute was an easy trade off to my first DNF.
Team is very important- If it wasn’t for the team I would have probably quit, and never learned the first lesson or finished the race.
The power of mind- physically I was very prepared for this race, but mentally I was not.

I will never forget this race. I now know that if ever want to get better, and compete at a higher level in any sport, I need to mentally be tough. There were allot of amazing runners out there that day, and pretty much all of them ran very tough. A strong athlete will race, but a great athlete will win. A champion will be prepared for anything, and rise to the occasion. Even with the cold conditions the leaders still ran around

30 minutes, and thought nothing of it. Today as I woke up, the day after the race, I felt inspired. I know what I have to do to race at a higher level, and now I have a whole winter to prepare.

I would like to thank all my teammates, you guys all ran awesome!! A huge thanks to Steve from brooks who put the team together and allowed me to run on it! I would also like to congratulate team EMDE, and the Spokane Swifts. You guys represented Spokane well, and ran great! A huge congrats to Forest Braden who placed 3^rd overall running 31:00. Keep an eye out for him in the not so distant future! I would like to thank everyone that cheered for me on the course out there, and I would also like to thank my parents, they support me not matter what I do.

Final time- 35:24:00

Getting to Know you (pt. 2)

2008-11-04T00:38:00.001-08:00

Some random facts.
This post is about more random hobbies that I enjoy doing!

1. I played piano (took lessons) for 14 years. I haven't taken lessons for a while, but still play. I like to make up songs and play improvisational music, making things up as I go. I really like to mimic, and see if I can figure out songs from the radio. See if you can figure out what this song is.

2.I like to rock climb.
I have been rock climbing for a while, but I love it!! For me it clears my mind, and relaxes me. I have spent many afternoons bouldering at deep creek, and many weekends climbing with old friends.
3.When I get bored I do dumb things

4. I enjoy cooking (and yes I cook twice as fast in my jersey)
5.I am somewhat of a nerd and really like salt water aquariums!
(This is a mall glimpse at mine)

6.I like to go on Somewhat random adventures.
Some examples are
-Exploring caves (yes there are caves in spokane)
-I once went on a 2 mile trek through the storm drain sewers in Spokane with a friend.(would not recommend this) People give you a strange looks when you pop out of a man hole in the middle of the night.
- I used to boulder and climb on buildings and objects in downtown at night.

7.One of my favorite places in the world is our families lake cabin up at Priest lake.
I like to four wheel, swim, lay on the beach, rock climb, backpack, pick huckleberries, and ski in the winter.

This is actually Hunt lake, a great place to backpack near priest.
8. Lastly I like Jeeps.
I will probably never own a jeep again, but in highschool I owned an old white jeep wrangler.
There is no greater feeling on a hot summer day than driving around with no top, no doors, and blasting music. I used to take it off roads allot. From Sundance mountain, to the ORV park there was not allot of places I didn't go.

Getting to know you (Pt. 1)

2008-10-31T14:32:00.001-07:00

So I decided since it is the off season I will add a couple posts, that help people get to know me better.
This post is very simple. It is just showing one of my hobbies.

Photography
Here are some of the many pictures I have taken. I like to take pictures for fun :).

Spokane Marathon 5miler/ EWU Invitational

2008-10-19T21:26:00.001-07:00

I was very excited for this race. I have not raced in a while and getting some racing in would be fun!! I wasn't too nervous for this race. It's a fun run, so you are suppose to have fun!! I did not matter where I finished. I had no idea where my fitness was at, and this would be a great test. First things first. This race was COLD!!! I am a big wimp for cold wheather, but once I got racing i forgot all about the cold wheather. Besides I had my proper warm up attire on.
Hey when it gets cold you have to take things seriously(full head gear required)! Kurt from Runners Soul counted us down and sent us out on our way. From the start I took it out quick. I quickly found a comfortable pace and settled in. At this time I would like to talk to all the athletes out there about over hydration. They had 3 water stations on a 5 mile run, and two of the stations you pass twice. Many people were stopping 5 times to gulp down water!! I think it is ok to have a water station every mile in an Ironman, but in a 5 mile race, you have got to be kidding me! I felt very comfortable throughout the race. I just followed the lead biker ahead of me, and tried to maintain my pace. With about a mile and a half left to go. I decided to turn on the cruise control. I had a race the next weekend and I didn't want to beat up my body from all the pavement running of this race. So with cruise control set I finished my race. My time was 26:34 That was good enough for 5:20 per mile. I only wish this was a 10k, I definently felt like I could have kept my pace going, if not run a much faster pace the last mile. This would have put me at a high 32min-low 33min 10k. Oh well there is always time.

One week later I had a race that was the same distance, but with much harder competition. I decided to run the EWU cross country invitational unattached. I wanted to run a race where I would get my butt kicked. I needed some people to push me harder and make me tougher.

I was a little bit nervous going into this race because I did not want to be last. I was Ok with second to last, but last place is not something I am ok with. The reason I was nervous for this was because these guys train close to 100 mils a week, and I only run 20-30miles a week. This is a huge difference in performance levels. The one thing I was afraid of was a very fast start! In triathlon you get off the bike recover a little bit, and then build into your pace. In running races it is much different. Usually you go out very fast, somewhat shocking the body, then you try to settle in for the middle, and at the end you take it up a gear. This style of racing puts you into oxygen debt from the start.
To my surprise the race started out pretty slow, and I found myself up in the top 3 for a little while. I knew later on in the race I would be nowhere near the front, but figured hey this position will work for now. We went through mile 1 at 5:15 and it was a much slower first mile than I anticipated. Sweet!! From here the hammer came down and the pace took off. I held on as best as i could and when it was all said and done I ended up 17th out of about 60 runners. I ended up running an almost identical time to the week before. I ran 26:35. There was one big difference though. The race before had no hills what soever. This race was a very hilly cross country course, It had a steep hill in the course that we ran 3 times. SO I was ok with running an Identical time on a course that was probably 3 times as hard.
It is two days after the race and I still cannot walk. My legs are not sore at all. I have an achilles tendon that is swollen like crazy, and doesn't wan't me to walk. I hopefully can get it healed up in time for the Tri-Fusion 5k. the last week I only ran 3 days, trying to nurse the injury,and sooner or later these weeks of sparse running will catch up to me and my fitness will collapse. Oh whel I am very thankful that I got to race. I would also like to thank Matt for coming out and watching me at the EWU invitational. He was my cheer squad, and I apreaciate his comming out to watch a ton. So if you wondering where I am this whole week. I am probably at PT or icing my leg!

My new bike for the 09 season!

2008-10-07T12:57:00.000-07:00

Starting next year I will be riding a new bike. I decided I need to get more aero. My transitions might be a little slower though.

A new Feeling

2008-10-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

The feeling hit me on Thursday. I was running up Tower Mountain with a local high school cross country team. The run started easy with casual chit chat and joking around, but after a couple miles things started to change. The laughing and talking slowly disappeared, and the heavy breathing began. Starting at mile 1.2 of this run the hill begins and it does not loose a grip on you until mile 5.2. With every mile runners began to drop, and soon it was just Adam and I charging side by side to the top of the mountain.

I must say I have never run a road that teases you more. It climbs and climbs, and when you think you have reached the top, the pitch gets steeper and the hill reveals that it isn’t about to give up. After you get off the road, you then hit a trail that makes you wish you could go back to the tolerable pain that the road inflicted. Hitting the last long climb, my legs were begging me to Stop, my lungs were about to explode, and every ounce of my body was begging to concede to the mountain before me. The only thing that kept me going was my mind. I felt this strong urge to push my body harder than I have ever pushed it before, Raising the bar and stretching the limit.

In years past I pull back when pain approaches. In high school my strategy was to train so I feel no pain when I race. I avoided and hated this pain that would occur in my legs. But on this day I find myself taking pain to its own limit. I was seeing how much a dose of itself that pain could take. Enjoying this exploration of the limit of my pain is something not too often experienced by me. I reached the top of the mountain and it felt great. I knew I ran hard, but more importantly I learned to beat pain, and use it to motivate myself.

Now that the top was reached it was time to finish the rest of the run. The remainder of the run winds back down the mountain, and back to the school. The climb is only for five miles, but the whole run ends up being twelve miles. Looking back at my times I realized the 5 mile climb, was run at 6:38 pace. Not too bad for steep uphill running. I ended my run in 1 hour 13 min. coming down a mountain really helps your time J. That night I had an hour swim, after a bite to eat and some homework it was time for bed. The only thought spinning in my head, was an excitement to race.

Black Diamond Olympic Triathlon

2008-09-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

I have never done an Olympic distance race before, and this was only my second triathlon, so as much as I really wanted to set lofty goals, I only allowed myself to stick with one. This one goal I allowed myself to have was finish the race! As some of you know I have been hurt most of the summer and not able to race, but after quite a bit of persuading I was off to black diamond. Leading into this race I had not been swimming, barely running, but getting some good cycling training in, so the swim and run made me very nervous.

I was standing in the water with my nerves on end and then the race got underway. Right from the start there was allot of contact, I got hit hard a couple of times(once in a bad place to get hit) and took some big gulps of water. Even with all the contact I stayed very calm. I think the fact that I was getting hit, and hitting people made me forget all about how tired I was, and the fact that I haven't been swimming lading into this race. I even got some good drafting done on the swim which was excellent. I expected my swim to be anywhere from 30-35 min and when I got out of the water I had no idea what my time was I just ran as fast as I could to transition, and headed out on the bike. It turns out I swam a 28:59 which was way below my expectations, and I was more than happy with this time.

Swim: 28:59

T1 went fairly well I had a little bit of a hard time getting my wetsuit off, and I still made the rookie mistake of forgetting to un-Velcro my shoes. But this is why you race to learn from past mistakes.

T1: 2:12

The day before I thought up a plan for the bike, and as I hoped on my bike and headed out of transition, I did not follow my plan. My plan was to take the first couple miles easy to get my legs under me, and ease into my ride. But me being me I took off as fast as I could. The whole ride I just focused on who was ahead of me, and when I would pass people I would look and see if they were in my race. The bike was not as flat as I expected it to be, but that is ok. I pushed my hardest and rode a 1:03:26 I was more than happy with this time.

Bike 1:03:26

T2 went fine, it wasn't very fast, but eventually I will get there.

T2:1:03

Now it was onto the part that I enjoy best, the run. Leading into this race I have not been able to run too much, and don't know where my run fitness is at. From the start of the run I ran hard, I ran hard the whole race, and just picked off competitors one by one. I really liked this run course I do not know why, but I just enjoyed it. I pushed most of my run, and at the end kicked it into the finish. Later on I found out I ran a 37:14, I was not to happy about this because I know I am capable of faster.

Run 37:14
Overall time:2:13:01

Overall I was happy with my race it was only my second triathlon, and it was my first triathlon at the Olympic distance, I got 5th overall, and got first in my age group. I learned allot of things that I will remember for the next race. I would like to thank Matt Cusack, and Jessie Sullivan for convincing me to race, and also helping on and before race day with all my questions on where I should place things, and many other newbie questions I had. I would also like to thank Rodger Mckeon for the ride to the race. Phaedra was aslo racing, and rocked her race placing 4th overall, with not much training I might add.

Tuesday Time Trial.

2008-08-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

Now is good time to turn off your TV, turn off the radio, stop that music that is playing on your i-pod, tell the kids to be quite, and just listen. if you listen close enough you may just be able to hear MY QUADS SCREAMING!!! This season I have not done allot of speed workout on the bike, and I thought that the baddlands annual Tuesday night twilight time trial would be the perfect place for a speed workout. If I had to describe it in one word it would probably be ouch! From the get go I was a bit nervous, because I don't know where I fall as a rider. I know I can run well, but as far as the other two sports go I am not sure where I land. For this reason I thought this time trail would be a good test to gauge my cycling ability. I signed up for the race and put myself on the A start list. Not sure why I did, but at the moment I thought it would be fun. As more and more people started showing up the more my nerves were growing, and I wondered why I put myself on the A list.

I went for a very short warm up, and got ready to wait for my start time. With my super fast mountain bike helmet, and no idea what I was doing I was ready to go in the A class. 5...4...3...2...1 And I was off. From the get go I went out very hard. I knew this course was very short, so I figured I had to be all out from the get go. By the time I got to the turn around on lap one, my lungs felt like they were going to blow up and my legs were screaming!! I thought crap I still have 2 and a half laps to go, and I am already dying. I just told my self to hang tough, and keep trucking. Now I was onto the second lap, and all I can say is that out section on the course was killing me, there is only a couple short climbs, but I felt like I was breaking down and fading fast!! I just told myself one more lap, you are doing ok. My biggest fear was getting caught and with almost two laps completed I still had not been caught. The fact that I had not been caught yet, started to give me a confidence boost. When I started lap 3 I started to feel better, my legs hurt, but my lungs had calmed down, and as I got to the turn around I noticed I was catching the rider that started before me. Sweet!! This is going ok. From that point on I gave it everything I had to catch him, but I just didn't have enough to real him in. I finished strong and was happy with my race.

I ended up in the middle of the A pack which is just fine with me. I also learned a ton from this experience, I don't race with allot of equipment, I don't have a power meter, a heart rate monitor, a cycling computer, or even a watch for that matter. I just go as hard as a can for as long as I can. But I learned that I need to start racing smarter. Pacing myself is a good thing, and equipment such as those will help me race smarter. I also learned that I need to warm up much more before a race like this. A short out and back with not do.

I must also give a big thanks to all the tri-fusion people that were there. They just kept telling me to have fun and not worry about anything. I have been around allot of teams and clubs, in my running career, but none of them are as nice or as supportive as tri-fusion. Everyone out there did an amazing job.

Hopefully soon I can get healthy and ready to race tri's again. I would like to hit up one more late season race this year, but we will see :)

My First Triathlon ( I survived! )

2008-06-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

Today was my very first triathlon. It was the Medical Lake trailblazer triathlon, and to say the least I was very nervous. I wasn't afraid about the bike, or the run, or for that matter my slow transitions. I was terrified for the swim, and the fact that I have a hard time getting my wet suit off. My T1 could end up being 20 minutes.

All morning I was thinking of things i might need because I didn't want to forget something important like, oh lets say my helmet or my biking shoes. I arrived at the race about two hours before it started. Luckily since I recently joined a club called tri-Fusion, I have met allot of people, and now know many people at these races. It was time to load into the trucks and head over to the other side of the lake.

We all got in the water and were waiting for them to start the race. This is when I started to relax a bit. Everyone in the water had almost a playful attitude, and they were all just having fun. This put my nerves at ease, and helped me relax. After standing in seaweed that was neck deep for a while. It was finally time to start the race.

5...4..3..2..1 and we were off, since this race was a sprint I started swimming as fast as I could. I could see people I knew in the water and as I swam, it really wasn't that bad. I did not have a feeling of panic. After a little while people started moving away from me, and I tried to maintain ground. About 2/3 of the way through the swim I saw Matt ( my sponsor), he was looking strong and kept on swimming by me. It was time to exit the water, and right ahead of me I saw a white platform. Remind me next year not to take this platform!! It was a little slick and I could not get up it, but luckily Natalie Gallagher was there to pull me out of the water. Thank you!! you saved me from being stuck in the water.

Swim place: about 39th

T1 was the one thing that I was terrified of. Getting my wet suit off in less than 10 minutes is not something I am good at. But with a little body glide it came right off, and I was out on the bike. The only thing running through my head on the bike was, this is a sprint, I better ride as hard as i can from the get go. This is what I did. At first there was allot of people, all in small packs, but soon it started to string out. I must also say sorry to Tiffany, I kind of passed her on the right going around a sharp turn. not cool. After a short wile on the bike there was no one in sight, and I was worried how far ahead the next group of people were. eventually I could see one more person ahead, and worked very hard to catch them. It was someone I did not know, but as soon as I passed him, he jumped on my back tire. This was not cool!! Luckily after about a minute of riding my tire I heard a loud pssssssssssss. It was my drafter getting a flat tire :). Ok I should never wish that on someone, but I was kinda happy since he was drafting me. after this I could see Steve ahead of me and pushed hard to catch him. This was not easy!! He was cranking, and I had a heck of a time catching up to him. At this point the bike was almost over, I came into transition, and got ready to run.

Place after bike-13th

Now it was time for the run, and now I was relaxed. I don't feel tense or anxious when it is time for the run, and usually am excited. I just started running, settling into a relaxed but steady pace. I caught some more people on the run, and just kept going. I really liked the self serve water station they had in this race, the line was too long so I did not stop for water. When I finished I did not know what place I was in because the people ahead of me were absolutely flying!!! Later though I was told that I was fourth place, but one of the places ahead of me was a team. So in the solo division I was 3rd. I was ok with this. As I said earlier I was very nervous going into this race, and for my first triathlon I was quite happy with 3rd.

I am very glad I did this race and now I am very excited (and not so nervous) to race more triathlons.

Post Falls Duathlon 2008

2008-06-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

This is my first race report so We will see how it goes. Leading into this race my biking has been feeling Better, and I am feeling stronger almost weekly. My running on the other hand has had some trouble the last two weeks. Due to tight IT bands in both legs I have not been running very much. For me this was ok because I really wanted to focus on my bike leg of this race. If I am ever going to be competitive at triathlons I need to be able to at least maintain on the bike. Rolling up to the race site I was quite nervous. For some reason I get very nervous at races. I see fancy bikes, and sweet jerseys and I think uh oh, they must be fast.

Well the siren goes off and we are under way. Right from the get go two men dart to the front and take the lead. I immediately jump up to where they are at and in my head I am thinking man these guys are taking it out fast!! After about 400 meters into the race the two men quickly drop off the pace, leaving me to suffer for the bad decision i made to start out in a sprint. For those of you that have never done the Post Falls duathlon the run consists of Two out and back loops. These give you plenty of opportunity to see your competition and where you are at. I was feeling good even though I took it out a little too hard, and I hit the first turn around. After turning around and running a little ways a man running the other direction threw up his arms and yelled "its not a fun Run" Im not sure what that meant, but I just kept running.The first 5k went well I had a good lead (4-5min), and I did not feel like I was pushing it very hard. I rounded the corner to the clock, when I saw 14:33!!! I knew right away that there was a Mistake in the time, and If it was true I would have been done right there and then.

First run-16:48(including transition)

The first run was now done and I was quickly running through transition to my bike. For those of you that have seen me race or know me, you know I have slow transitions. Not only do I have slow transitions, but I set the standard for the term slow transition. Today was another one of those days. Running up to my bike I first grabbed my helmet and threw it on. Next the running shoes came off. This is where it went down hill. I immediately noticed that my shoes had the Velcro tightly strapped, and not open. So i grabbed them and undid the Velcro. next I had to grab my water bottle and place it in my jersey and I was off.

T1-Just over 1:17 (sweet that means my fist run was sub 16)

Off to the bike. Continuing into the bike the transition is still haunting me, because as I run out of transition and hop on my bike I realize, oh yeah I am in the hardest gear of my bike. This makes for a very slow start. I guess you have to start learning somewhere:) . Starting the bike my legs felt dead. This made me scared. I was only about half a mile into the bike and I felt spent. Riding up the first big hill I took deep breaths and focused my breathing. I just kept telling myself you are ok, ride it out. Luckily after about 2 miles of riding my legs arrived and I felt better. Biking has been a weak spot for me at my last two duathlons, the second I get on the bike from the run, I just sit and wait until someone catches me. I ride just assuming that any second I will be passed. In this race I made it to the turn around and saw no one. This was a feeling I didn't know. Still unsure about my riding capability I pushed hard. I did not want to get tired the second half of the ride and loose the lead, like I have done many times before. Luckily the way back was mostly up hill, and I pushed hard, knowing this is where A small body type like mine could make up ground. This course is only 18.5 miles, but for some reason the climb on the way back seems like an eternity when you are racing. Eventually to my relief I made it to the top and had no one in sight. Now it was down the hill and one more run. At this point I was thinking, I might be able to win this!! This got me excited. I flew down the hill as fast as 120 pounds could take me. I hit the bottom and started across the long bridge. I decided that when I got to the end of the bridge I would look back and see if anyone was catching me. I turned around and aaaaaaah!!! There was someone right at the bottom of the hill, probably 500 meters back. Whoever this person was they had made up huge ground on me, he was like Houdini, and just came out of no where. I pushed hard. I rounded the last corned for the the final straight into transition. It was at this point I got an idea. I should try to take my feet out of the shoes well I was still riding into transition. I tried this and it worked wonderfully. I was stoked, I might have a fast transition now!!

Bike-52:47

I got my feet out of my shoes well I was still moving sweet!!! I came into T2 very excited about this. I dismounted off my bike threw it on the rack. Next I took off my helmet, and took the water bottle out of my jersey. I threw on my running shoes like I had practiced in my living room the night before. This was turning out to be a faster transition. one shoe was on and I had only one to go. The second shoe gave me grief though it took quite a while to get the shoe on and then after running about five feet, with everyone staring at me thinking why does this kid take so long in transition I had to stop and re- put it on.

T2-a tad faster than the first

The second run went well. The man who had an amazing bike also had a fast transition, and I thought I felt his presence right behind me. I pushed hard. After the first turn around I did not see him, and this made me feel more relaxed. After I passed him going the opposite direction, I felt more confident that I might be able to actually win this race (a goal I set at the beginning of the season). The rest of the run I tried to take water twice but dropped the cup both times. Oh well its not too much longer to run. At this point I just focused on keeping a steady pace that was not too hard. I finished and It felt good to be done.

Run #2 18:03 (minus
my 1:10 transition= 16:53)

Overall I felt very happy about this race for a couple reasons 1. I set a goal at the beginning of the season to win the race. 2. I learned allot of things I would do differently in transition, and hopefully my next race might be faster. 3. I felt good that I could still run ok off of two weeks of very weak run training (about 1/4 of what I normally do)4. I learned that I need to not worry about the bike leg and just ride my hardest.

Overall time-1hr 27min 38sec

Next years goal
Run#1- 16:00 (5:10/mi)
Bike - 50.27 (22mph)
Run#2- 16:16(5:15/mi)

Overall time-1:24:44

I will start with a video I made a while ago

2008-06-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

Well most of the time I get bored, and when I get bored I go do something. So I decided to make this video with my canon camera that only takes 10 second clips.