| Ceasar Rodney Half Marathon |
The Caesar Rodney Half
was my first race of 2007. I did it with my good friend from
Manchester, UK, Doug Clark (great Triathlete who placed 4th at US
Nationals later in the season). Doug's goal for the race was to run sub
1:23 so he could qualify for the New York City Marathon. We both
qualified but I didn't do the NYC this year because of IronMan Florida.
g better.
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| Ironman California 70.3 |
This was my fifth California Half IronMan. I love the race around Camp
Pendleton and the US Marines always do a tremendous job managing
everything (Sempre Fi!) I had a decent race but was 4 minutes slower
than my record there from 2006 (4hrs 30 mins). I had just come off with
a cold the week before so I wasn't 100%. California will be my first
triathlon in 2008 and my goal is to go sub 4:30... we'll see
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| Ironman St. Croix 70.3 |
St. Croix was a great race and a great place to vacation. I felt really good
on the bike and came to T2 in 3rd place. I kept my place until mile 14
when I was misdirected(!) by one of the Marshalls. I couldn't believe I
had made a mistake 2 miles later I ended up going back to run the right
course and added 4 miles to the overall distance. I would have had a "Kona"
slot had I run the right way. Oh well, I still cringe when I
think of it. Instead of running 13.1 miles that day I ran about 19...
As I always say, triathlon is humbling sport. This was one of the better "lessons"
during 2007. Always study the individual courses - the
run! Not sure if I'll go back to St. Croix next year.
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| Ironman EagleMan 70.3 |
EagleMan was my best Half Iron this year (and ever!) I felt strong on
the swim (27 minutes over 1.2 miles in the Chesapeake Bay) and 2nd
fastest bike split in my age group (2 seconds behind no. 1). I came into
T2 in 2nd place but lost 6 places during the run ... This was a good
reminder of why it always seems to come down to the run ... EagleMan is
one of the fastest 70.3 series (Half IronMan) races in the world and I
can strongly recommend it. Robert Vigorito, the race director, is a
great man and he puts on an extremely well organized race. He is also
the man behind the Blazeman foundation - which you can find on my
sponsors page.
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| USAT Age-Group National Championships |
USA Triathlon Championships was out there at Hagg Lake, Oregon, this
year. Great race venue. For the second year in a row I went there with
my good friend Doug Clark. I had another decent race but had troubles
with my seat which slid forward when I jumped on it in T1. As if that
wasnt enough, I couldnt find my transition spot in T2 and wasted a
whole 2 minutes looking for it
... My goal was to qualify for TEAM USA so
I could go to Worlds again this year. So while I could say mission
accomplished this wasnt exactly my most favorite performance.
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| Nautica New York City Triathlon |
New York City Triathlon was a good race for me. The only mishap was on
the swim when I veered across the Hudson River in the strong currents
and cut my left hand on a rock. In other words, I didnt swim a
straight line and that is something I need to improve on. Due to my
car accident in 1996, my left shoulder is much weaker than my right. The
result is that I gravitate to the left when I swim. doing more weights
this winter to correct that. Will be doing NYC again in 2008 as part
of my membership on the fullthrottleendurance team (http://www.fullthrottleendurance.com/)
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| World Age-Group Championships |
The Age Group World Championships was in Hamburg this year. I combined it
with my regular summer break to visit my family in Norway.
Unfortunately, I got sick the week before the race (swam in an ice cold
Norwegian lake 1 1/2 weeks before... bad mistake) so I entered the race
cold as it were. Regardless, I was psyched about Worlds and being
there with other good friends from TEAM USA. My good friend Nace Mullen
from Philadelphia was my room mate (see photo in my archive from
Worlds). I had a decent race with an ok swim, a great bike (2nd fastest)
and an pretty decent run. I was the third fastest member of TEAM USA and
improved my placement from 29th in 2006 to 17th this year. Hoping the
trend continues as 2008 Worlds is in Vancouver, Canada.
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| The Nations Triathlon |
The Nations Triathlon (Washington DC) was my best Olympic distance race
ever. I got 4th overall and won my age group. First time I did an
Olympic in less than 2 hrs. While the run was a tad short, I felt great
throughout the race. Looking forward to a repeat next year when I will
start the race with the elites and not with the age groupers as I did
this year. Ill probably push myself a little more if I start with the
elites.
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| Longhorn Half Ironman |
LongHorn Half was the 2nd hardest Half IronMan I have ever done. It was
down there in Austin, TX great place. But man its hot and humid down
there even in October! The water was +80 degrees Fahrenheit so no
wetsuits allowed. I felt cooked as I exited the lake and was happy to
be on the bike (had the 2nd fastest bike overall). But I lost a lot of
liquids on the ride and by the time I came out of T3 for the run I
realized my reserves were only good for about 4 of the 13.1 miles.
What made it worse was that my shoe soles melted off! I couldnt believe it
but I was gradually leaving more and more of my rubber soles on the
Texan tarmac! I remember seeing my friend Mark Gingrich just ahead of
me. I quickly realized I wouldnt catch him so my worries then turned to
my other friend, Ryon Talbot, who was breathing down my neck. Anyways, I
was able to hold him off and finished the race in 4:45. Compare that to
EagleMan (30 minutes faster) and you know it was a very hard race. Might
do it again next year
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| Ford Ironman Florida |
This was to be my first IronMan ever! To be honest, I did it for two reasons;
1) to say I am actually an IronMan (not just half for the countless
half IronMan races Ive done) and 2) to see how my body would do over
more than 10 hours of constant exercise. Well, it was a slow death to
the finish. I had a great swim in just less than 1hr and 3 minutes
(thats great for me considering I typically swim the Half IronMan in 31
minutes. My bike was good with a time of 4 hrs and 50 minutes, with an
average of 23.1 m.p.h. for the 112 miles. Then the run.the marathon,
that is At first, I loved being off the bike (and after a quick pit stop
to relieve myself of all liquid I had accumulate in my bladder). That
lasted for about 4 miles as I started feeling heavy and unfocused. I
threw away my fuel belt at that point since it was too much to carry and
there were plenty of aid stations along the way (every mile). My good
friend Charles Whalen was a few minutes behind me and I worried he might
catch me any minute.I got through the first half mark and couldnt
believe I had to do it all over again. I felt really humbled by the
sport at this point... so I ran and ran some more until my fuel tank was
on red and simply said empty around mile 14.I hadnt run a marathon
in about 3 years so that kind of made sense. I walked between mile 15
and 20 thinking I just had to get myself to the finish that way. But
then, at mile 20, I decided to sip a bit of coca-cola and eat a pretzel.
Man, it was like somebody gave me a boost of rocket fuel. I quickly got
myself together and ran every mile to the finish sipping a little bit
of Coke at each aid station. Lesson learnt; drink some coke at every
mile starting around mile 8 or 9 of the marathon. Probably not a bad
idea to let the body get accustomed to it on the longer training runs
leading up to the IronMan distance. So, enough said, this one I took
down to experience. Finished in 10:11 and know I will do better next
year (already signed up!)
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| Veterans Day 10k |
Veterans Day 10k in DC was a spur of the moment kind of thing. With the
IronMan still in my legs I couldnt turn down the personal offer by my
friend Adrian (Fenty) Washington DCs mayor to show up. Remarkably,
I didnt feel that tired from Florida and did a decent 10k in 35 minutes
and 44 seconds.
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| North Central Trail Marathon |
I finished the season the way I started it; a run race with my friend Doug
Clark. Except this one was a full marathon on trails. It was fun, though.
Ran the think in 3 hrs 6 minutes which was less than the 2:50 we had
hoped for. But hey, I didnt walk one step and that was a good feeling.
Planning on doing another marathon in early January in warmer climate
(it was in the 30s that day definitely not good for the muscles).
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