EspenUSA Blog

Third 10k in the same number of weeks. I was out ‘alone’ from start to finish so nobody there but the clock to push against….Getting faster but far from where I need to be…..35:38 flat. Shooting for another one next weekend  http://www.rocketracingproductions.com/Rocket_Racing_Productions/fantastic_results.html

Greetings to all friend and outdoor enthusiasts!

The 2012 season is heating up and I’m excited to start racing again! I won’t be doing IronMan’s this year but will hopefully do plenty of Olympics and Half Irons. Perhaps a few small sprints in-between.

Haven’t done too much ‘closet training’ this winter but have improved in the pool and on the run….I think! I’ve done two 10k races here in SoCal the last two weekends and I”m happy with my performance. The FireCracker 10k in Chinatown yesterday was a challenging course with the first 3 miles at a steady incline….It served me pretty good. Ended up 8th overall and won my age group :’) Results are here:

http://resultsbyprimetime.com/race_results/2012races/02feb/chinatown/10k-fl.htm

See you all at the races! Wishing you all a safe and healthy 2012!

Espen

Hi all!

Yes, I haven’t posted in a while….just too many things going in my life so it’s hard to juggle it all at times. But all is pretty much good and I hope you are as well. My season so far this year has been OK. I have done less races than previous years and I decided not to compete on the bike this year. With more than six serious bone breaks to the left side of my body and several rib and wrist fractures later, I think I’ve done my fair share on that front

But, as most seasons will ultimately have it, there’s always ‘something’ in the form of injury or setback. For me, that meant a serious middle ear infection that I got two days before the Honu Half IronMan in Kona, Hawaii,  back in June. It was some of the worst pain I have ever experienced. Had to go on Vicodin and then Prednisone (for 1 month) to recover. For a while there, I had lost about 90% of my hearing on the left ear….Not good…The worst thing was that most people thought I was OK….but I couldn’t hear them! Made me realize how important our hearing is and how difficult it most be for those who suffer from permanent ear damage…

I did the Oxnard Olympic in July in just under 2 hours and placed 2nd in the Pro/Elite and 6 overall. Those 21 year old college students are getting harder and harder to beat I was happy with my effort there. I am doing Nationals in Vermont on the 20th of August and that will be interesting. Have been trying to improve my running speed over the last month or so…..I then do the 70.3 World Championships in Vegas on 9.11, which I am looking forward to.

Might do another short Olympic in the fall but that will be it for me this year.

Keep up the active life style and I hope to see you at the races! PS: check our newly launched clothing line. Look out for more and more ‘Tri-Gear’ there: www.relaxreflect.com.

In sports,

Espen

Hi all! Check out this great indoor cycling and nutrition resource created by my good friend Dr. Kevin Steel at Pepperdine University here in Southern California. Kevin has been in the health and fitness industry for over 25 years. He has held various Education, Research and Corporate Health Services positions with three of the fitness industries largest and leading club chains. He now consults with health clubs and organizations worldwide. He is a member of the American Medical Athletic Association, American College of Sports Medicine and is a chair for the National Academy of Sports Medicine’s Medical/Scientific Advisory Board. Kevin earned his BS in Sports Medicine and Physical Education from Pepperdine University and his PhD in Exercise Physiology with a sub-specialty in Nutrition from Columbia University, returning to Pepperdine as a faculty member in Physical Education and Sports Medicine.

Been taking some time off here….busy days but that’s ok. Hurt my left calf muscle a month ago so I haven’t run. Gave it some rest and think it worked….did a few miles today and felt ok. Time to get ready for Oceanside…..

Hi All!

I thought you’d find these video clips quite amusing (and true!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03dFMG8nR4

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6694173/

I just wanted to say thanks to Kevin Steinbuch from TYR for giving me the new ‘Torque’ speed suit from TYR. It’s an amazing piece of clothing and I can highly recommend it. Check it out here for more: http://www.tyr.com/torque/

Thanks Kevin.

Espen

….so I did it for the second time…another IronMan…another humbling experience to remind me that this truly is an epic event – feared by many, admired by most.

I knew this would be a long day at the ‘office’ as I crawled out of bed at 4AM for my pre-race carboload…..I wasn’t worried about the weather, my form or my nutritional stores….I was worried about that ever lingering sore throat and the sinus pressure I had inside my head for the last 2 days….I couldn’t believe I was actually sick…I haven’t been sick in a long time and this certainly wasn’t good timing….I popped a sudafed and a Tylenol, ate my breakfast and headed for the start…

It was an amazing site to see how many athletes were there….the bikes lined up like pearls on a perfect string…the sun slowly arising above the horizon to remind us all that this truly is God’s Country out here on the big island of Hawaii…..Spectacular to say the least. We were about 2,000 triathletes popping like small blue and pink plastic balls in the water….the guys wore blue….the women had pink caps…

As the gun shot filled the air, we were more like a million salmon swimming upstream the Colorado river…it was frantic out there…with arms, legs, fingers and heads all over the place….I simply couldn’t get a good ‘line’ to swim in but I figured it didn’t make much of a difference. We were all sort of in the same ‘boat….’ Finished the 3.8km (2.4 mile) swim feeling good. The plan was to hold off and simply enjoy it. And so I did. It was a beautiful day for swimming in the Pacific ocean

So I jumped on my bike and set course to cover the 112 miles or so to and from Hawi to Kona. I had bike 1/2 of that distance in June during the Honu Half IronMan so I sort of knew what to expect. I never quite felt comfortable going out there. My stomach was struggling with all the liquid carbs and I only downed 4 GUs. My throat was in constant pain and my head felt like it was about to explode….I knew I was in bad shape when I started harking up mucus and felt like I was riding on one lung…but I had to keep going. I promised to do this race for Paolo and everyone else at home I knew were following me….

So I popped another Tylenol and started the trip ‘home’…..It felt a little easier with heavy side winds and I was able to crank it up a few notches to finish the bike leg in 5hrs and 15 minutes. That was a whole 25 minutes slower than my Florida IM race 3 years ago. But that was a different race completely. This is the ‘real’ IronMan event every triathlete dreams to complete.

So I headed out for my run….and it soon became evident that it was indeed going to be a loooong day out there…..I was simply ‘emtpy’ and had nothing in the bag after about 3 miles….The sudafed must have messed up my hydration as I had been sweating buckets for the last 6 hours or so…not able to replensih even a fraction of what I expended…I was about to abandon the race when I was reminded of all the other people who would love to have been here had they qualifed. I reminded myself of my pledge to Paolo and when Jean, Tuva, my dad and Hillary (Doug Clark’s wife) cheered me on and said; ‘Come on, Espen, you can do it,’ I knew this ‘death march’ had just started….I was disappointed with myself but I wasn’t going to disappoint them by not finishing this thing…

It was a long humbling walk (light run at times) along the Queen K highway coming home. It never ceases to amaze me how strong the older women (and men) are. Many of them just left me in the dust…did I say humbling…Indeed, this sport will teach you a thing or two about arrogance…..

But hey, I was baout to finish my first KONA IronMan. It was indeed exhilirating to run that finish chute up Alii Drive. And so while I didn’t finish in the time I wanted with anything under 10 hours, I came in at 11:40 and change…..a whole 2 1/2 hrs slower than my IM Florida time…. Not what I was hopoing for but I know I can do better on a healthy body next year. So I guess my goal is to find the next Kona qualifier so I can be right back here in 12 months! I look forward to it already. Who’s out there to join me?

Thanks to all my family and friends for the continued support they give me. If it weren’t for them I ruly would not be able to enjoy this unique journey through the sport that I love so much; Triathlon.

See you all at the races!

In sports -Espen  

Hi everyone! Fistly, my apologies for not blogging sooner. My blog was down due to difficulties with ‘Blogger’ but I’m now up again with ‘WordPress.’

Just landed here in KONA for the World IronMan Championships this coming Saturday. I’m not sure how things will go but heck, I’m here and it’s time to get this one on my track record.

I wanted to post this on a more positive note but I was just informed this morning that my good friend from Bergemo, Italy, Paolo Zanoni, passed away this weekend in a terrible Mountain Bike accident there. He leaves behind his American wife Marnie and their three beautiful children. I will dedicate this race to Paolo and our friendship. He was a great man and a great friend. May he rest in peace. I’ll see him on the other side when my time comes. God Bless you, Paolo. I will miss you dearly.

Espen