Race Report - 12/15/2013 - Runners Den Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon

Location: Scottsdale, AZ - Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza

Race Type: Run
Participants: 1051
Overall Place: 89th
Age Group Place: 12th
Time: 1:37:07

Pace: 7:25/mile

This was my first half marathon in a race environment and I was excited to do this distance. 

I was a little late getting to the event so felt a bit rushed for parking. I found a decent spot and headed to registration packet pickup. The area was well organized, I received my bib, grabbed my shirt from a different booth, and hopped in line for the bathroom. The lines were long due to an overall lack of porta johns but that gave me time to strip my warm clothes, put on my bib, and drop off my checked bag while one of my fellow racers held my spot. 

I made the start line with two minutes to spare and headed to the 1:40 pace group. My goal time was 1:38 but I would have been happy with 1:40. The horn sounded and we were off. I maintained a 7:30 average pace for the first 6 miles and bumped up to a 7:25 for the next 4. I was feeling good and stepped it up again to a 7:00 pace for the last 3 miles. It was tough to maintain but I was happy to be able to pull off a reverse split. 

I ran into the chute with the knowledge that there would be a video of my finish so I gave the obligatory raised arms and was happy that I finished at 1:37:17 clock time.

I had to head to work so I didn't stay for the post race fun. Maybe next year...

I'll do this race again. It was well managed, had a nice long sleeve running shirt, and a high quality finishers medal.

                                            5K, 10K, and Finish Line Video (I'm on the right)

Race Report - 12/08/2013 - Hot Chocolate Run Phoenix 15K

Location: Scottsdale, AZ - Salt River Fields

Race Type: Run
Participants: 1768
Overall Place: 43rd
Age Group Place: 5th
Time: 1:07:26

Pace: 7:15/mile

This race was large enough that there was no packet pickup on race day. My wife and I were going together so she picked up our packets on Friday. She felt that the pickup was well organized and a simple in and out. They also had a nice expo with lots of vendors. 

The race consisted of a 5K and 15K run. There were 1774 participants in the 15K and 3390 participants in the 5K. The allure of the race is the high quality pullover jacket provided at race pickup and the hot chocolate, fruit, and fondue at the finish. 

I have to say, this was one of the best organized events that I have attended. The parking was free and well organized with lots of volunteers and police directing traffic. Once we reached the venue there were an abundance of port-a-johns and a large checked bag area. The race bib included a tear off for your bag and the attendant placed your items in the appropriate container broken down by 50 number groups. 

I was placed in corral H (the 1st corral) based on my predicted race time. The race started on time and I was off. I stuck with the same group of people throughout the run with the occasional back and forth between myself and a few other participants. 

The course was flat and well marked with mile markers and timers every mile and two additional markers and timers at the 5K and 10K intervals. Aid stations were fully stocked every two miles. I grabbed water at mile 6 and 8 but didn't stop to enjoy it as the person I was trailing didn't slow down either. 

At mile 8 I decided to pick up my pace and pass a few people. One of them sprinted by me at the end but overall I was happy with my finish and pacing. This was the 1st time that I had raced this distance and wasn't sure how I should pace it. 

After the race I met with my wife and picked up my hot chocolate kit. The drink was good but the chocolate was a bit much immediately after a hard run. Rockin Refuel was also in attendance and giving out 12 packs of their recovery drink to anyone that would "like" them on facebook. Needless to say, I picked up my free samples. 

This was a fun and well organized event. I'll do this one again next year. 

Marathon Training & The End of the Triathlon Season

The triathlon season has come to a close in the Phoenix area with the last big event, The Arizona Ironman, this Sunday. I look forward to attending this race as a spectator and will miss triathlon racing over the coming months. My next scheduled tri is the Lifetime Tri Marquee in Tempe on 4/13/14 and it seems far away.

In the meantime there are plenty of running events in the coming months. I am currently training for the Phoenix Rock n' Roll Marathon on 1/19/14. I will participate in a couple of half marathons and shorter distance races before this event but the marathon will be my "A" race. I will follow this marathon shortly after with another, the Phoenix Marathon, on 3/1/14. My goal for the Phoenix RNR is 3:30 and 3:25 for the Phoenix Marathon.

Race Report - 11/09/2013 - HITS Lake Havasu Half Ironman

Location: Lake Havasu City, AZ
Race Type: Triathlon
Distance: 1900 meter swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run
Participants: 252
Overall Place: DNF
Age Group Place: DNF

I had a good taper the 10 days before the race with a few shorter runs, rides, and swims. Kristen and I headed out on Friday in time to make the pre-race briefing and drop of the bike in the transition area. This was my first HITS event and my first half ironman distance. I was excited and felt that I was ready both physically and nutritionally for the race. The weather looked great for Saturday with no clouds and temperatures starting in the low 60's and reaching mid to high 70's by the end of the race. 

We arrived in Lake Havasu City and drove directly to the race site right next to the original London Bridge. Registration was quick and I was informed that there would be ~325 participants in the half. This was great as last year there were only ~60. There were a number of vendors and the transition area setup was fantastic. I'd heard that HITS does a great job with the transition area but it was still something great to see. I had been assigned a spot with a bench and box that my front tire would go into and with plenty of room to store my gear. The only downside was that I was right in front of the bathrooms but I was also right next to the bike exit. 

The race director/owner started the pre-race briefing shortly after we arrived. He was funny, patient, and informative. After the briefing I racked my bike and headed to the hotel. Later, Kristen and I ate dinner by the bridge and then I was able to catch about 7 hours of sleep.

The morning of the race was chilly but not bad with the wetsuit on. The race director gave another briefing and a few minutes later the horn sounded. I stayed near the back and walked in with most of the other men in the half and full distances. The women were to start three minutes later. The water temperature was 66 degrees and the clarity was great! This was my first race where I could see the bottom of the lake in areas and could also see other participants through the water. This helped immensely for drafting.

There were two large 10x10  buoys in the water that made up two corners of the triangle swim with smaller buoys on the beach and between the larger ones. I had no problem sighting the large buoys and was feeling good until mid-way between the 1st and 2nd turn when I realized that I had not been paying much attention and had drifted off track quite a ways. I picked up speed and caught up with the other participants when rounding the 2nd buoy. The swim to the end was uneventful other than a sandbar that was present about 200 yards out that allowed me to walk a little ways. I finished up the swim mid-pack in ~43 minutes. 

I felt great coming out of the water and jogged to my transition area past the strippers. Transition was quick and I was off to the bike course. 

The bike course consisted of a 28 mile loop that was to be repeated 2x for the half and 4x for the full. About 14 miles in there were a few hills with steep grades of ~8-10% and even steeper drops on the backside. When climbing the 1st hill I realized that I had a flat in the back. I changed it out and removed a small thorn in my tire. I ran up the hill and passed a few people on their bikes. I then hopped on the bike and launched down the back side. It was such a fast drop that it felt like a roller coaster ride and made me a bit nervous. Seven miles later I had another flat in the back. I swapped out my last tube but couldn't find the cause. At this point I was starting to worry and had given up on making my time goal of 5:30 but was still in relatively good spirits. I was also out of tubes...

The rest of the 28 mile loop was uneventful and I passed a number of people. If it wasn't for the flats I would have been on target for a 20 mph bike average. After finishing the 1st loop and 4 miles on the island of the 2nd I had another flat on the London bridge; also in the back. I had to walk a half mile back to the start where a volunteer procured another tube. He helped me pump it up and I was off again. I was really nervous now. I still hadn't found what caused the last two flats and I felt that I wouldn't make it through the next 24 miles. Well, I didn't. My fourth flat came around mile 48 immediately after passing a woman who was walking. I waited for her to catch up so that I'd have someone to commiserate with. She had a blown front tube and a hole in her tire sidewall. I had given up at this point after having lost ~1 hour with all the flats. I offered to swap front rims with her, she accepted, and was gone. A short while later I took a ride from someone in a buggy back to the bridge. On the way I noticed that two women were down on the road from an accident. One of them looked like the person I'd given my rim to. 

After getting back to the transition I packed up and waited for the woman to come in. After ~45 minutes I gave up and spoke with the race director. He had heard that a woman and her mother had gone to the hospital but didn't have details. Luckily, another HITS employee walked by and heard our discussion. He informed me that he just brought back two bikes. The person I'd given my rim to had not been hurt but her mother had. They had gone to the hospital together. The HITS employee brought me to her bike and I swapped my rim back. 

I have never had a flat during a race and never had four during any ride that I've taken. It was just not my day. Having said that I was really impressed with the staff, professionalism, and quality of the event. I would definitely do this one again; after all, I need to redeem myself!!!

Race Report - 11/02/2013 - Desert Grande Triathlon

Location: Coolidge, AZ
Race Type: Triathlon
Distance: 400 meter swim, 10.2 mile bike, 3 mile run
Participants: 215
Overall Place: 23rd
Age Group Place: 5th
Time: 1:05:43.  Swim: 9:38, Bike: 34:16, Run: 21:49

I signed up for this race last week. I had been debating on this race and a 100 mile road cycling club event; The Heart of Arizona. With the 1/2 ironman distance tri coming up next week I felt that it would not be beneficial to ride that far and be gone from my family all day. Anyway, on to the race...

This race was the 22nd annual Desert Grande Triathlon. I had never been to Coolidge, AZ although it is only 30 minutes south of my house. After having reviewed last years times I felt that I could come out fairly well if the participant field was similar. With that in mind, I had the goal of pushing myself hard throughout the race (except the swim) and was shooting for a time of 1:01. 

The race was held at Central Arizona College. The campus was nestled against a mountain and was quite beautiful. After racking my bike near the beginning of the transition area I then picked up my registration packet and walked around the pool. The pool had 8, 50 meter lanes. Having never swam in a 50 meter pool, I was looking forward to it.  Next I walked the transition areas and asked questions to ensure that I knew the route to take. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that it was really cold out! It was 50 degrees (that is practically freezing for Phoenicians) and I was beginning to dread the bike portion.

At 7:15 I stripped down to my tri suit and headed towards the pool. My feet froze while walking on the grass but the sun was starting to warm things up a bit. The race director gave his speech and people started getting in the pool in 10 second intervals. We were all lined up by our estimated finish time so I stuck with the 8:30 group and waited as more than 1/2 of the participants started ahead of me. Once in, the swim was uneventful. I passed a few people and was passed by a couple. There were also a couple of points where I had to wait due to lines being blocked by slow swimmers. Oh, well. I came out of the pool a bit slower than expected but I was feeling good.

The bike transition went well. I put on a long sleeve shirt and was off. Unfortunately the lane was narrow exiting the bike area and I was stuck behind a slow rider for a quarter mile. Once out of the way I started pushing hard and was averaging 23 mph. I was able to hold this until we made a couple of turns and ended up in a mountain valley where the winds were moving strong against me. At that point I could barely push 18 mph and my average dropped down lower than expected. I ended the ride with a 21 mph GPS average but was pleased that I passed ~25 people and was not passed at all. The official results are skewed because both transitions were included during this leg.

The run transition went well. I stripped off the long sleeve shirt, put on the race belt and started chasing people down. After less than a 1/2 mile the course turned onto packed dirt. I wasn't expecting this and would have brought different shoes. I pushed hard and passed 10-15 people during the run. Once again, nobody passed me. There was a woman ahead of me the entire time and I used her to pace off but could never catch up. 

I had to head for home immediately after the run so I did not see my results. For some reason they weren't posting any data real time. There was good food available that I missed out on but I did receive a finisher medal and a long sleeve shirt. 

All in all, a good race that was well run and had a good showing. I will do this again next year. 

Keeping it all Together - Family, Work, Training, and Racing

Over the last couple of years I've had to learn how to balance family, work, training, and racing (in that order). It hasn't always been easy and sometimes it hasn't gone very well either. Family comes first, right. I have three small children; two in elementary school and one that will start next year. My wife works from home so she often needs a break by the time I arrive at night.

I have worked for the same company for over 13 years. My current position allows my to work four, ten hour days; one of which is a weekend. I find this schedule to be great. I don't have to be at work until 8am so this allows my to get up early, work out for 1-2 hours, take a shower, and help get my children ready for school. During the Phoenix area summers, morning workouts are a must. It is simply too hot during the day to do anything but bike or swim. During the cooler months I can run in the mornings and bike during my lunch break. I typically do not exercise on work nights because I get home near bed time and need to help with homework, baths, getting the children ready for bed, etc.

I have two week days where I do not work and two of the three children are in school. I typically try to get in a longer, 2.5 - 3.5 hour, single workout or brick on at least one of these days. During my one weekend day I also shoot for a long workout. My weekly goal is 10-15 hours of exercise for a three week average with 5-7 hours during the rest week. I am usually able to meet these goals.

Most of the races that I compete in occur early in the morning on Saturday or Sunday. I have only had to travel more than an hour for a few events so I am usually home by lunch time on my non-work day or I head directly to work. Triathlons eat up more of my day and have required more travel. I'm not fond of the local triathlon bike course for the Olympic to Half IM distances so I look elsewhere. If I can make a mini vacation out of a triathlon event, I will. Ideally the family will come along with me on these longer trips but that hasn't always worked out.

Without my wife working from home I don't think that I'd be able to keep my training schedule. The ability to leave every morning before the children wake up is what keeps my training strong. Besides, I am definitely a morning person. I enjoy the morning run or ride with next to no-one on the roads. I remember my father telling me on one occasion that mornings are God's time. I happen to agree. The world seems tranquil before the hustle and bustle of our lives takes over.

Race Report - 10/27/2013 - Faster Gran Fondo Century

Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Race Type: Gran Fondo
Distance: 100 Miles
Participants: ~100
Overall Place: 7/21 per Strava 2013 Faster Gran Fondo 100 segment
Age Group Place: NA
Moving Time: 5:31:15
Total Time: 5:42:25
Pace: 17.9 mi/h
Elevation Change: ~5000 feet

This was the 2nd annual Faster Gran Fondo. Faster is a high end cycling shop in North Scottsdale. I completed this event last year and wanted to come back for another round. My hopes were that there would be more people this year as last year there were only about 100 and I rode alone most of the time. It was also very windy. 

This year the conditions were almost the same but the course was reversed. There were about the same number of people and the wind was almost as strong; 10 miles per hour sustained. A week before the event I received an email stating that due to cost constraints there would be no timing company. I was pretty disappointed by this but not enough to request a refund. 

The course did not have traffic control so safety was up to the rider. This was the same as last year, and fine. I was not ecstatic that the course had been reversed and that I would now be taking almost all left turns but in reality it was no issue at all. After the first 10 miles there were very few places that required stopping. 

I stayed with a group the first 30 miles. We skipped the 1st SAG at mile 20 and we all stopped at the 2nd SAG around mile 32. At this point the temperature was starting to increase but it was still comfortably in the high 70's. By the end of the ride this would change to ~90 degrees. After the 2nd SAG I decided to go it on my own. The group I'd been riding with was a bit slow for my tastes and I saw no reason to risk a wreck with inexperienced riders. 

The next 9 miles consisted of a steady climb with the wind at my back; locally referred to as 9-mile-hill. I enjoyed the climb and didn't push it. Last year I went down this climb fighting the wind and it wasn't pleasant at all!

Over the next 70 miles I was surprised at home much I enjoyed the scenery and the quality of the roads. I didn't attempt to "race" but kept my heart rate in the 155-160 area while focusing on the pleasure of biking. I would occasionally pass other riders but was never passed myself. There were two more SAG's during this period where I refilled both my bottles. I definitely needed the water as the temps were increasing. The SAG support personnel were great and showed enthusiasm for the event. They held my bike and dumped ice water on my head during the last stop. Thanks!

The only downside of the ride was that at mile 90 I started receiving cramps in both my legs. I should have brought salt tablets! My planning for this ride was not what it should have been. I brought along 3 packages of Clif Bloks and 3 Stinger waffles. Of these, I ate all but one of the waffles. My initial bottles also had Mike's Mix Sports Drink. Lesson learned, bring salt. I was able to pedal through the cramps and eventually they went away with the occasional twinge. 

Overall, this was a great course that was well marked. The registration fee included a Faster jersey (now I have two), a finisher medal, and beer at the end. I will probably do it again next year. The down sides were the lack of timing, the lack of participants, and the lack of promised pizza at the end (the 35 mile participants finished it off). There were also high end prizes for those that had the best times on the KOM's and overall effort; based on Strava times. 

I Have a Sponsor! Mike's Mix Sports Nutrition

Today is an exciting day for me. I sent an email to my favorite sports drink nutrition company, Mike's Mix Sports Nutrition, requesting that they sponsor my racing endeavors. Well....they have.

I started using Mike's Mix as a workout recovery drink when doing P90X. It was much cheaper than the P90X product and I loved the taste of the chocolate mix. I also feel that it helps my recovery so that I can have a good workout the following day. Over the last couple of years I have made many purchases of the recovery drink and in the last few months have also started using their sports drink. I like the sports drink better than the alternatives because it is not overly sweet and has a good balance of sugar and electrolytes that I need for long distance biking.

I can't wait to sport their shirts at my next running races!

Here's their link if you want to check them out: http://mikesmixrecoverydrink.com/

Welcome to my blog - About Me

Tri to Achieve... Well, the name was available and I thought that it was fitting for my circumstances. My name is Dan Sherman and I am an aspiring age group triathlete. My endurance training story begins like this:

Starting some time in 1999 I decided to improve my health and start exercising. I am 5'10" and my weight bordered 200 pounds. My routine consisted of going to the gym 4-5 times per week for ~30 minutes per visit. I  lost 20 pounds and was was feeling good about myself so I quit exercising (dumb). 

Late 2011. I started and completed a 90 day round of P90X. This time I dropped from 210 pounds to 165 pounds. After finishing P90X I felt like I was in the best shape of my life. I started running and road biking regularly and eventually aspired to racing. 

During P90X training I discovered that I need structure and goals so that I will work out regularly. Without structure I will always be able to find excuses not to exercise  I signed up for my 1st century bike race in October 2012 and did well. I then captured a race bug that led me to sign up for the Phoenix Rock n' Roll Marathon. I trained for four months and completed the run in 3:53. Not my goal time of 3:40 but those last 5 miles were a killer. After various running and bike events I decided to give triathlon a shot so that my fitness could be better rounded. I started training for an Olympic distance triathlon in my area and completed that in May. I finished in the top 1/3rd of participants. I continue to race in running, biking, and triathlons and am only getting faster. 

My ultimate goal is the ACHIEVE a healthy existence through an active lifestyle of training and racing. Of course I also enjoy the feeling of doing well in races and placing in either my age group or overall.

The balance between family, training, and racing is something that I strive to achieve. Without the support of my wonderful wife my training and race goals would not be possible. Thank you to my wife and children for your patience, understanding, and support!

Race Report - 10/20/2013 - Going the Distance Series 5K

Location: Tempe, AZ - Kiwanis Park
Race Type: Run
Participants: 38
Overall Place: 3rd
Age Group Place: 1st
Time: 20:01

This was a 1st in a progressive series of running races put on by a new chip timing company in the Phoenix area; StartLineRacing. The timing company did an excellent job with food, organization, and course signs.

The course ran around a small lake and finished along a canal. There were nice little rollers and it was a lot of fun.

I ended up with a PR on this course and my GPS clocked my 5K time at 19:37 and the course length at 3.16 miles.

Race Report - 10/19/2013 - The Jim Stenholm 100

Location: Tempe, AZ - Kiwanis Park
Race Type: Road Cycling Charity Event
Distance: 52 Miles
Participants: ~300
Overall Place: NA
Age Group Place: NA
Time: 2:35:16

This is a charity ride to support the Phoenix chapter of the 100 Club. The event is in its 5th year and was brought about by the death of a Phoenix police officer, Jim Stenholm. His wife organized the event to bring together friends, family, and those who love to ride. 

I completed this event last year as well. It is unique in that it is a paced ride with motorcycle police leading the way. The ride was billed as being 60 miles so I'm not sure what happened but it was still a good time. 

The ride is generally a very easy pace of 20mph due to the cluster of people. Having said that, there was an 8 mile stretch where the escort let everyone go as fast as they liked. I didn't expect this and was dropped by the lead group of 100ish people. During that time I maintained a mostly solo pace of 23-24mph until everyone stopped at a SAG. The final 10 miles were an easy cruise to the free BBQ at the end. 

Race Report - 10/13/2013 - Ironcare Splash & Dash #3

Location: Tempe, AZ - Tempe Town Lake
Race Type: Aquathlon
Distance: 1000m swim, 5k run
Participants: 16
Overall Place: 4th
Age Group Place: 1st
Time: 47:56.  Swim: 24:31, Trans: 1:20, Run: 22:03

The splash and dash series is a friendly relaxed environment to prep triathletes for race events. Most of the participants today were swimming the 2000m followed by a 5k run in preparation for the Soma Half Ironman on 10/20/13. I didn't feel ready to take this distance on with an untried wetsuit and a general lack of swimming training.

The swim portion was uneventful. The new wetsuit worked well with no chafing or discomfort. I'm guessing that I swam an extra 100-150m due to poor sighting. I really need to work on finding a marker in the distance in line with the buoy. 

The transition also was uneventful. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to strip off the full body wetsuit. 

The run went well. I didn't push myself as hard as I could have but this event was a swim focus for me, not a run. 

Race Report - 9/22/2013 - Run FORE Cancer 5K

Location: Scottsdale, AZ 
Race Type: Run
Distance: 5K
Participants: 229
Overall Place: 4th
Age Group Place: 1st
Time: 21:12

The race was located at a golf course and was a charity event to raise money for cancer research. The turnout was good, there were plenty of snacks, and the course was full of turns and rollers. My legs were tired from doing a brick workout consisting of a 40 mile bike and 10 mile run the day before. The 1st place finisher was far ahead of me but I chased the 2nd and 3rd place for most of the race. I just didn't have it in me to push it for the last mile to take over 3rd. 

The finish was nice. I received a medal and a plaque. The 3rd place finishers wife was nice enough to take a picture of me and email it out. 

Race Report - 9/14/2013 - Ogden Valley Triathlon

Location: Ogden, Utah
Race Type: Triathlon
Distance: 1000 meter swim, 15.4 mile bike, 4 mile run
Participants: 234
Overall Place: 67th
Age Group Place: 15th
Time: 1:45:23.  Swim: 26:11, Trans1: 3:01, Bike: 40:53, Trans2: 2:10, Run: 22:03

I traveled to Eden, Utah to attend this race with by bike. My goal was to have fun and visit a friend that I haven't seen in years. This was his first triathlon and we agreed that if he would sign up I would make the trip. 

The weather when I arrived on Friday was rainy off and on. On Saturday morning the rain cleared up a few hours before the race. The event was put on by TriUtah and was in the 8th year running. The transition area was well laid out with rack assignments. I was unlucky in that I a middle rack with a position on the far end. 

The swim was in Pineview Reservoir. I found a person with a Garmin 910XT at the end and she clocked it at 1150 meters. The water temp was great for my sleeveless wetsuit and there were only a few waves when one of the lifeguards would come by with a skidoo. I hadn't been training a lot on my swimming so I was definitely slow. 

The swim to transition was tough as I had to run up a very steep hill that was wet mud from previous participants. I ended up walking most of it. This tired my out for the transition and I ended up with the slowest time to date. 

The bike course was a single loop with minimal turns. That said, I took a left too fast when trying to pass another person and ended up going off the course, into the rocks, and onto a sidewalk. I was able to recover without losing any time and minimal speed. Overall, I was happy with the ride and averaged 22.6mph. The bike to run transition was uneventful.

The run consisted of ~1.5 miles of road and ~2.5 miles of single track. I felt weak the entire time. I'm thinking that the elevation (5000 feet) was taking its tole on me. I had gone for a run the previous day and my heart rate was elevated for the speed I was going. Needless to say, my run was slower than I expected but it was fun to run the single track and have trees for shade. We don't get much of that in Arizona.

Overall, this was a fun race with a great friend. I hope to make it an annual event. 

Race Report - 08/17/2013 - Fight Against Cancer 10K

Location: Goodyear, AZ
Race Type: Run - Road and Trail
Participants: 88
Overall Place: 5th
Age Group Place: 2nd
Time: 45:03

This event helped raise money for patients being treated for cancer and was free to cancer survivors so I felt that I should sign up (yes, I am a cancer survivor). It was held at Desert Edge High School and started on a running track, followed by road, and finally be ~4 miles of dirt trails by the school. I was feeling pretty good for most of the run and was able to hold 4th place until the final 1.5 miles when I was surpassed. I just didn't have it in me to close the gap and pass but I was still pleased with my performance.

As is often the case in Phoenix area races, Muscle Milk was on site for my post race refreshment. I'm not sure what it is about their chocolate milk but it hits the spot after a race, but I wouldn't consider drinking it any other time. 

It was nice to pick up another medal and I met some good people while waiting for the awards ceremony. 

Race Report - 08/11/2013 - Road Racers Summer Series #5

Location: Phoenix, AZ - South Mountain Park
Race Type: Run
Participants: 652
Overall Place: 90th
Age Group Place: 9th
Time: 20:52

This was the final race of a 5K summer series hosted by Road Racers. The course ran along the bottom of South Mountain Park. It started in the parking lot and traveled to the base of the climb to the radio towers. The start was unique in that there were age group corrals with separate start times 

It was a fun race with rollers. I took it easy the first mile and stepped it up the last two. My overall pace was not as strong as other races but I had a great time.

I will definitely run this one again.

Race Report - 05/25/2013 - Road Racers Summer Series #1

Location: Phoenix, AZ - Papago Park
Race Type: Run
Participants: 973
Overall Place: 79th
Age Group Place: 6th
Time: 20:29

This was the first race of a 5K summer series hosted by Road Racers.The course ran through Papago Park. It was quite warm even though the race began

at 7:30 (mid to high 80's). The race was started in waves based on expected times. I headed to the 2nd corral and noticed another racer who I'd run against a couple of other times. We are evenly matched so I was out to beat him today.

As soon as the 1st horn sounded the 1st and 2nd corral jumped, although I knew that I should have waited the excitement got to me. I traded places with my hand picked competition for the first half and then I passed him and he never caught up. I believe that he finished about 20 seconds behind. 

Anyway, the course was full of rollers that could spike the heart rate until the brief down hill portion. My heart rate averaged 187 for this race and I came out knowing that I gave it my all. I was really hoping to break the 20 minute barrier but it just didn't happen this day. Maybe if the course had been flat...

Race Report - 05/19/2013 - Tempe International Triathlon

Location: Tempe, AZ
Race Type: Triathlon
Distance: 1500 meter swim, 40K bike, 10K run
Participants: 296
Overall Place: 92nd
Age Group Place: 13th
Time: 2:35:43.  Swim: 32:06, Trans1: 1:44, Bike: 1:10:58, Trans2: 0:53, Run: 49:59

This was my first olympic distance triathlon. I'd been training for months and had set a goal of 2:35. I knew going into the race that my swim would be the weakest link but the two practice swims that I completed during the Splash & Dash events left me feeling confident that I could get through the 1500 meters. 

The race was supposed to start at 7:30 but was pushed 45 minutes due to issues with barricades. Rumor had it that a similar issue had happened during the companies last event. This was frustrating because the day was gearing up to reach the mid 90's and any delay would make the run brutal. 

The transition area was located under a bridge by the water. I would have to run up a steep 1/8 mile hill to get there. Luckily I had arrived early enough to pick a premium spot on the bike rack. Once my transition area was organized I sat by Tempe Town Lake for over an hour waiting for my wave. 

The water temp was 75 degrees so I was able to wear my wetsuit. I took the swim easy and just focused on getting through it without getting flustered. I saw people from two waves back passing but I didn't let it bother me. At one point someone ran over my legs and my right leg cramped badly. I was able to get through the last 500 yards but it hurt.

The 1st transition went flawlessly and I headed out on the bike. The course was two loops and full of 90 and 180 degree turns. I couldn't get a good pace going and there were points where I had to come to an almost complete stop to do a 180 in one street lane. Ridiculous. On the 2nd loop I took a 90 degree left turn too fast and ran over a cone. Luckily it fell and I was able to ride over it without stopping but it did scare me a little. As for pace, it was good at 21.6mph average.

The 2nd transition also went well. I started the run strong and was able to hold a 7:40 pace. I was pleased with this but it was tough and getting really hot. At mile 4 I started cramping badly on my right side. For the next two miles I was forced to stop periodically to stretch. I struggled into the finish chute just over my run goal pace of an 8 minute mile. 

Looking back, I didn't drink nearly enough water. When I got home I weighed myself and I was still down 8 pounds. Another lesson learned. Drink more!

Final thoughts. I enjoyed this race as it was my first of this distance. I felt that I gave it everything I had and that my training had paid off. I learned valuable lessons that I will take to races in the future. Now to the bad. The delay in the morning made the run really hot. This may have been out of the race directors control, but maybe not. The bike course is awful. I hated all the 90 and 180 degree turns and that we had to do the course twice. I much prefer single loop courses. The run was tough because they had us going up and down the steps of the Tempe bridge, twice. 

I'm not sure if I'll do this one again. We'll see.