YMCA Freaky 5k - Race Report

This will now be my 3rd race report of the YMCA Freaky 5k and the 6th time I have ran this race. So, when I say that is one of my favorite races, I think it goes without saying. I enjoy this race for many reasons. First, the YMCA of the Fox Cities was my full time post college employer. Secondly, it always seems to fall perfectly into my race schedule. Thirdly, it's close to home, a great course, and a family friendly event. This year would be no different. I had Halloween weekend off from work and no other races scheduled in the vicinity of the Freaky 5k, so it was a natural decision. Plus, this was the first time for myself that this race actually fell on Halloween. This year, we registered our entire family, Sarah, Maya, Delaney, and myself were all registered for one of the two events offered. We signed Delaney up for the Mini Monster Dash, which was a quarter mile kids run. We also registered Maya as an individual for the 5k. This was going to be her first ever 5k as an official participant. She was so excited and nervous going into the day....as was I. We also signed up Sarah, who was going to push Harper in the stroller. My parents were also registered for the 5k in addition to our family. Going into the race, the weather outlook was not good. It was supposed to be cold, windy, and wet/rainy. Sarah and I both made the decision Friday night, that if it was actually raining Saturday morning, we would not bring the kids to the race and she would stay home with the kids and I would race with my dad, as my mom would also opt out of the race.

Well, as my alarm went off Saturday morning, I woke up to the sound of wind strongly blowing against our bedroom window. I looked at a current radar image and it was an easy decision, although a disappointing one. We opted to leave the kids at home due to poor weather. The entire state of Wisconsin along with Minnesota were covered in green on the radar signifying that there was no hope for a dry Halloween, let alone a dry Freaky 5k.

Training for This Race

I'll (again) keep this short and simple. I have not been following any specific training plan for this race or any race this year, for that matter. Although, I will note that October saw one of my highest running mileage totals of 2015...for whatever that's worth....

Prerace

As I mentioned in my open, I woke up and had to make a sad decision with Sarah and opted to leave the girls at home to avoid any possible (and highly likely) sour attitudes at the race due to them being wet and cold. But after waking up and getting dressed, I headed over to my parents house to pick up my dad. The race was scheduled to start at 8:30am, a half hour after the Mini Monster Dash kid's run. I was hoping to get there around 7am just to get a decent parking spot and hopefully some time to warm up. Unfortunately, after we got there, the weather was just miserable. It was cold (40's), windy, and rainy. I honestly just wanted to sit in my car with the heat on where it was nice and comfy. Eventually I had to get out and get ready to run, which I did around 7:30ish. I really wanted to stay as dry as possible before the start of the race, so I opted to forgo my traditional warmup and just did some dynamic stretching under the pavillion. This seemed to actually work pretty well, all things considered. Once 8:20ish rolled around, we started making our way to the start line. With the sun now fully risen, it was starting to warm up slightly, but the rain and the wind didn't really stop. It was a light drizzle, but enough to be uncomfortable. We planned it out damn near perfectly and got to the start line just before the National Anthem.

Nutrition Plan

K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid. Its what I did. I didn't eat anything before the race and just drank my morning coffee on the way to the race. I did take two capsules of Hammer Nutrition's Anti-Fatigue Caps one hour before the start of the race. I chose not to take any Hammer Nutrition Energy Surge, just due to the wet and rainy race conditions.

 

Equipment

Nike Zoom Streak LT2

PRO Compression Socks

Hammer Cycling Jacket

Garmin 910XT

Road ID Elite

3.1 Mile Run (18:18)

 

This was the third year of the "new" race course (I guess that would mean that it's really no longer "new") and the second time I will have run it. Knowing that I really didn't get any true warmup in before the start of the race, along with the the hilly start to the race, I really wanted to take it relatively "easy" during the first 800-1200 meters. The race starts nearly immediately with a short and steep hill down to the river. The course then follows the river for about a half mile, or so, then goes up another short and steep hill. The majority of the course is a loop, which returns back down the same pair of hills back to the start line of the race. So, imagine a lollipop shape race course, where the stick has two steep hills that you need to climb twice for a total of 4 hills.


At the start of the race, I coasted down the first hill, allowing all the typical sprinters at the start of the race to over-exert themselves, and allowed myself to gradually warmup. After climbing back up the second hill at about the 0.75 mile mark, I tried to find my "sweet-spot" in reference to my pace. I wasn't ever truly able to find my comfort zone. I just never really felt "good." I felt like my breathing was out of synch with my cadence and my heart rate. It's a difficult thing to explain in writing and probably just as hard to explain in person. But, I guess if you are a runner, you probably know exactly what I am talking about.

By about mile 1, I was able to pass everyone who went out as fast as humanly possible and found myself in 3rd place. Shortly before mile 2, I passed the second place runner and was doing my best to stay within reach of the race leader. But, honestly, I had a pretty good feeling I wasn't going to be able to catch the leader by about mile 1....he was just that far ahead. I ended up finishing in 18:18, 2nd overall, with the winner finishing in 17:12, about a minute ahead of me. He was a 24 year old out of La Crosse, WI and he ran a hell of a race.

Post Race

About a week after I registered our family for this race, we were invited to my God Son's birthday party in Milton, WI, which was scheduled to start at noon on the 31st. Milton is about a 2 hour drive from our house, which meant that we needed to leave no later than 10am in order to hopefully make it on time. This basically meant that there was no sitting around after the race and waiting for the awards ceremony. After crossing the finish line, I congratulated the winner on a great run and then waited for my dad to come across. He ended up finishing in 22:09, first in his age group. After crossing the finish line, we quickly stopped in under the pavilion and grabbed some water and a snack and headed out. I honestly felt a little awkward leaving the race, while a lot of runners and walkers were still on the course but, I honestly had no other choice, shy of skipping out on the event.

What's on Tap

I now only have 2 more months to go in order to successfully participate in a race in each month throughout 2015. It's been an interesting goal to say the least, but as it comes closer to successfully accomplishing my goal, I get more and more proud of doing it. As of today, I am actually scheduled to run in 4 more races, 3 in November and 1 in December. Oddly enough, the 3 races in November are all within a span of 6 days and fall during the week of Thanksgiving. On the 24th, I will be running a 1 mile race with Maya, Delaney, and my dad before the Appleton Christmas Parade, called the Santa Scamper. It will be a fun and easy run with my kids and nothing more. Then on the 26th (Thanksgiving), I will be running in the Festival Foods Turkey Trot, in Appleton, which is a 5 mile very competitive race. Finally, on the 29th, I am running in the Noodleini 5k in De Pere to finish the month of November. My final race of 2015 falls on New Years Eve, with the Chilly Chili Run in Fond Du Lac, WI. It's been a long year with a lot of racing and not a lot of structured training. As I sit here writing this up, I have a lot of high hopes for 2016 and 2017 and some potentially very exicting news. But that will come out soon....


As always, thanks for reading!

Cheers!

Maya Turns 6

 

This post has easily become one of my new favorite traditions to do with my girls.  This will be Maya's second birthday interview.  You can read last years interview HERE.  Sarah and I find ourselves taken back nearly every day just amazed at what our lives have become.  It an amazing feeling, watching a child grow up before your very own eyes.  Maya is no exception to that.  She has been turning into such a responsible girl who truly cares about others.  She is always trying to do her best and aims to please.  We can't wait to see what this next year of her life brings us!

1. FAVORITE COLOR?  Purple
2. FAVORITE TOY?  New guitar & microphone 
3. FAVORITE CHARACTER?  Elsa
4. FAVORITE SUPERHERO?  Cat Woman
5. FAVORITE FRUIT?  Apples 
6. FAVORITE VEGETABLE?  Corn 
7. FAVORITE BREAKFAST?  Cereal
8. FAVORITE CEREAL?  Lucky Charms
9. FAVORITE LUNCH?  Pizza 
10. FAVORITE DINNER?  Noodles
11. FAVORITE DRINK?  Apple Juice
12. FAVORITE SNACK?  Oranges
13. FAVORITE DESSERT?  Ice Cream
14. FAVORITE RESTAURANT?  Chuck E Cheese
15. FAVORITE TV SHOW?  My Little Ponies
16. FAVORITE MOVIE?  Aladdin 
17. FAVORITE ACTOR/ACTRESS?  Princess Celestia
18. FAVORITE SONG?  Bad Blood - Taylor Swift
19. FAVORITE SINGER/BAND?  Taylor Swift
20. FAVORITE BOOKS?  My Hello Kitty chapter book
21. FAVORITE BOOK SERIES?  Little Reader books
22. FAVORITE OUTFIT?  Purple polka-dot dress
23. FAVORITE GAME?  Monopoly Jr.
24. FAVORITE SPORT?  Soccer
25. FAVORITE ANIMAL?  Horses
26. FAVORITE PLACE TO GO?  The Fire Art Studio
27. FAVORITE THINGS TO DO?  Read
28. FAVORITE SUBJECT?  Animals
29. FAVORITE STUFFED ANIMAL?  Hip and Hop (blanket rabbits)
30. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK?  Friday
31. FAVORITE MONTH?  October
32. FAVORITE SEASON?  Summer
33. FAVORITE HOLIDAY?  Christmas
34. FAVORITE THING MOMMY DOES?  Gives me nice birthday parties
35. FAVORITE THING DADDY DOES?  Comes home every night to say good night us
36. FAVORITE VACATION?  Going to the cottage
37. FAVORITE MEMORY? My birthday party at the water park with my cousin Bradyn
38. WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND?  I don't have one, so I can't answer
39. WHO DO YOU LIKE TO PLAY WITH?  Kortni and Gracyn
40. WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?  You (daddy) :)
41. WHAT SCARES YOU?  Haunted hay rides
42. WHAT MAKES YOU SAD?  When Kortni and Gracyn didn't want to play with me
43. WHAT DO YOU WISH FOR?  For Santa to get me what I want
44. WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO GO?  Up North (Cayuga)
45. WHAT WOULD YOU BUY IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY?  A new toy
46. WHAT ARE YOU REALLY GOOD AT?  Sports
47. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?  Veterinarian
48. DISLIKES?  When mommy throws something away that I want to keep and I just got it
49. WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOU DO THIS YEAR?  Have play dates with Kortni and Gracyn
50. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?  I'm smart

 

reTH!NK Addiction 5k - Race Report

As I continue down the road of completing a race event in each month of 2015, I registered for the reTH!NK Addiction 5k in Oshkosh, WI on September 12th.  Initially it fell perfectly into my schedule with that Saturday being my first night back at work, meaning I would have slept at home the night before the race.  After some shift trades at work, I ended up agreeing to work for a coworker on the Friday night before the race.  Now instead of going into the race all rested, I got to work from 8:00pm-6:30am and then drive down to Oshkosh for an 8:00am race....lucky me!!  I've definitely done this before with little complaints, so I won't really start now.  But, since changing departments, I have not worked an overnight shift since the first week of May...4 months ago.

The race itself is run from the Solutions Recovery Center in Oshkosh.  All proceeds of the event go towards several not for profit organizations that help recovering addicts or agencies which work to deter drug and alcohol use.  Being a law enforcement officer, I found it compelling to chose this race over some other races in the month of September, as I deal with many of these problems every day.

Training for This Race

Let's keep this simple....I have not been training at all this year.  I have been doing random "stuff" most days.  I have not run longer than 8 miles in a few months, and often just take a rest day if life is particularly busy.  I have not followed any sort of formal plan and usually find myself planning my exercising around my life, opposed to planning my life around my exercise.

Prerace

As I mentioned above, I had to work the night before from 8:00pm-6:30am.  I was lucky enough to get a decent nap on Friday afternoon knowing it was going to be a long night and an even longer morning on Saturday.  After work, I rushed to get ready and get on the road as quickly as I could, knowing my time would be limited.  I still needed to get my race packet and I wanted to get in some sort of warm up before the race.  I made decent time and arrived at the race site around 7:15am.  There was no line to get my race packet and bib, which was nice.  After pinning my bib to my shirt, I was out to start my traditional warm up.  I did all my usual drills, including, pick ups, lunges, high leg kicks, and leg swings.  After I felt good to go, I made my way back to the start area and just hung out.  The weather that morning was damn near perfect, with temperatures around 50F, clear skies, and maybe a slight wind, if any.

Nutrition Plan

I had no plan for my race day nutrition, other than to not eat for the 3-4 hours before the race.  I last ate a hot dog and brat around 4:00am and that was it.  I took a few sips of water on the drive down to Oshkosh, but felt pretty good, so I wasn't too concerned about taking in calories or liquids.  I took 2 Hammer Anti-Fatigue Caps at 7:00am and that was it.  I wanted to bring along some Hammer Energy Surge tablets for during the race, but honestly completely forgot and left them in the car.  :(

Equipment

Nike Zoom Streak LT2

PRO Compression Socks

Nike Run Shorts

Hammer Running Singlet

Garmin 910XT

Road ID Elite

3.1 Mile Run (18:06)

As I do at the start line of any other race, I scoped out the competition while I waited for the race to start.  First off, I kind of knew going in that this would be a smaller race (based on participation) and figured there probably wouldn't be too many competitive runners.  My estimation was correct - there were not many other runners who would be running around my projected pace.  Most of the people I recognized or chatted with before the race started would be running with a goal time of around 20:00.  Knowing this, I figured I would start the race easy and really focus on getting faster as the race progressed.  So after the race started, as about 98% of the runners do, many of the guys around me took off like a bat out of hell.  I just let them go and started pretty relaxed and allowed my body to find a comfortable pace for the first half of the 5k.  After the first quarter of a mile or so, all of the runners who sprinted out of the chute were now behind me and I was in the lead.  By the first mile, I had built up a significant lead.  I started thinking to myself that there was no need to really push hard for the second mile and opted to ease up during the second mile and save a little bit for the final mile.  The majority of the race was run through Menominee Park in Oshkosh, along Lake Winnebago.  As I said before, the weather was perfect, which made the scenery just that much better.  It was rather easy to focus on the lake and the views instead of how I was feeling.  After the second mile marker, I decided to push just a little harder and then cruised the rest of the way to the finish line.  I came across in just over 18:00, over a minute and half ahead of second place.  I was kind of upset, but I forgot to change the settings on my Garmin watch to "run mode" and discovered I had left it in "bike mode" during the race.  Because of this, I have no mile split data to look at to see if I indeed ran negative splits throughout the whole race.

Post Race

Immediately after finishing the race, I hung around the finish line to congratulate the next few runners to come across the line.  After that, all I wanted to do was go home and go to bed.  I felt obligated to stay for the awards ceremony as the overall winner, so that is what I did.  I tried to kill time by talking to random people about the race and running and the weather and frankly, whatever came to mind.  After about an hour and a half of killing time, I received my award as the overall winner of the race.  I really hope I do not come across conceited or arrogant during the award ceremony, but honestly I just wish they would hand out the awards and we would get on with the day.  Personally I do not like getting in front of others to accept the award.  I feel like I am no different from anyone else and I would rather not be "shown off" or highlighted.  I do understand that many other people see the awards ceremony as an opportunity to celebrate their achievements, but I guess, I just like to celebrate achievements with friends and family instead of individually.  Nearly right after getting my award I split to get to bed!

What's on Tap

The rest of the month will continue to be much like the past 8 months, doing what I feel like doing, when I feel like doing it.  My next race will most likely be the Freaky 5k in Appleton on Halloween, October 31st.  After that, I currently have 2 November races on the schedule with the Turkey Trot in Appleton, on Thanksgiving and the Noodleini in De Pere a few days afterward.  I currently do not have a December race yet, but you would be fooling yourself if I would screw over this stupid goal of mine in the final month of the year.  So I promise you, that I will find a damn race!

On another note, yesterday (September 13th) was Ironman Wisconsin down in Madison, WI.  It was two years ago that I was lucky enough to cross the finish line and forever be called an Ironman.  It seems like every year since then, I have followed the race from home.  While tracking friends and acquaintances, I'd be lying if I said I don't get motivated and excited about doing the race again.  The way things are going with my life, career, and family, it is looking like I will get that opportunity to again take a crack at an Ironman race in 2017, just two more years!  What that means for me, is that after I finish this stupid goal in December, I will take some time to regroup and recharge, then start focusing on building a strong base in 2016 to be in my best shape yet for 2017!

Thanks, as always, for reading!
Cheers!

Packers 5k - Race Report

I you happened to read my race report that I posted on Sunday, you know I had planned on running the Packers 5k on the Saturday following the Ripon Medical Center Triathlon. I chose to run this race for a few reasons. First and foremost, with the race happening on Saturday night, I was simply able to with my work schedule. Secondly, we participated in the Packers 1K Kid's Fun Run last year and had a lot of fun. Lastly, I knew that this race drew a large crowd for a hometown 5k and wanted to put my abilities to the test against some of the best runners in the state. Plus, the final quarter mile of the race are run on Lambeau Field and any opportunity to a lap around Lambeau Field is one you can't turn down!

Training for This Race

I am not going to keep writing the same thing section, so to keep this short and simple, I haven't been specifically training for any race this year at all. But, coming off of the RMC Triathlon and heading straight to the Dells after the race for a few days, all I did this week were a few 5 mile runs. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, to be exact. Friday was a rest/recovery day and then Saturday was race day. Pretty simple.

Prerace

I have been working day shift this weeks rotation, which was been great for my personal life. It also allowed me to race in this race. I worked from 6:30-4:00pm on Saturday and I soon as I got home, I changed into my race clothes, and we loaded up the kids and hit the road. We honestly left too early, but personally, that's alright with me. I had no idea what to expect with parking for this event, but we were able to get a decent spot right in the stadium lot. We had tons of time to lounge around the stadium atrium for while before the start of the race. After sitting around the stadium for about an 45 minutes, I started my warm up. I got a great warm up in with dynamic stretches and strides. By the end of my 15 minute warm up I had a good sweat going and was feeling actually pretty good. The race start was extremely organized with 7 separate start corrals. I was in the first wave, which went off at 6:30. Sarah and the girls were in the "walkers with strollers" wave...wave 7. It turns out, I actually finished the race before she ever started. I found a good position on the start line and waited patiently for the race to start. It turns out they had three Green Bay Packers alumnus running the race as well. One of them was UW-La Crosse alumni, Bill Schroeder.

Nutrition Plan

Much like the "Training for This Race" section, I don't want to keep repeating myself from previous race reports. But, due to this being a short race, I have found that less is more.  I last ate at work around 1:00pm and it wasn't anything too complex, just some yogurt, veggies, and a salad with salmon.  On the way to the race, I sipped on a water bottle with one serving of Hammer Nutrition HEED (100 cal).  After that was gone I really didn't drink much of anything until the race.  I did take a few sips of water after my warm up just due to the heat.  It was going to be a hot race with temperatures right around 80*.  An hour before the start, I took my dose of 2 Hammer Anti-Fatigue Caps and then Hammer Energy Surge tablets as needed during the race.

Equipment

Nike Zoom Streak LT2

PRO Compression Socks

Nike Run Shorts

Hammer Running Singlet

Garmin 910XT

Road ID Elite

3.1 Mile Run (18:04)

When the race started I did my best to try and run a conservative first mile.  I knew that with the level of competition in this race, the leaders would be out of my league.  So, I didn't want to get caught up with the adrenaline of a race start and try to keep up with them.  My first mile split was 5:25, one of the fastest miles, I have run to date, that I can recall anyway.  I tried to gauge exactly how the rest of the race was going to go for me and how I was going to pace the final two miles.  After making the second right hand turn (right around mile 1) onto Morris Av, I saw what no runner likes seeing...especially during a race...a long and steady hill.  The hill wasn't anything challenging, but just enough to make it just that much more taxing on your lungs.  In addition of the hill, there was a slight head wind heading west as well.  I found a small group of runners that I could hang with and just tucked in behind them to try and break the wind.  It seemed to work pretty well, but unfortunately it did absolutely nothing for the hill.  My second mile was a slow 6:03.  After crossing the mile 2 mark, I kept telling myself that there is only 1 mile left and tried to dig deep and put up a strong final mile.  Most of the 3rd mile was down hill, but the best part of the final mile was the lap around the inside of Lambeau Field.  We entered in through a back garage area and ended up coming through the same tunnel as Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews.  Coming out that tunnel and seeing all the seats and hearing the loud music makes you forget all the struggles and pain you may be feeling at that point of the race.  They had the scoreboard screens on and set up to show the runners as they pasted by the north endzone.  It was neat to see yourself running on the screen.  They also opened up sections of the stadium for fans to come in and watch the runners complete their lap around the stadium.  I was surprised to see exactly how many people were in the stadium, it was a unique feeling.  After coming out of the stadium, you could see the finish line.  The finish line was also pretty cool as they had a large slab of artificial turf with a huge Packer's "G" on it.  The atmosphere of the race in general was so cool, from start to finish.  I was very impressed with the size of the crowds along the entire course.  I'm used to seeing no one along the course of 5k's, but this one was different.  There was an energy that came with this race.  It had the feeling of a Packer's home game mixed with a 5k....very cool.

Post Race

I finished the race in 18:04, not a PR, but definitely not a time I'm ashamed of.  I placed 4th out of 230 in my age group and 41st out of 5,159 runners overall.  After crossing the finish line, I was slightly disappointing they didn't have any post race memento...nothing.  How well...not like I don't have enough medals as it is.  I took a minute or two to try and catch my breath and then started walking the course backwards to try and find Sarah and the girls.  After walking the first half mile or so, I started to jog lightly as a cool down, of sorts.  I ended up finding them just after the 1 mile mark.  I walked the rest of the race with the girls.  I took the opportunity to teach Maya and Delaney about running.  We worked on running parts of the race which gave me a unique chance to run side by side with either Maya or Delaney.  As they approached Lambeau Field, I went to the finish line to watch them finish.  I was proud of both Maya and Delaney after the race.  Maya walk/ran the entire race by herself and Delaney walked at least 75% of the race by herself.  We decided that from now on, we are going to start registering Maya as a participant now that she can consistently finish a 5k by herself.  After the race it was straight home to get three little girls to bed as they were just exhausted.

What's on Tap

On the drive home from the race Sarah and I started talking about how disappointed I was that I didn't place in my age group.  We talked about where I was in my life, starting a new job, raising 3 kids, and trying to balance everything.  I mentioned how, my training has been non-existent this season, how I have been basically just "winging it."  She reminded me how that we talked about how this year was going to have to be a lax year with my training and racing.  She mentioned how we talked about this when I took a the new job and that after this season, I'll be able to get back into a more consistent training regime.  It made sense and in a way made me feel better about my finish.  I was only 20 seconds off of a PR and my times haven't really slipped much from when I was training consistently.  After my little reality check from Sarah, I was actually quite satisfied with my race.  An 18:04 5k for a working father of 3, really aint to shabby.

As far as my goal of finishing a race in every month in 2015, I have completed a total of 9 races so far in the 8 months of 2015.  Up next will either be the Waupaca Triathlon on August 15 or the Fox Cities Half Marathon on September 21st.  Either way, I will be doing the half marathon as my September race.  And yes, if you have been following along with my 2015 journey, that does mean that I am passing on racing for Team USA in the ITU World Championships in Chicago.  Fact is, I just can not justify the financial commitment to compete in that event.  It is just too much of a short notice on top of my lack of specific training.  I would not want to go into that big of an event just to cross the finish line.  I would have liked to commit a solid 3-6 months of dedicated training to the event to give it my all to see exactly how I stack up against the best in the world.  I am relatively young yet and feel I still have great things ahead for me and my racing career.  And, of course, I will never give up on my dream of qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

Thanks for reading!  Keep on keepin' on!!!

RMC Sprint Triathlon - Race Report

Back in the early spring of this year, I received a personal email from the Race Director of the Ripon Medical Center (RMC) Triathlon. He informed me that as last year's winner of the sprint event, I would be offered free entry into this years event. I was thrilled and honored by his offer. I immediately accepted and inserted this race into my race schedule. At first it was unclear whether or not I would be able to even participate in this event due to starting a new job with the City of Kaukauna. In June, I was slotted into a permanent rotation and I was scheduled to work the night before the race until 3am. I was fortunate to agree to a shift trade with a co-worker to allow me to race in this event. The race itself was well run last year, I had no complaints, and was very impressed with the awards offered, especially because it is a relatively small race. This year, I went into the race with high expectations....to win it again.

Training for This Race

As with many of my races this year, I have been relying on the base I have built up over the past 6-7 years of endurance training, opposed to following a strict and thorough training plan. I was a little concerned whether or not I would even be able to finish the race at all. During a weekend camping trip at Devil's Lake State Park, I went out for a run and a tweeked my right calf. After taking the remainder of the weekend off from any form of exercise with hopes of it healing itself, I tried running. I was able to finish two runs, but it was still present. I opted to take the next week and a half completely off from running. I focused on my cycling and swimming. I was leery to whether my calf would heal or not in the limited time I was giving it, but I was willing to try it.

Prerace

I had to work Friday into Saturday morning before the race and was going on limited sleep. On top of that, it was just me and the three girls, as Sarah was in Chicago all day and night for a bachelorette party. It was a low key day for me personally, as my dad wanted to take my two oldest to a local splash pad for the afternoon. I got to bed early and had my alarms set for 4:30am. My hope was to get on the road before 5. I was close to my goal and ended up on the road at 5:05am. The drive took about an hour and was my chance to visualize my race and listen to some good music. I got to the race right around 6, which left me more than enough time to set up my transition area. The RMC Triathlon does not have designated transition areas, which allows you to choose any area you wish. Since I got there early enough, I was able to get a spot on the end of the row. This is a prime location as you do not have to worry about getting caught up in the crowded aisles.  This also means there is less distance you need to run to get your gear. After getting my transition area all set up, I got into the water and did a good, thorough warm up in the lake.

Nutrition Plan

This is now my second straight year of focusing on short course triathlon racing. With the two years of focused attention, I feel very comfortable racing at high intensities with limited to no nutritional assistance, before or during the race. On my ride to Ripon, I drank a cup of fresh brewed coffee. After my transition area was set up and I was ready to race, I took two Hammer Nutrition Anti-Fatigue Caps about 60 minutes before the start of the race.

Gear/Equipment

Blue Seventy Reaction Wetsuit

TYR Special Ops 2.0 Goggles

Look 576 Triathlon Bike

Louie Garneau Tri HRS Shoes

Giro Aero Helmet

Oakley Half Jacket XLJ Sunglasses

Zoot Kiawe Shoes

Hammer Nutrition Tri Skinsuit

Hammer  Nutrition Visor

500m Swim (7:34)

The race started about 10-15 minutes after the Olympic distance race started. The first wave of the sprint triathlon consisted of males under 40 years old. The swim start was a mass beach start in about 1' of water. The water depth dropped off in a hurry. Within about 10 feet of the shoreline the water was at least 4' deep. My start was basically one large dive into the water and then right into my stroke. I initially had to fight a for positioning with one or two other guys. I was getting a little frustrated with one guy who was on my left and was struggling to swim a straight line. So no matter how often I would attempt to reposition my self along a new line, we would run into each other. I held up for a split second to let him get ahead of me and then passed him on his right as it seemed he was always pulling to his left. Once I did this, it was pretty much smooth water ahead of me. I ended up being the third one out of the water.

T1 (0:41)

Why yes, it does appear I have a mullet.

The transition area was very close to the beach, which allowed for a quick T1. I had no issues with taking my wet suit off and since I was the third one out of the water, I have virtually the entire transition area all to myself. After getting changed over and ready for the bike, I was out of the transition area. I made one mistake during my T1 and it was actually a mistake from my preparations that came to light during my T1. I forgot to preset my crank arms to my desired angles. Normally I have my right pedal in the forward position so I can swing my right leg over the cross bar and clip right into the right pedal. My crank arms were all backwards, so, after swinging my right leg over the cross bar, I had to take a few seconds to readjust my crank arms, then clip in. In all reality, it probably only added a second or two, but it sure did feel like forever I was sitting there trying to just get clipped in.

15 Mile Bike (40:48)

Once on the bike course, I saw two others ahead of me. They weren't too far ahead of me, maybe a quarter mile and a half mile respectively. I immediately began to hammer with the idea of passing them as soon as possible. After the first mile or so, there was a deceptively challenging climb. My heart rate soared and my legs began to burn. I immediately began to question my tactics of trying to pass the two dudes ahead of me. I made the decision to just settle into an aggressive, but maintainable pace and just pass the others as the opportunity arises. I told myself that even if I don't catch them, I know I am a strong runner and would more than likely pass them on the run course.

I ended up passing them both around the 3-4 mile mark of the bike course. At this point I was leading the race. I then began to rethink my strategy for the remainder of the bike course as I had over 10 miles to go. I figured I had two options, I could throw the hammer down and build as much cushion as possible and hope I don't fade on the run. My other option is to realize that I had no positions to gain by hammering hard and just ride fast enough to not get passed, then to rely on my run legs to hold off others on the run course. I opted for my first choice; to ride as hard and build the largest lead possible and hope I can hang on during the run with what ever may come my way.

I was riding strong and felt good throughout the race. All of a sudden around mile 13-14, a guy I didn't recall passing flew by me on his bike. I down shifted and my cadence dropped, with hopes of at least keeping up with him. Even though I was redlining at this time, I couldn't even keep him in sights. I ended up coming in with the second fasted bike split of the day, but it didn't even compare to the other guys split of 37:12!

T2 (0:21)

Coming into T2, I was very confident I would be able to run down the guy that was currently in the lead. I had the second fastest T2 in the race. I feel very confident in my ability to transition from the bike to the run. Coming out of T2, I needed something to drink. I have been opting to forgo any fuel/hydration during the bike portion of the race. The weather on race day was hot with limited wind. I became very thirsty on the bike and had to get something to drink. I took a few seconds to stop and get some liquids in my system, I figured that no matter how long it took to stop and get some liquids in me, I would have been worse off not stopping.

3.1 Mile Run (20:32)

Remembering from last year, the run course was extremely challenging. At least the first half mile or more is straight up hill. After climbing, you come back down, just go back up hill for the next quarter mile or so until the turn around point, just to do it all over again. Once I started my run leg, I tried to the distance between me and the leader manageable and I was going to try and make my move on the first downhill. As I was climbing the first hill, I was passed by one of the guys I initially passed on the bike leg. He looked fresh and fast. He just looked more comfortable than I was feeling, as I was breathing hard and my legs felt heavy. It was at this point that I felt like winning was not going to be an option. I tried to keep a positive mindset in case the two of them faded after the turn around due to the hills. After climbing the first hill I eased into a more relaxed pace to gather myself and hopefully have a strong kick during the second half when the other two would hopefully slow down. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I just couldn't catch them. I was the third one to cross the finish line and could tell just by the way I felt, that I gave it my all. I was gassed.

Post Race

After the race, I congratulated the other two finishers that finished ahead of me. It turns out that the guy that passed me in the late stages of the bike was in the second wave, meaning I had about a 2 minute head start on him. That completely explains why he was able to just blow by me that late in the bike leg. Even though he was the second one to cross the finish line, he ended up winning the race overall, again due to the 2 minute discrepancy in waves.

I ended up finishing in 1:09:57, 3rd overall, and 1st in my age group. Even though I came in 3rd and didn't win the race, I was extremely happy with my race time. I improved my swim time, my T1, my average bike speed, and my T2. My run leg was barely slower than last year.

What's on Tap

To keep on track with my goal of completing at least one race each month, I have a 6 day turnaround to my next race. I am racing the Green Bay Packers 5k on Saturday, August 1st at 6:30pm. After getting home from the race we got all packed up and headed out of town for a short family vacation to Wisconsin Dells. It was a nice relaxing vacation and I was able to get out for a couple shorter runs just to stay fresh for the upcoming race.

On the Friday before the race, I found out that I was awarded a spot on Team USA for the upcoming ITU Age Group Sprint World Championships. I was full with mixed emotions upon receiving this email. First I was thrilled for the opportunity as it was the culmination of all my hard work throughout last year leading up to the Age Group Sprint National Championships. On the other hand, I was looking at a minimum of $1,000 of unplanned money to spend on a single night stay in Chicago and race fees. Upon making it public knowledge that I was offered this opportunity by would likely turn it down, I received many offers to assist in paying for the trip. I also received encouragement to ask for donations or do some fundraising. First, I just can't ask or accept money from friends and family for this opportunity when I can "technically" afford it. It would just be such a big hit to our family finances, that I am having a difficult time justifying it. It is also a very short notice, with the race taking place in about 6 weeks. Had I earned the spot outright, immediately following last years National Championships, I probably would have been able to saved the finances and better planned for the $1,000 commitment. Currently I am asking around for corporate sponsorships from local businesses to assist with the financial responsibility of representing Team USA in the ITU World Championships. As of writing this, I have not received any sponsorship money and doubt I will, meaning I will have to regrettably turn down the opportunity to race for Team USA this September.

As always, thanks for reading and keep on keepin' on!