1st Overall Podium

2nd triathlon in as many weeks. Last week's was super short but was followed by a 100 mile bike ride and 10K run, so it posed its own challenges. This was to be my second "sprint" tri, but it had its own challenges, because it was riddled with hills, hills and more hills. Such is the plight of an event in Bella Vista. (the only flat spots are 1) on the water and 2) the little spot between downhills and uphills).

I pre-rode the course a few days ago (thank you PS!), so I knew what to expect. A lot of hills. A LOT. Even the few flats were "false flats" that seemed flat but really were slight inclines.

It was a great course, although in a sprint tri it's hard to take account of the scenery. You're oo busy suffering to notice much else. I detail most of the race below with some final comments after. Thanks for reading.

Pre-race routine:

Wake up at 4:10. Two cups of coffee. Banana and granola bar. Drive 45 minutes to Bella Vista. Setup transition. Gel 30 minutes pre-race. Go to bathroom 800 times.

Event warmup:

VERY short swim.

Swim

Comments:

One of my more comfortable swims. I was really concerned because the cove was fairly "thin" and the chance for contact was high. I got as far to the outside as I could. I still suck at swimming but I'm better thanks to a swim coach. I was able to get into a regular breathing pattern for at least part of the swim.

I finished at 11:30, which was a good 20-30 seconds per 100 yards compared to my last sprint. I'm getting better but have so much more to go.

The ramp was slick as ... well, it was slick. I couldn't walk I went back to swimming the final 20 feet or so. Stupid.

It was so nice not to get tackled the entire time. #Winning.

What would you do differently?:

Keep working. See my coach ASAP!

T1

Comments:

My worst transition to date. Not my slowest but definitely my worst. I couldn't get my damn helmet on and then my sunglasses. The aero helmet is much more difficult to get on and I totally failed at this. I easily should've been 30 seconds faster. Good grief. Oh, and I pulled my dang strap out of my shoe so I had to fumble with that.

HORRIBLE.

What would you do differently?:

Quit being an idiot.

Bike

Comments:

Once again, my swim put me behind the 8-ball. I passed people constantly. I am a decent cyclist but I'm even better on the hills, so this course played to my strengths.

I have found that it takes a few miles after a swim before my legs feel worth a damn. That lasted longer today. My legs didn't feel good until the final downhill to the transition. Ha ha.

This course was pretty brutal. It was virtually all up or down hill. Even the few flat areas seemed to be mostly false flats. It was difficult to get into a groove. The good thing for me was that everyone else was suffering worse than I, so I just kept passing people.

The passing got fewer and farther between the further I went. I didn't know where I was in the pecking order, but I knew I had passed dozens of people, including the women who had passed me on the swim after starting three minutes behind me. I have to get better on the swim. HAVE TO.

Just a few miles before the finish was a nasty, long climb. I looked back, which I don't like to do, and the guy behind me was quite a ways back, so I laid off a little and cruised up the hill. The finish was all downhill.

Sometimes you know you're near the front of the pack, because of how the volunteers and fans react. I can't explain with words how much it means to have people cheering you on, and these folks were some of the best.

The finish included an incredibly steep downhill with an immediate left turn into the final stretch. I was worried about this turn, because it was REALLY steep and sharp. No problems, thankfully.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Totally happy. I think I had the 2nd or 3rd best bike time. Hard to complain.

T2

Comments:

Look at my first transition and do a 180. This one ROCKED! It wasn't the fastest of the day but it was my fastest. I killed it. Shoes on super fast and race number belt on as I left transition.

What would you do differently?:

Dismount out of my shoes. I haven't practiced that yet, so I need to work on it. It's a bit scary but would save some time.

Run

Comments:

What to say, what to say. I'm a crappy swimmer but my runs really scare me, because I just don't know how my fake hip will react to hard intensities. Uphills don't hurt my hip - flats and downhills do, or can.

It has been a challenge to figure out how hard to go on the bike to enable maximum run performance. I went hard (HARD) on the bike, so this was a question. Add hills to the mix and it is a big ????????

The run starts by leaving the park (1/4 mile maybe) and then straight up a super steep hill. 12+% grade for 1/3 mile. It sucks. Sucks. Sucks. And then you turn and climb some more before finally descending down a hill you will soon climb back up.

At this point there were 5 people in front of me. 5! Holy crap, I made up some unreal time on the bike. I mean UNREAL. The leader and follower were pretty far out front. No way I could catch them. As a matter of fact, I didn't think I could catch anyone in front of me, but I did think I could hold my position. That would be pretty cool!

2 miles, I was reeling in the next person. She was part of a team. I was not concerned with her, because she was a totally different timed group. I did pass her, however. That put me in 4th overall. Holy freakin' crap! This is a decent sized, and extremely hard race, and I was doing well!

Hit the turn at 3.2 miles and it was all downhill from there. The 3rd place guy was 100 yards ahead of me. I knew who it was. He is an incredible swimmer, and I do mean incredible. I didn't know anything about his running, though. I decided to go for it.

Downhill running is probably the most dangerous of all road running. You can really damage a lot of muscles and bones by running too hard downhill. I slowly reeled him in and with about .2 miles remaining I passed him and increased my lead. I was running sub-6 minute mile pace that last bit. Easily the fastest I've run since my hip replacement. Easily.

I finished third across the line. UNREAL! I should probably hang up the shoes now. I don't know that it will get any better than this. It was not a huge race by any means but there was some very, very good competitors in the race, so I am proud and humbled to finish where and how I did.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I did everything I could. I think I had the 7th best run overall. For a 39 year-old with a fake hip, that's pretty alright.

Post race

Warm down:

Quick massage with Dr. Bennington (Maximum Performance Therapy in Rogers). My shins were killing me after that downhill and he made them feel so much better. I can still walk!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Talent and fake hip.

Event comments:

Incredible race. Most organized and well-supported race I've done. Goody bag was AWESOME! (More Jack Links - Mike, are you listening?) Grilled chicken, burgers and dogs after the event. Plenty of drinks and food. Quick results. Awesome event.

This was far and away my best triathlon finish. It helped that it was a hilly course, because I do well on hills. Even with the horrible swim, I still finished solid.

In the grand scheme this is all small stuff, but even as a very-near 40-year old, it feels great to finish near the front. It's all made better with the fact that I have an artificial hip and can finish better than folks with good (original) limbs and joints! :)

I have to add a small blurb. My wife and I had plans today after my race and her work (she had to work this morning). Going into the race, I had 0 (ZERO) idea that I would place in my age group, let alone the entire event. Well, it all unfolded and I TOTALLY FORGOT plans my wife and I had talked about. So, I waited around for the award ceremony and got home way (WAY) too late and screwed up my wife's day. I can never apologize enough to make it better, but I know that I screwed up and I am beyond sorry. I love my wife dearly and am very sorry for whatever inconvenience I caused her. I need to say this, because she supports my crazy obsession with this ridiculous (?) sport without question.

I LOVE YOU, BABE! THANK YOU FOR DEALING WITH ME.

I'm a Eurekan ... with my first Triathlon podium

It's called the Eureka Springs Multisport Festival. It is three days filled with all kinds of athletic events. It started on Friday with a super-sprint triathlon, many distances of bike rides and races on Saturday and a 10K run on Sunday. If you completed the triathlon, 100 mile bike and 10K run, you got special recognition as a "Eurekan" competitor. A bit hokey but also extremely cool for those of us who do these sorts of things.

I have to open by saying this is one of, if not then, coolest events I've ever been a part of, let alone heard of. Here in NW Arkansas we don't have a ton of multisport events, so anything is good, but this was extraordinarily fun and challenging.

I've laid out the triathlon details and then the rest of my commentary is below. I got my first podium finish (top 3 in overall or age group) in a triathlon. Difficult to remove my smile for a while.

Pre-race routine:

The race didn't start until 3pm, so I just had a normal morning. Left for the race at 10:30. Had to go to packet pickup first, which closed at 1:00. Had lunch with some friends, went to transition and took my time getting ready.

Event warmup:

Very short swim warmup.

Swim

Comments:

Swim was only 300 yards, so even a bad swim would go reasonably quick. I started toward the outside with a good friend. I took a line toward the buoy and got mixed in with the madness. The pulling and hitting and tackling was ridiculous. I should've known better than to get in the middle of it. My friend stayed completely to the outside and never touched or was touched. I wish I had done that, because even swimming a longer distance would've been faster. Still, I got out of the water with a faster per 100 time (by far: 2:16 vs 2:31) than my last sprint.

What would you do differently?:

Get to the outside and stay there!

T1

Comments:

Reasonably quick transition. No real complaints. Big benefit by using my new tri-specific bike shoes.

What would you do differently?:

Learn how to get in the shoes with them already on the bike.

Bike

Comments:

Short but very intense ride with some nasty curves and constant elevation changes. Had a bit of trouble getting my legs going again coming out of the swim. I'm obviously using my legs too much in the swim. The start was a bit uphill which added to the problem. Very sharp curve about half a mile in. It should've been marked better or had someone there slowing people down. I locked up my brakes and barely stayed on the road. At least one rider went down pretty hard. Ultimately it is the rider's responsibility to know the course but the race director has a responsibility to keep people as safe as within reason.

My swim once again put me behind a lot of folks, so I started passing people constantly. My strength is cycling and specifically hill climbing, so this was a well-suited course, although a difficult one. Some of the roads were very rough chip-n-seal with some loose gravel, so that cost some speed.

I had the 3rd fastest time out of 156 people, so it's hard to complain.

What would you do differently?:

Might have gone a bit too hard because my run hurt a bit, but it was worth the risk.

T2

Comments:

Probably my best transition to date. Bike racked quick. Shoes swapped fast.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing.

Run

Comments:

The run started on the same start of the bike course. Then at the sharp turn I mentioned earlier the run course moved to the golf course cart path. It was hilly. Way hillier than I (or anyone else I talked to) thought it would be. My calves were hurting a bit when the run started, but when we moved to the course my hamstrings really started to lock up on the first hill. I had to really shorten my stride to keep from seizing.

I had caught up with my good friend on the bike, since he beat me on the swim. We are pretty close to the same pace on the bike and the run, so we ran with each other until the last hill about quarter mile before the finish. I got a small gap on him and finished just four seconds ahead of him.

My time was 10th best overall and 2nd in my AG. My first triathlon podium! I couldn't believe. It was a short but intense triathlon.

What would you do differently?:

Don't know really. I went hard but not all out on the bike, but I cramped on the run. The hills were the issue and I didn't take them into account enough.

Post race

Warm down:

Got some water and a little stretching.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swimming was better but still needs a lot of work.

Event comments:

This race was part of a 3-day multi-sport festival. It was the kickoff event with a 100 mile bike ride the following day and a 10K run the third day. That's the reason it was so short.

So, that was day one. I got second in my age group and 10th overall of over 100 competitors. This is obviously really small in the big scheme of things, but for those of us who train constantly and race what few races we can get to, getting a podium finish is really the big payoff. Finishing and feeling great is awesome, but getting some feeling of accomplishment compared to your competitors is incredibly rewarding.

Okay, on to Saturday. The big day. 100 miles through the Ozark mountains. I've done two previous century rides (100 miles) but they were in Texas and flat as a pancake. The total opposite from this. The route took us from Eureka Springs to Green Forest up to Missouri, back down to Berryville and then back up to Missouri and across one of the busiest highways in the world (86, which is a route to Branson) and then back down to Eureka Springs. The last 30 miles were the hilliest. The last 15 were the worst. Yeah - it was HARD. Even for someone like me who can climb.

We started off like bandits. Holy crap! The first part of the course included a lot of flats and downhills. We had some packs develop and averaged 24+mph the first 15 miles and then 22+ for the first 26 miles, before the turn toward Missouri.

We had some smaller packs develop as the hills thinned the crowds. We had a good group of about 9 people who, more or less, rode together most of the ride. The next 40 miles or so were pretty uneventful. We all stopped at the aid stations to refuel quickly. The aid stations ROCKED! I had some of the best homemade oatmeal cookies I've ever had at the first station and an incredible gooey, hot (half) cinnamon roll at the next. These endurance events require sugar and these snacks were 100000000% better than gels. I wish I had some of those cookies right now :(

The final 30 miles of the ride is where it got really interesting. The hills became steady and increasing the further we went. It was pretty much constant ups and downs. You were either climbing or descending. We were all starting to suffer a bit but made it to the aid station at mile 85. That's where the real fun began.

At that station I got some homemade pumpkin muffins (little mini bites) that were awesome! And then two really, really, really difficult climbs hit us. Those of you who have traveled to Branson on 86 are probably familiar with the area of Eagle Rock. Yeah, trying peddling up those hills. Goodness.

I made it up the two biggest climbs to that point and each time was first in the group over the climb and just coasted to wait for the group to catch up. We FINALLY got off 86. What a relief. That is such a busy road and is a bit scary. So, that meant we were on the final stretch down 23 to Eureka Springs.

We regrouped, I think we had 6 or 7 remaining of the pack, and got to mile 91 and that's when the fun began. OMG. The worst hill of the day was at mile 91! Pure torture, I tell ya. Pure torture. This hill pretty much shattered the group for the finish.

I worked with another rider to get to the finish. After the mile 91 hill it was up and down until mile 95 and then the most euphoric downhill I've ever encountered was upon me. I don't know the actual distance but it was a good 1.5 mile descent and it was fast. Over 50 MPH. Words can't even explain how AWESOME this was. I want to drive over there right now just to go down that hill.

After that it was smooth sailing into downtown Eureka Springs. My one remaining buddy and I cruised in the remaining few miles and were welcomed with applause from the fans. It was great! Super support from the community.

I crossed the line in 5:37 (5 hours 29 minutes total ride time). Considering the incredibly hilly course, I was very happy. I soon found out that I was the 2nd (Yes, SECOND!) Eurekan competitor to finish the 100 miler. I was 6th overall, but there were 4 riders who just did the 100 mile ride and weren't doing the other races.

I could've finished faster had I left my group but it was extremely fun riding with other folks. I have no regrets at all and am so proud to have finished where I did.

Post race - I got a massage to help get my legs ready for the 10K run on Sunday. Ate and drank to refuel and congregated with friends. Honestly, while I do love doing well at events, hanging out with fellow competitors is my favorite part. Well, second favorite part, but that's what is so fun about the entire event.

Quick trip back home. Compression hose on to sleep in. A few hours rest and up before dawn again. The 10K run race was the final stage. I was 2nd overall in the Eurekan competition. I was first in my age group (40-49) and my buddy was 2nd in the AG 4 minutes behind me and 3rd place was 15 minutes behind me. The 3rd place guy was a really fast runner, so that was my biggest concern. My buddy in 2nd place is pretty close to my speed, so I just had to make sure I stayed close to the speedy guy.

I was really worried I'd be super sore from the ride, but the massage and compression hose must've helped. I felt pretty good and took off pretty fast. The run course had some nasty hills, so I knew if I could hold steady I could do well and hold my finishing position.

Not much to report from here. Several brutal climbs and a downhill finish, which isn't easy for a run. I crossed the line at 42:50, easily my best post-hip replacement 10K time, and in 7th best finish on the run and kept my 2nd overall and 1st place AG.

Pretty damned good weekend and a fun one to boot. I finished in 7 hours and 1 minute. 10 minutes behind the winner and 6 minutes ahead of 3rd place. Even though I finished with a great time, the best part of the weekend was hanging out with fellow competitors.

This truly was a challenge to be a "Eurekan."

First Sprint

I have been so lax in updating. I get busy with training and life and just forget to write. I do find writing therapeutic, so I should do it more often. I am wordy and boring, so I think I could have a future as a sleeping aid if my current career doesn't pan out.

If you've read some of my previous posts, you may know that I started my triathlon adventures by doing an Olympic distance event (1.5K/40K/10K) and then three weeks later did Ironman Kansas 70.3 (1.2M/56M/13.1M). This is not the normal route by any stretch but as I've found out not that uncommon either. I just didn't have a chance to start slow this year and I'm fairly (or severely depending on definition) impatient.

So, my first sprint distance was the SharkFest Sprint in July. This is probably the most popular local triathlon. I don't have numbers to back that up, but it "seems" that way. Sprint distance triathlons are not concrete distances. This one, however, was a very typical sprint distance - 500 yard swim, 15 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. The run this year was cut a bit short because of the damage caused by the horrific flooding we had in the spring. The run ended up being something like 2.9x miles.

Pre-race routine:

A cup of coffee. Headed to the race at 5am. Took my time setting up in transition. One transition area, which is great. Sunscreen on. Took a gel about 30 minutes before the start. Chatted with friends and tried to keep the anxiety down.

Event warmup:

Short swim to warmup.

Swim

Comments:

This was my third tri and third open water swim. Was still slow in this swim but didn't panic - good thing. Very anaerobic effort with heavy breathing and a struggling stroke. After rounding the first bouy(100 yards) I was having trouble and hurting but kept going. My sighting was not very good, because I kept going off course. I had my Garmin Forerunner 305 in my swim cap, and my distance measured at 650 yards versus the 500 if I had gone straight. Not good.

What would you do differently?:

See a swim coach and more open water swimming.

T1

Comments:

Long, steep run from the water into T1. Had a little trouble getting my bike shoes on.

What would you do differently?:

Get some tri-specific bike shoes.

Bike

Comments:

Bike starts with a climb out of the park. I had some trouble getting my legs going. I must use my legs way too much in the swim. My swim put me behind a lot of folks, so once again I found myself having to pass a lot of cyclists, which I did. Cycling is my best event, but within cycling climbing hills is probably my biggest strength - which boded well for this course.

What would you do differently?:

Figure out how to have fresher legs to start.

T2

Comments:

Initially couldn't find my spot. I even knew a specific landmark to help me find it and I still couldn't. Stupid.

What would you do differently?:

Not be a bonehead trying to find my stuff.

Run

Comments:

The run course was about .1 miles short due to all the flooding in the area this year. It was relatively flat and wound through the campgrounds. I love these types of courses. Lots of changes in the route (not just a long, straight run) and the campers are good fans.

Felt good coming off the bike. Was running mostly around 7:00 pace to begin. A little fast but it felt comfortable. The race seemed to go fast with all the curves. I passed a few people, but I caught so many on the bike there weren't that many people in front of me.

One of the aid stations had ice-soaked towels, which I gladly took. That was a nice touch since it was getting hot. Coming down the final half mile people were starting to tire, so I passed a few more folks including some in my AG. Very nice!

Crossed the finish line and really wasn't that tired or out of breath. That really pissed me off a bit. I should've gone harder on the bike or the run. I'm still learning a lot about how to combine the two. Oh, well. Pretty solid run for me, regardless.

What would you do differently?:

Run harder.

Post race

Warm down:

Got some water and an orange. Talked to several friends and hung out.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swim and not using energy wisely.

Event comments:

Great local race.

I really, really enjoyed the race. The swim sucked, as normal for me, but wasn't killer. The bike was totally suited for me. Hills! I hate hills but I do well on them, so it helps me. The run was flat and I had a good pace. My biggest complaint is that I wasn't exhausted when I finished, which meant I didn't go hard enough on the bike and/or the run. That really irked me but it was a good learning lesson.

One nice bonus was that I won a nice Timex watch in the door prize drawings. Who doesn't love winning something?!!