Bonkhard Chill Adventure Race - Toporadicals

The Chill - Bonkhard Racing 3/15/14

It seemed like Nathan and I had been training and preparing for this race for forever. We have been putting in more work than ever to try to climb up in the standings with the other great teams out there. Alpine Shop, 35 Down, Team Fusion, Extreme Electrical, Momentum and many more. We couldn't have been happier with how our training had been going. We even had a couple practice events with some of the members from the teams mentioned earlier which were a lot of fun and great practice. I really do feel like I've been welcomed into the adventure racing family... and it is a family.

The wait was over and race weekend was finally here. We were packed up and ready to go by mid-day on Friday. We stopped by Castlewood for a quick MTB ride to clean up some checkpoints that were hidden around the grounds from a recent training event we did. It was a nice day and a great warm up to get us in race mode. The drive down was filled with talk about the race and all the "what if" situations that come with the uncertainty of race day with Adventure racing. Nathan and I are a great pair and are on the same page with practically everything. We arrived at my uncle Greg's lake house that he was gracious enough to share with us for the weekend. A beautiful pre-race pasta dinner outside with a perfect lakeside view.

Time for the race meeting and packet pickup at Tan-Tar-A. As usual, Bonkhard Racing, was well organized and had designed a great race for us. Although, we really had very little to go off of in terms of planning. We had the first 7 points and another 7 after that with a large unknown section in-between. I'll admit that I had the most fun with the twist they threw in for the beginning of the race to create some separation between the teams for the canoe leg. The PFDs and paddles were at the start, but the canoes and the passports were in two other separate locations forcing teams to split up and get everything they needed to be on their way. There were also 2 locations for the canoe put-in. One with a hilly 0.7 mile portage that would cut out some paddling time. What to do? We quickly had everything plotted and our plan in place. With so little to do, we actually got to get some sleep.

We arrived at Mother Nature's Riverfront Retreat and Family Recreation Park with plenty of time and did our final preparations. The National Anthem, the race countdown, and we're on our way. It looked like there were as many ideas about how to attack the start as there were teams. I went for our passport while Nathan took off for the canoe. I was the 2nd one to the passports and knew I needed to get to Nathan to help carry the canoe as soon as possible. I was surprised to find him so far up the hill and he kept on trucking it up to the top before we re-situated things to allow me to start helping. We had a great plan for how to carry it and were actually able to pick up the pace and even jog most of the rest of the portage and also take a slight off path short cut to CP1. We were the 2nd team there just behind 35 Down. It appears we had chosen wisely. The fastest team to use the closer put in was at least 10 minutes behind the slowest team to portage... and we were at the head of that pack. A great way to start the day!

Nathan and I heading out on the canoe leg. Photo by Doug Arendt

Toporadicals typically have had to live with the fact that we are going to lose ground during the canoe section. However, we were motivated by the great start and were determined to stay up at the front of the race. I got a kick out of the fact that my paddle stroke aligned perfectly with sending a constant shower of water drops on Nathan. He had to put on rain gear and my hat to keep from being completely soaked. Pre-race we had asked about a possible large portage that we were considering, but it was axed since it was private land. So long 1 mile portage and hello to another 2 miles of paddling. We were actually keeping up and navigating the river and debris much better than usual. There was a quick portage around some large debris right at CP2. Team Fusion had caught up, so it was all 3 teams there at the same time. Continued good paddling kept us close to the front with Fusion just slowly pulling away and Alpine Shop making their way to us. Unfortunately 35 Down flipped a canoe and caused them to fall back. CP3 came and went and before we knew it we were at CP4 and TA for the end of the canoe. Fusion with a slight lead and we came in right with Alpine Shop. 8+ miles of paddling and we were within sight of the lead. Another big victory for team Toporadicals!

Plotting at CP7 Photo by Mary Welter

We had a quick transition and gear check that sent us out on Fusion's heels for a short O-leg. We pushed the pace and passed them on the way to the 2nd o-leg CP at an amazing spring and the start of the stairs. Seriously, the water was crystal clear and algae shown through with bright colors. It really was an amazing sight! On top of that, we were in the lead! It was motivating and we kept up the tempo all the way to CP7. There we got a seperate large passport and 23 CPs worth of UTM coordinates to plot and plan for the large o-leg. We plotted and planned efficiently and left just seconds behind Alpine Shop who was the first to head out. We had seperated our route into 2 loops which gave us the advantage of only having to pack for half of the time and distance. Then we could reload when we got back to CP7, bike to CP8, and head out for the second loop of CPs. The first loop was done cleanly and it was clear what kind of hills we were going to have to tackle throughout the course. It was TOUGH. We did get to see some of the cool sights with the castle ruins, natural bridge, and Devil's kitchen was real favorite of mine.

Moving bikes from CP7 to CP8 to finish
the long trek. Photo by Mary Welter

That mile bike from CP7 to CP8 was a nice break in the long trek section and didn't really hurt us on distance traveled for the trek. Early on in the 2nd loop, we crossed paths with Alpine Shop who were obviously doing a much different route. Seeing competition is a good refresher for motivation. Unfortunately shortly after that, a slight mis-plotted point for CP16 caused us a lot of time, trouble, and frustration. We even left it for CP17 and came back to it hoping to regain our bearings. It took us a while to even realize the issue was a mis-plot. The mistake was in an area that matched the clue. It was a tough pill to swallow. The rest of the route was fairly clean, but the mistake might have taken a tole on our spirits and pace.

We arrived at CP8 to turn in the finalized large passport from the big o-leg section, punch CP8, and get ready to head out for a bike leg finish. The volunteers there told us we were the 8th team to head out on the bike. Ouch! Some of those were probably because of not getting all of the points, but we had still dropped a lot. It took a little bit for us to get our biking legs going which was unfortunate with a pretty large hill in the early goings. I was also having some issues with my bike gear shifting, but I was working through it. An early out and back to get CP9 let us know what teams were around us. The Tiny Trail Ninjas had a slight lead. We were able to be catching and passing the others in sight. Trying to keep a good, steady pace, and making sure not to forget to get the CPs along the way. A little over half way through the bike we were in a bit of a situation. We had BOTH run out of water. It had been a warm day and we had been losing fluids at a fast rate and also should have planned for a longer day than we did. Leg muscles were cramping and on the verge of completely locking up, and trying to fight off the nausia was a constant battle. Our pace was suffering as much as we were, but we kept pushing forward. The local's dogs were getting harder and harder to sprint away without muscles seizing up. There was another HUGE hill out past the half way point that was steep enough to force us to walk up. There was another out and back CP late in the bike. Tiny Trail Ninjas hadn't really pulled away at all. Could we catch them? On our way back the strong cycling team of Extreme Electrical came flying past in the opposite direction. That was motivation enough to finish strong and hold them off and maybe that would help to give us a chance at catching Tiny Trail Ninjas. There was one last massive hill on the way to the last CP which was practically in sight of the finish line. We knew about it from the drive in to HQ that morning and were dredding it ever since. Walking our bikes up it, the gaps made it seem certain that we wouldn't be caught or catch anyone. I had called it a day and was ready to coast the rest of the way in.

The race director had a completely different plan though. At CP14 we were handed ANOTHER map with 5 bike-o CPs to get. It was devistating. There was no way we were going to leave without getting them, but it took every last bit will power that we had to start the final section. It didn't take long to have it catch up to us that we had already checked out. It took FOREVER to get situated with the new map and it's scale and contour lines. I'd already seen the Tiny Trail Ninjas head off on their way and it wasn't long before we were caught my Extreme Electrical. One benefit of getting caught was in getting a spare water bottle from them that was heavenly. Finally getting things under control we got to CP15 behind Extreme Electrical. The rest of the leg was slow and being done under complete protest from our broken down bodies and minds. My chain had jumped off the bottom pulley of the rear derailleur and I was just fighting every stroke to force it forward. I was so tired that it took me a while to realize what had happened. I thought I was just so tired that pedaling was just going to feel that hard the rest of the way out. A slight mis-step in getting the very last CP, but we eventually cleared the course and crossed the finish! 12 hours and 4 minutes and 3 seconds.

Toporadicals at the finish! Photo by Mary Welter

It took the entire post race to finally start to feel better. People were so nice in offering me help and making sure I was OK. It was great to trade stories from the day. The food was tempting, but I could barely force myself to eat. The more we talked to people, the more we realized that clearing the course might have been the key. We may have only been the 10th team to cross the finish line, but only 3 of those teams before us had cleared the entire course! Team Fusion took 1st, 35 Down in 2nd, and the Tiny Trail Ninjas in 3rd. We were so close. 4th Overall and 1st in the 2 person male division. I felt bad for Alpine Shop who had a great race, but accidentally missed 2 CPs during the long trek. They finished ahead by enough on time from Fusion that they easily could have gotten them and still been in first. However, those things happen in Adventure Racing and apparently not just to the newbies. I felt much better by the time we were driving back to my uncle's and we stopped for me to grab some food, since I felt like I could finally get it down. It wasn't until I went to clean up with a shower that I realized how big the bruise was from an early encounter with our canoe or that there was a tip of a stick protruding from my leg and was lodged over a 1/4 inch deep. It had been there for who knows how long and gave a large blood squirt when removed. I really don't know how I didn't realize it. I'm sure it was getting bumped and tugged at the entire race which irritated it to no end. Maybe I just blocked out any pain in that leg thinking it was just from the bump with the canoe. Once cleaned up we got out our maps and went over the race a bit before finally calling it a day.

I can't finish this off without thanking all of the volenteers, Bonkhard Racing, and all involved with this great race. It was fantastic and won't be soon forgotten. Also, I had lost my watch around HQ after the race and they have searched, found it, and are sending it back to me. It would have been a huge loss. Nathan and I are already going over all the sections of our race again and again looking for ways to improve and better prepare for next time. In just 6 weeks, we will be at Boonecrusher in Iowa and we are going to kill it!

Here's some of the links for more information about the race: The Chill race page
Bonkhard Racing page
Tan-Tar-A
Mother Nature's Riverfront Retreat and Family Recreation Park
Chill Results page
Chill photos and race reports
Emily Korsch's blog (from Alpine Shop team)

One Day, Two Races: Castlewood Cup 15K trail run and Cliff Cave SLOC event

Castlewood Cup - Big River Running 15K trail run - 2/22/14

I was feeling really good about my training coming into this race. The only issue was the trail conditions. As the minutes passed waiting for the race to start, the ground was thawing more and more. Now, not everything was terrible, but there was more than our share of slop. Castlewood is one of my favorite places to run and ride. There are challenging hills and places to open the throttle as well.

I also had quite the support crew there as well. My mom and dad, my wife (Emily), and dog (Penny). I was pretty nervous with the expectations I had placed on myself. I got all checked in and got another fantastic hoodie. They seem to have one of my favorite race shirts every year. I always see a lot of familiar faces and make my rounds to say Hi and wish everyone the best. I got to start in the 1st wave where most of my competition was. It wasn't going to be easy. I did also have Tim Vickers in the heat behind me. We have a bit of a rivalry and have gone back and forth with who comes out ahead. He was the reining champ here at Castlewood Cup in our personal battle. It was going to be tough not knowing where things stood with that. I just needed to push all the way though the finish and hope it would be enough.

The pace started off fast with a flat loop around the field. It quickly ramps up with the big climb up to the top of the cliff. It didn't take long after that to get into the mud. The footing was horrible and kept things interesting when trying to take the downhills fast. I had managed to start off with a pace that I could manage without burning myself out too much. I was slowly tracking people down, passing them, and moving onto the next. Things were really shaping up nicely. Maybe a little too good. I was feeling so good about it, I decided to try to ramp things up yet again as it took longer and longer to catch the next guy in my sights. I was going strong and was able to pass a few more in this manner. However, it was a pace too fast and I started it too early to take it all the way through to the end of the race. Maybe on a day with dry trails this would have been possible, but not today. That mud was slowly sucking my last bit of energy. Soon enough, a few of the most recent people I had passed were able to catch back up and go on by. I was struggling to do my best to hang onto to each of them as long as I could. The river crossing was a welcomed sight. That meant there was only about a mile left and surely, I could make it without giving up more time and places. I gave it my best and held my position into the last loop around the field. One guy passed me about half way around, but I held on tight to his heels. I needed to make it to the final stretch to make my move to try to overtake him. I went... slopping through the muddy, puddle ridden field. Far from being silent, he heard me coming and kicked as well. He was able to hold me off and crossed the finish line a second in front of me. The real kicker was that I had started in the back of the heat and our chip timing didn't kick off until I crossed the starting line. He must have been close to the front, so my race time actual placed me ahead of him in the standings. I was sure to ask my family members how close Tim was. He was in the final loop by then, but my gap was more than enough. I was 23rd overall and just missed the awards with 4th in my age group. Amazingly I had also done a personal PR on the course despite having run in several years and in conditions that were perfect. No time to hang around and waste any time. I had another race to get to.

Cliff Cave: St. Louis Orienteering Club event - 2/22/14

After a great trail run, I was feeling pretty good about my results so far. However, I was definitely fatigued. I had to rush to get there. I felt like Cliff Cave was my home course and I really wanted to try to show my stuff there. By the time I got to registration, I only had an hour whereas the rest of the field had the full 90 minutes. I regret not taking a moment throw on my trekking pants over my running shorts, but I was already behind on time. On my way to the start I quickly identified a point of two that I was going to have to punt, especially with some bonus points that I would be given in the field that would be worth double. I punched at the start and made my way to the cave side of the park. I punched the first two quickly, but made a mistake heading towards the 3rd. I only gave myself a moment to try to figure it out and wasn't going to be able to without losing too much time. I got back to trail and was able to pick up the map again. I got the bonus points on this side and everything else I went for pretty cleanly and quickly and was paying for it with scratches. All things said and done, I lost 3 points on that side (2 on purpose due to the distance). I had a good path for getting to the cliff side of the park to get the remaining CPs. I did have one small miscalculation, but was able to recover somewhat quickly and still get it. Knowing the SLOC organizers were wanting me back in about an hour, I was having to push it. Descending the path from the cliff faster than I should have on tired legs. Finishing in 67min 32sec and good enough for 10th place overall. Ended up they were sticking around for others on the course and I actually would have had time to clear it and get the remianing 3 CPs. It was great practice and I was happy with how it went being that I'm normally just a back up navigator to Nathan on our Toporadical adventure racing team. It had been a long day and I enjoyed eating to my hearts content and vegging out on the couch watching TV and movies the rest of the day.

South County Triathlon 2012

South County Triathlon 2012

This is a race that I always try to enter every year. It is where my whole journey into triathlon began when my neighbor, John Schrader, convinced me to train and race it with him in 2002. I've been hooked and doing them every since, although I'd say I've only been serious about it for the last 3-4 years. I wish I'd have known then, what I know now. Hind sight is always 20/20 though. I'm still in search of my first overall triathlon victory after just missing and getting 2nd overall three times now. This race was going to be my best shot to that this year. It's also a great race to see and catch up with friends and fellow racers including the family of star triathlete, Sarah Haskins.

The day started early to get a good transition spot and I was happy to have at least one race close to home so my wakeup call didn't have to be earlier to accomidate a drive. I got the spot I wanted and it didn't take long for my best competition to arrive. Brian Shoenholz is a great local racer and has consistantly beaten me in every race we've done so far. I didn't lose hope though. I felt good about the progress I'd made in all 3 part of the triathlon and believed it was going to be possible. Even better news, we had the same start time and were in the same lane in the pool so I could keep a close eye on him. 

As discussed with Brian S, I took the lead in our lane and plowed our way with a good tempo through the swim. He was able to stay on my toes the entire time. I feel like I have the potential to do a better time, but it was acceptable. I came out of the pool in second with Brian right there with me.

Brian left transition a split second ahead, but I had caught him before leaving the park. Both of us had passed that first swimmer during transition. I took the lead for the first half of the bike. Pushing the pace knowing I needed a lead off the bike since he has proven to definately have me on the run. He had kept up and even passed me. I let him lead through much of the sencond half, but decided to pass and really push the last few miles to try to start a gap. I got a little coming into T2, but he was close enough to even start the run just ahead of me.

It's a long, steep hill to start the run and I was able to keep Brian in my sights and not too far ahead up that first big hill. He took advantage of the downhill on the other side and seemed to have opened a sizable gap. He was still close enough that I could see him from time to time. Once I saw him coming back from going off-course which closed my gap to him. On top of that, I saw a slight chance of an opening when he looked to be walking up the last long hill heading towards home. It was short lived though and his run resumed and had matched and quickly surpassed my pace. The gap was opening up yet again and I was doing all I could to maintain my pace and get up the last major hill. I let loose on the downhill coming into the parking lot and finishing stretch, but it was not going to happen. He wasn't in sight as I turned the last corner towards the finish. I finished as strong as I could because you never know if a later heat might produce someone to push me down the rankings further.

I finished in 56:44 and just 1:17 behind Brian (the closest I'd ever come to catching him). There were possibly some more racers that we saw out on the course that looked fast enough to challenge for the top spots. Unfortunately, both of us get bumped and I was bumped twice. There were two young, teenagers that are really doing well in the junior circuit (and otherwise for that matter). Someone even said they were 4th and 12th in the nation for juniors. I believe it. Take note of their names, Austin Hindman & Griffin Bailey, as they as sure to be known in the triathlon world if they keep this up. They did great and my hat goes off to them. Another honerable mention to Maureen Conley as the top female coming in just 4 seconds slower than me. I ended up 4th overall (just 1:41 behind first) and thus 1st in my age group. I was happy with my performance and time. It's too hard to tell if it was a personal best since the course is different every time we do this race, but I am pretty sure it would have been. I admittingly was slightly disappointed with my place, but I know that I did everything I could on that day. My overall victory will have to wait for another day and my preperation for that day starts again, immediately.

Innsbrook Max-O-Mania 2012

Innsbrook Max-O-Mania

I'm still recovering from the pnemonia and last weekend's race, but feeling much better. It still might be a little crazy to have decided to participate in the 3 race event that takes place within 24 hours. It's a tough place to race with the hills and my first time doing a multi-stage triathlon race like this. Friday night is a 1000m swim and 5K run. Saturday morning is the star event with Quartermax 100m swim, 28 mile bike, and 6 mile run. Later that same day is a shorter mixed up triathlon with a 10 mile bike, 500m swim, and 2 mile run (in that order). I've got the kids with me and we are going to be staying in a hotel fairly close to the race site so we don't have to make the long drive back and forth.

The first race was the aquathon, swim/run. I was not going to push it on this one as I wanted to make sure I was going to be ready to push it for tomorrow morning's race. That being said, I wasn't going to take it too easy either. We started as a group into the lake. It had been hot and it was definately not a wet suit legal swim. I reached the other side of the lake at about the time I expected, but I heard the voice of hte compeditor just behind me that I wanted to track. Tony Rigdon is know for being able to do multiple races and is very comeditive. I've actually gotten the better of him at the last two races, but it's not like they were huge time gaps. The tough run back around the lake to the finish was going to be hilly. Tony passed me quickly and I was just going to hold a comfortable pace. Those hills were tough. We hit the biggest climb and Tony was just ahead... and walking. I actually was right on his heals when we hit the top and he had started running again. I was strained from the run up the hill and he was recovered from the walk and quickly created a gap again. I held my own and just did a moderate pace, finishing in 38:07. Right were I expected to be and only 43 seconds behind Tony.  I was 8th overall. Time to recover and do another race in the morning.

I felt good in the morning and didn't feel like the effects of the race the night before had done much damage. We got to start in the first quartermax wave and the swim went fine, but Tony was actually infront of me out of the swim. A suprise, but only a second ahead. I actually passed him on the run up the big hill into transition. We basically started the bike together along with a couple of guys competing as a team (and allowed to draft on the bike). I held with that team until we left the resort and were out on open roads. Even then I kept them in sight as I gradually put time into Tony. It was hilly with some wind, but my biggest issue was a truck pulling a trailer that forced me into the grass. Thankfully, it hadn't really cost me too much time. I started the run feeling pretty good, but that actually turned into a struggle fairly quickly. It's a tough run and the day's racing along with yesterday's was starting to wear on me. I wasn't giving up though and I had a good time going. My run pace was slower than I'd like, but good relatively speaking. I pushed it in the finishing straight to littlerally edge out another Max-O-Mania compeditor that was coming up strong from behind me. 2:18:05 and a new personal best time at that tough course. I was 2nd out of the Max-O-Mania compeditors. I was even 16th overall out of  339 racers (most of which hadn't raced the night before). That put me 3rd in my age group and my first time placing at this race. This is such a great compeditive race since it's a qualifier for nationals and the star race for the weekend so I was glad to have shined. Almost as important, I had actually more than made up my gap to Tony and will lead him going into the 3rd and last race of the series. I had about a 1:55 lead on him and I would think the last race would be my best since it was most heavily on the bike which is where I make up the most time. I moved all the way up to 4th overall in that competition.

I spent the day at Innsbrook with Max, Phoebe, and my parents. We went up for the awards to collect my 3rd place medal. Afterwords we had a nice picnic lunch on the hill by the beach and I got in the water to cool down while the kids were swimming. It was hot, but we stayed in the shade for the most part. I probably should have tried to sleep. I did take some time to look at the standing to try to figure out how to move up (and not down). 1st was too far ahead, but 2nd and 3rd were within my grasp and Tony was just behind me in 5th. With the time trial start and each rider going with a 1 minute gap, each person I caught would move me up in the standings. Tony would need to catch me and beat me by almost a minute and I felt comfortable with that lead.

So, we started and I immediately started hammering it on the bike. It was a hilly 5 mile out and back. It felt like forever before I saw anyone. The leader was passing me on his way back. With all the turns, I would have to be right up on the guys in front of me before I'd see them. I felt confident I was making up time. Right at the turn around, I was able to see both places in front of me. This was very possible. Suprisingly, on my way back, it seemed like I hadn't put any time into Tony... as a matter of a fact, I was pretty sure he was making up time on me. It still didn't worry me at that point in time. I still had to push hard the last 5 miles back into transition and caught both of the guys in front of me and we were all in there together to head down for the swim. I was able to keep track of one of the guys and expected the other to pull away a little bit. I'm not the best at sighting, but as far as I could tell, I was holding one of them off. Out of the swim, up the huge hill into transition, and quickly onto the run. SHOCK! Tony was ahead... and by a decent amount. I seriously have no idea how he managed to do that. So that put me coming out of the water in 4th with 5th able to catch and pass me in the first 1/4 mile of the run. I just couldn't push to keep up, Tony was flying, and then the other guy in front was doing my same pace. I did my best to hold on to the best pace I could manage. I pushed the finishing straight, but it felt more like I was staggering in.  I got the 3rd best time in that last race and it was enough to jump ahead of the guy who finished just in front of me, but with Tony passing me (and both guys in front of me into 2nd overall) that kept me steady at 4th overall and 2nd in the Men's Open division behind Tony.

It was a fantastic weekend and a complete success. There were plenty of lessons learned if I ever decide to do another multi-race series again. I was completely spent after that and was glad to still have Sunday to rest and recover.

St. Peter's Rec-Plex (Spring) 2012

St. Peter's Rec-Plex (Spring) 2012

Lets just say that my pre-race routine was sub-optimal. I have been spending the night with Emily in the hospital since her kidney transplant (including the night before the race). I can sleep just about anywhere, so the expandable couch wasn't a real problem. However, getting woken up frequently with nurse visits and IV alarms going off needing a refill, and othe such things only allowed for short durations of actual sleep. On top of that, race morning was the completion of my meds for getting through my pnemonia. The effects from that don't have me at 100% either. Despite that, I'm actually in good spirits and have high hopes for the race.

I have a pretty early start time which is great because the heat is likely to pick up right about the time that I will be getting ready to come in to the finish. The swim started my race off fine. It was right about the time I was looking to come in at. Transition to the bike went fine, but I think I could get a few seconds here if I really wanted to work on it. I was actually battling to get out of transition with a rider and were practically running into eachother for position.

That battle continued as he and I went back and forth passing eachother over and over again through the bike. Based on the race number, I had started 2 minutes ahead, so I needed to get that back to really beat him. By the end of the bike course, I had held for a while and was no longer getting passed. I tried to do a quick glance back and actually couldn't see him. I thought I'd finally broken him on the bike. I quickly came into transition and was starting on my way out on the run, when I got a suprise. There was that guy and his number... in front of me. I was confused by this as I thought I dropped him on the bike and didn't take a long transition at all.

He started the run fast and I pushed my pace just a bit, but knew he was going out harder than I could maintain. My goal was to hold my pace and see how things progressed through the race. I was hopeful to get a big second wind to catch him, but even then I really needed two minutes more than just to catch up. I held him just out in front of me for the first two miles and then I had a bit of luck on my side. My battling foe was cramping up and I made up the gap pretty quickly. There was enough time left in the run to make up the other two minutes, so I pushed it with every last bit of energy that I had. I felt like I had a good pace going, but two minutes might be too much to ask for.

I finished in 1:35:44 for the 500m swim, 21 mile bike, and 4.4 mile run. A fantastic time! I started my watch as soon as I crossed and waited to see if I had done enough to get my two minutes. 1:00.... 1:30... 1:45... oh no, here he comes... and finishes just under the two minutes by a couple seconds. I was slightly saddened by this, but knew that I had put in a good day and didn't leave anything out on the course. Someone in the crown at the finish heard me talking about this and came up to me to let me know, I had been battling his TEAM and not an individual. I had battled one guy on the bike and a fresh one on the run. That also explains the fast transitions. It was really the female in the swim that made up the time at the start who had beaten me. The results started being posted and that's when I realized I hadn't lost to them at all! I only needed 1:45 and had beaten them by 15 seconds (the 3rd place team). I was 6th overall and 1st in my age group. My best finish here and a complete success! Unfortunately I couldn't stick around for the awards as I wanted to get back to Emily at the hospital, but a good friend, Brent Newman, picked up my award and prizes for me.

Chrissie Wellington in STL

Chrissie Wellington in STL

4 Time Ironman World Champion

It is hard not to be infected by Chrissie's smile and energy. She is fantastic. I was on the edge of my seat taking in everything she had to say in her story. Telling us about how things came to be and how she can now be sitting in front of us as a 4 time Ironman World Champion. She was so humble and a very down to earth person. I was amazed at how much I could relate to so much of what she was saying. I can't imagine anyone that would ever be in her presence and not like joy she emits from every fiber of her being. I think her spirit can be summarized by the moment that happened to close her talk. She got a well deserved standing ovation. It touched her so much that she was brought to tears.

I could go on and on about what she said, but instead I will highly suggest you go out and buy her book. From what I've read so far, I think it's going to be good and it would be a more detailed account of her and her life. It's also going to be a good read for all, not just triathletes.

Lunch Break PR

Lunch Break PR

Just one day of rest after the Kansas City 5150 race and I'm back at it. I know I've got the Big River Running speedwork session tonight at Vianney, but I wanted to get in a lunch run as well. I was really feeling good. I left from work and ran over to Lafayette square to do some laps. By the 5K mark, I realized that I wasn't that far off my best pace and I felt like I could maintain it. I knew I had a hard session later tonight, but I just went with it. Lap after lap my pace stayed steady and even slightly faster. Then it was time for the home stretch. In order to avoid waiting at some traffic lights, I took a slightly different route. It actually cost me some of the downhill that was owed to me after my uphill climb to get there, but I didn't want to have any * next to my time if I broke my record. I made it! 41:45 and a new 10K personal best. I had a huge grin for the rest of my cooldown as I made my way around the final stretch back to work.

Now I know I can run those times and I just need to be able to do it when I am coming off the bike. Hopefully, tonight's speedwork session will do just that. My body will be learning how to push hard even when it's tired... and it will defianely be fatigued.

Side Notes:

1. Yes, my work does have a shower.

2. and yes, I used it.

3. That pace is actually slightly faster than my highschool 5K best (20:59) almost 20 years ago