The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.

- Theodore Roosevelt

This one speaks for itself.

‎Impossible is just a big word thrown about by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.

- Muhammad Ali

 I may have to pull this out when it gets tough during the run tomorrow.

When things look bad and it looks like you’re not gonna make it,then you gotta get mean.  I mean plumb, mad-dog mean, ‘Cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live nor win.  That’s the way it is.

- The Outlaw Josie Wales

 Here is an awesome video of Jan Frodeno (won the gold metal in triathlon in the last olympics).

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The road to this event has been very long.  In fact, since I started training for the event in October, I’ve swam 80 miles, biked 1480 miles, run 780 miles, and weight lifted for over 35 hours.  I am now ready.  Here is a glimpse of what last year’s event looked like.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

How to Watch Me

First thing to know is: my race number is #550!  Apparently this is a fast number (from what people keep telling me, but I have a hard time figuring out what exactly is a “fast number”).

Second, go to the Ironman St George tracking page and you can track my progress.  From there you can also see the Race Coverage (from the left hand column) and watch live video of the event and text updates of the event.  If you have any problems with this, just go to the Ironman homepage and you should be able to see event options for the St George Ironman.

The swim will start at 7am.  I plan to be done in just under an hour – hopefully leaving onto the bike at 8am.  I hope to be finishing the bike section by about 1:20pm.  I will then push the run and hopefully finish the event around 4:40pm…. That is the goal.

Finally, if you are in St George, then come cheer me on in person!  I will be wearing bright Orange and White tri gear, with bright Green outlines.  I’m hard to miss.

Contributors to This Journey

As much as triathlon and this event is an individual event, the journey and in fact most of what pushes me during the race is not individual.  There are so many that have helped me along the way.

My Heavenly Father

All that I have is attributed to the blessings given me by my Father in Heaven.  He gave me live and this body.  I’m extremely grateful for the blessings of health that He gives me.

The test of an Ironman is something that my family and I never imagined.  In high school I had some knee injuries that made us think I’d never be able to comfortably run a 5k.  All of my siblings have run marathons and I was considered “the non-runner”.  I’m reminded of a scripture that says, “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness.  I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things becomes strong unto them.”  Now, through the help which He has blessed me with, I’ve come so far and will now swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, then run a marathon (26.2 miles).

Wife and Kids

I could not complete any of this journey without my wife and kids.  They have sacrificed so much for me.  During a week and a half period they drove out to the middle of nowhere three times to pick me up when I had bike/hypothermia problems.  My two year old son got so used to this that for another week or two whenever my wife would have him get in the car he would ask if they were going to pick up daddy.

Without them backing me on this I would not have the drive to finish the race.  I’m so excited that they were able to surprise me and fly in from Washington for the event (long story, but they were not going to be able to come down for the event, but last minute… meaning while I’m writing this, they were able to arrange flights to get down here!!).  I will need their support throughout the race.

More Family

My parents have continuously encouraged me through my triathlon progress.  They continually check up on me to see what crazy training session I had.  My siblings are always asking questions and reading my blog posts.  Thanks.

I’m excited that my younger sister and my Parents will also be at the event to cheer me on.  My parents have only be able to watch me in one triathlon and that was five years ago.  I’ve come a long ways since then and I’m excited to have them there.  My sister, Carianne, along with her friend, Jane, will be my secret weapons/coachs during the run.  They’ll be tracking my exact progress (and that of my close competitors) and yelling out the inside information to me on the run.

Coach

Having Adam Weaver as my coach has been much more than I expected.  He has a wealth of knowledge and expertise that has given me the perfect plan to get me here.  He also has the right words for me when I am in self-doubt.  He has pushed me to my breaking point so that I know what my body can do.  This has made me confident in my goal for Saturday.

SIX Nutrition

It has been an amazing experience working with SIX Nutrition as a sponsor.  Firstly they made an incredible product, a multivitamin, that can help me to withstand the vigors of Ironman training.  I put my body through so much stress, tearing at its muscles every day, pounding on its joints, and pulling deeply at its will, yet SIX helped me recover from all of that… so I could do it again the next day.

It has also been a pleasure working with such a great and friendly team of individuals who have created something on their own time that they truly believe in.  I’m glad that I can be a part of it and help them share and promote a wonderful product.

Fishbowl

Fishbowl Inventory has been my “day job”, but has given me the flexibility to train when I needed.  They have been very encouraging and extremely supportive.  They are a company who truly believes in their employees and helps them to become better people.  Their software is just as good.  Oh, and they even dedicated an entire room and put exercise equipment in it, where I did most of my workouts (I liked to think that the room/equipment was all just for me).

Timpanogos Cyclery

Just about everything that could go wrong with my bike, did.  Timpanogos Cyclery did a more-than-amazing job in taking care of me.  Here are just some of the problems that I went through and they’ve quickly helped me out:
- Sliced rear tire – replacement with sealant
- Metal object thrown into my path, breaking my rear derailleur, hanger, and chain – replacement
- Stripped return-to-center shifter – replacement
- Bike covered in mud – deep cleaning!
- Front tire leaking air through sidewalls (just two days ago!) – replacement (normally shops don’t have tubular tires hanging around, but they did!)

Their knowledge and friendliness has made it a pleasure working with them and riding for them.

Natalie Rasmussen

Man!!!  As much swimming, cycling, and running that I do, I’m always afraid of injuries coming on.  Natalie is an expert in sports massage and working out nasty knots, stripping out the IT bands, and improving all other muscle recovery.

First Endurance

Nutrition is really the fourth discipline in long-distance triathlon.  If your nutrition isn’t spot on, then good luck at trying to have a respectable time.  First Endurance makes the best nutrition for short and long-distance racing.  I use their Optygen HP as a daily supplement to help handle the stress my body is undergoing, a mixture Ultragen and EFS for during my workouts and races, along with their Liquid Shot for added nutrition, and finally their PreRace for extra kick during key sessions and races.

Other Supporters

I want to thank a few other supporters that have also played critical roles in assisting me to get here.  UsTrisports, who create and put on the best races in Utah.  SnappConner PR, who provide public relation services to some of the best companies in the country.  And finally, Sunday Ventures, who helped me create so an awesome website and even provide its hosting.

Race Bags

Some of you may wonder why I would do such a long workout, even those preparing for Ironman St George.  I know it is a little extreme, but the idea came from my coach and with his experience I knew it would build up my confidence, knowing on race day that the 112 mile bike, then 26 mile run would not be a big deal.

On the same date that I was supposed to do this awesome workout, there happened to be the Tour de St George (100 mile bike ride) and several of my co-workers at Fishbowl were going to do the event.  I thought this would be a perfect way to start of the event.  It was either that or ride around Utah Valley all by myself for a really long time.  The plan was to do the century ride and then continue on for another 20 miles before starting my 20 mile run on the Ironman course.

I drove down Friday with co-worker Dave Bauerle and met up at a condo with the other two: Cade Close and Bryan Bleak, who had both brought their wives down for the adventure.  The weather forecast did not look great and we were expecting 40 degree temperatures and rain throughout the day.  Yes, and adventure.

Race Morning

Race morning we found that a twist of events had already occurred.  While the rest of us had been sleeping, Bryan and his wife (who was 8 months pregnant) had gone to the hospital.  She was having some complications and he did not return back to the condo until 3:30 in the morning.  His wife was still at the hospital.  He decided he was not going to do the event and was going to bring his wife back up to Utah Valley once she was released from the hospital. (She is ok and they had their baby last week!)  As a side note, I had not actually signed up for the event and was just planning to ride the course.  I would be using all of my own nutrition and would not be stopping at the finish line for food, etc.  However, with this new twist, Bryan gave me his number and registration.

After getting in my pre-race food and SIX Nutrition, we got our gear on and gathered for a Fishbowl photo.  We then put on a little more gear (as it was very cold) and we headed out.  I actually rode the 5 miles to the start of the event so that I didn’t have to ride so much after.  Turns out that I got there with about two minutes left before the gun went off.

The Bike Workout

I did not know what to expect because I had never done a cycling event before.  Also, my game plan would be much different than those participating in the event.  Most of them were on road bikes and would accelerate and move with the pack.  I on the other hand was using my triathlon bike and would be pushing a steady power output.

When the gun went off we took off and I went straight to my predetermined power output.  Also, because I was warmed up, I didn’t need to hold back.  I soon took the lead and made a sizable gap on the other rides.  I felt kind of stupid because I’m sure that the other rides were wondering if I was trying to win the event from the start.  No, I was just doing my thing.  After 2-3 miles we headed up a hill and the pack caught and passed me.  They were obviously pushing their efforts up the hill.  I was wondering if they thought I had already burnt myself out for starting out too fast.  Well, then we turned and went downhill.  I got in my aerobars and flew past them.  As you can see, I’m sure they thought I was stupid not riding at their pace.

A few miles later I happened to be riding at the front of the group when I failed to make a turn at a round-about had to double back and was left about a minute behind the group.  They were also headed uphill so at my steady effort I would have a difficult time catching them.  I found that this was a good thing.  I didn’t want to be pressured into going at their pace and effort, which seemed to fluctuate often.  I now just focused on doing my thing.

Over the next 30 miles I just hung about a minute behind the group and kept my own pace.  Every so often a rider would fall off the group and I’d catch and pass them.  One or two would try to hop on my tail and I’d pull them for a bit, but as soon as we would go downhill or a little too fast on the flats, they wouldn’t be able to hang on.  Out near the new Airport I finally caught up to the group, but within a few minutes realized once again that my pacing up and down hills was not the same as theirs.  I dropped off the back and hung out 20-30 seconds back.

The rain had been off and on and was relatively light.  It was now starting to pick up.  Here is a fun picture of me.  The event photographer’s site actually had about 10 shots of me right here.  They were probably wanting me to stop looking at the camera, however, I had not known it was someone taking pictures.  They were standing off to the side of the road with a big tarp thing (to protect the camera from the rain).  It was a very unusual sight and I was trying to figure out what was going on.  It wasn’t until I had pretty much passed them by that I realized it was a photographer.

We must have been approaching mile 50 when I noticed that the next person falling off the back of the group was my buddy, Dave Bauerle (Cade was riding in a pack a little further back).  I knew his strategy, not having been a 100% prepared for the event, was to hang on to the lead group for as long as possible.  I rode up to him and told him to hang on and I’d pull him back to the group.  I pushed it a little harder for the next few minutes and got him up to the group.  I then hung with the group for the next 5 miles.  To be honest, they weren’t that enjoyable.  When it is that wet and you are riding behind other riders you get water and mud sprayed all over you.  I rode up next to another buddy in the group, Kevin Clegg (who will also be doing Ironman St George), and asked him when the next aid station was…. I had to pee!!!  He said we just passed one and it would be another hour or so before the next.  Great!

After a few more minutes of riding with the group, I pulled to the lead and just did my thing down a slope and over a flat.  I had assumed that the group, which was dwindling, would follow suit, but I looked back to see them about 100 yards behind me.  I’m sure they’d catch me going up the next hill.

The next section of the course headed through Washington towards Sand Hollow Reservoir and had several hills.  Portions of the group caught up to me and passed me.  It was very broken up at this point, with only about 10 people in front of me.  Dave was not one of them.  He must not have been able to hang on.

Finally, after several hills we approached the turn off for Sand Hollow.  This meant an aid station!!  Even though I was 2-3 minutes behind the leaders I had to stop and use the porta-potty. I then filled up on some more water and took off.  The rain had been coming down hard now for the last 45 minutes and was coming down even harder now.  I was now all by myself trying to make up some ground on the group, keeping my power steady and feeling great.  Now that the pack was getting so small it would be easier for me to do so.  I actually passed a straggler within 10 minutes.  As I approached the long hill on the southeast side of the reservoir (many of you remember this from doing the St George sprint/Olympic triathlon), I could see the riders spread out along the ascent.  I was making up ground.

As soon as I starting to drift up the hill I went to change gears.  My shifter did not shift.  It simply made a ratcheting sound, but no shifting.  As a side note, my shifter is a return-to-center shifter so that with each shift the lever still points forward, in an aerodynamic position.  I didn’t know what was wrong, so I shifted the other way.  Well, that worked and now I was in an even harder gear.  Still no shifting into an easier gear though.  I got off my bike and tried to fiddle with it.  I was in the second-to-hardest gear on the back cassette and there was no chance of climbing this hill… I even tried.  Even if I was able to get up it, I’d have to climb several steep hills on the ride back towards St George.  I was disappointed and headed back to the aid station.  There I found a bike mechanic and we pulled apart the shifter, only to confirm that the ratchet system inside had been stripped.  I was done.  At 80 miles, I was done.  I knew I needed to get in 40 more for my workout, but that would not be possible.

Many times we beat ourselves up over things we can’t control.  I want to try to figure out how to finish the bike portion of my workout, but there was no use stressing over it.  I could only do with what I had.  It was time to head back and do my run.

I still hadn’t seen Dave come by so I called him thinking he may have dropped out (many people had because of the cold, wet conditions).  Sure enough he was about a mile away and a buddy of his who lives in St George was picking him up.  They grabbed me as well.  We found out that Cade had stopped at the mile 50 aid station to grab some food and couldn’t get warm again.  He had his wife pick him up.  So, in the end, all four of the Fishbowl cyclists, for one reason or another, did not finish the event.  My buddy, Kevin, actually won the event.  Congrats!

The Run Workout

After being dropped off in down town St George, I peeled off my wet cycling gear and took off onto the run course.  By now the rain had subsided and I was able to enjoy the course.  There were a few other runners, probably prepping for Ironman as well.  I kept my steady heart rate and puttered up the hills, then cruised down the hills.  First lap: 1:07:30.  Not bad.

The Ironman run course is a loop of about 8.5 miles that you do three times.  My plan had originally been to complete the first loop, then about ¾ of the way through a second loop I’d head off course to the condo we were staying in.  As I started the second loop however, I really wanted to see what my time would be for a second, complete loop.  This would add a few miles because I would finish, then back-track to where I needed to head off to the condo.  I figured I would end up running 22-23 miles, instead of my planned 20.  It didn’t take long for me to make up my mind that I would do the extra mileage and this would make up slightly for the lack in my bike mileage for the day.  Second loop done, still feeling good.  Time: 1:07:00.  Sweet!  30 seconds faster.  My goal for Ironman is to run a 3hr 20min marathon.  As long as I could hold this same pace and push the last loop just a little harder, I could do it.  Obviously I didn’t do a full 112 mile ride so there is not complete assurance, but it gave me a ton of confidence.

I am ready!!!

The last several miles to the condo were very wet.  It was now late in the day and raining very hard.  My feet were now soaked and I was cold.  I pushed the last bit and was done!  Not the 120/20 that I had planned, but still good and gave me the confidence that I need!

I had a string of three races in a row: Lake Havasu Triathlon, Saratoga Springs 70.3, and then the Icebreaker Triathlon in American Fork.  These were also in the middle of some very heavy training!

Week of the Race

Here is what my training schedule looked like leading up to the race:
Monday: Swim, Bike 3 hrs
Tuesday: Swim, 20 mile run
Wednesday: Triple brick (bike 1hr, run 30 min, repeat 3 times)
Thursday: Swim, Run 6 miles. Later 2 hr bike ride, transition run of 6 miles, then steep hill repeats
Friday: Bike 4 hrs, transition run of 2 miles

Friday’s bike ride was supposed to be at an Ironman heart rate, but I could not get my power and heart rate up at all!  It was frustrating.  I decided to head a different course to find some hills and try to push the power there.  Trying to go up the hills my legs had nothing in them.  I realized that I was just hammered from the week and so I just did my best to get the rest of the workout in.

That evening I talked to my coach and I really wasn’t feeling like racing in the triathlon.  I knew that a sprint would hurt SOOOOO bad and I already didn’t have any power in my legs.  Plus, I was supposed to run 10 miles later in the day on Saturday.  He agreed that I was becoming over-trained, but convinced me to do the triathlon anyways.  We bagged the 10 mile run and adjusted some things for the next week to allow me to recover.

Swim

Race morning I made sure to take my SIX Nutrition and got to the transition early.  The Icebreaker is a 300 meter swim (serpentine), then a two-loop, 12 mile bike, followed by a 5k run.  We were excited because this would be one of the warmest year’s ever.  There might even be a chance that my feet wouldn’t be numb the whole time.

I drank my PreRace mix and then we all gathered into the pool area, arranging ourselves according to swim speed.  I think I got in line about 5th position.  I wanted to be aggressive, but was afraid of holding anyone up.  Turns out that was a perfect position.  I stepped across the timing mat, hopped in, and didn’t see another athlete until I was out of the water.  The swim timing included a run to the transition.  Swim: 5:08

T1

I wore my one-piece trisuit so I had no need of putting on a jersey.  I had done this when I raced the Icebreaker 3 years prior and the suit wasn’t very hydrodynamic and it was an epic fail.  Today’s suit though was a good choice.  I made sure to wipe off completely so as not to get cold and this cost me an extra 5-10 seconds in transition.  I guess I didn’t realize that it was warm enough to not worry about that.  I grabbed my bike to head out of transition, but Brian Szydlik beat me to it.  He had started behind me in the swim.  How slow had my transition been? 39 seconds.

Bike

I was determined to not let this guy get away.  I actually didn’t know who it was until later on the run.  Because of this I was thinking, “I can’t let this ‘nobody’ beat me on the bike.”  I knew it was going to be a sufferfest all day so I let out the beast early.  After the large hill on the first lap I passed Brian.  I thought that would be enough of him, but after the turn at the north end of the loop he pass me again.  As we turned to head south though I passed him and decided that would be it.  I hammered down the long descent.  I’m fairly aerodynamic on my bike so I pushed the power and let it fly.

Soon I noticed Heath Thurston up ahead (he had been the first swimmer).  It looked as though he was having a problem with his crank and was only pedaling with one leg.  As much as I wanted to know what happened, I had to push my race.  I sped by and continued with confidence.  I was now leading the race.  Wait, but where was David Warden?  He is a very strong cyclist and I knew he wasn’t far behind in the swim.  He is also the master of the sprint distance triathlon.  I pushed on nonetheless.

The second loop was relatively event-less as I was not approached by any athletes.  By event-less I do not mean that it was easy.  I wanted to cry most of the time.  My legs hurt soooo bad.  They burned and screamed at me, yelling at me to stop, but I didn’t have time to stop.

I came down to the transition area, happy to be in first, but not at all excited for the additional pain that would come from the run.  Bike time: 29:21 (this was the second fastest split of the day.  David Warden was faster by 13 seconds.  This also beat my previous time by 1:49!)

T2

As I ran my bike across the grass field into transition I saw the biker whom I had played tag with earlier.  We was only a few seconds behind me.  Arrggg!  This transition had my normal swiftness and I was out in 26 seconds.

Run

Yup, it was not an illusion, my legs hurt!  I pushed the stiff legs down the pavement and within a few hundred yards I was joined by Brian (this was the first time I realized who it was.  This was the man who had beaten me in the Suncrest Mountain Race 5k).  I thought he would just pass me and keep on going.  Instead I was able to hang right behind him.  A minute later I even thought about passing him, but then realized that we still had a long ways to go and my legs my give out on me.  I’d wait and see if I could store up more leg energy.

Within another minute I felt like he was going to pull away from me.  We started to climb the enormous hill… the same one that is climbed twice on the bike ride.  For sure Brian was going to pull way… but he didn’t. I kept praying that I’d have energy to stay with him.  At the top we were still together.  We continued on like so for a few hundred yards and turned onto the north side of the loop.  It flattened out now and we were about half way.  I thought my stride might be able to open up… but no.  In fact it was quite the opposite.  It had finally hit me, and hard!  All of the hammering on the bike and now the run caught up to me and my legs gave out.  I practically could not move them.  Brian started to move away from me.  I felt like reaching my hand out and saying, “Noooooo”.  It was only a moment before David Warden approached me from behind and continued on towards Brian.

It was so hard at this point to keep going.  My legs had given up and the win… and second place were gone.  No one was close behind to keep pushing me.  I just wanted it to be over.  I tried to cruise down the hill, but it wasn’t very effortless.

As I neared the entrance to the baseball field (where the transition and finish line were) I saw one of the volunteers, Natalie Rasmussen (who is also my amazing massage therapist), and yelled, “Come work on my legs!!!”, then ran the last 50 yards to the finish.  I don’t think she thought I was serious, but I was.

All-in-all I was satisfied.  I was very happy with my bike split and the fact that I was able to push myself through so much pain until half way through the run.  I still had a descent run time of 19:11 (better than last time by 41 seconds) and my overall time was 54:47.  This was only 20 seconds slower that the previous course record.  David Warden won and set a new course record however, with a time of 53:26.

Soon after crossing the finish line my wife and kids came up to congratulate me.  My wife asked if my arms were tired.  I said, “No,” but was thinking, “Why would you think my arms are tired?  You know my legged are just smashed.”  She said, “Good,” and handed me our 9-month old because her arms were tired.  We both laughed.  I love my wife and family and am very thankful for all the support they give me.  They sacrifice a tremendous amount to allow me to chase after my triathlon dreams.

I had put a limit on my potential.  Once I realized that that limit was breakable, who knows how far I could go with it.  I think many times, and in many different aspects, we set limits for ourselves.  This limits could be influenced by those around us or our own self-consciousness.  I will now be looking to break beyond some of the limits I had previous set in other aspects of triathlon and my life.  Who knows how far I’ll get now!

Limitations: none!

So, a week after Lake Havasu I was needing a little longer distance.  It would be fun to push it a little over 70.3 miles.

Swim

Because we had 25-30 people planning to attend, we could not do the swim all at the same time in the Lehi Legacy Center.  Instead, everyone swam on their own within a few days of the event and sent it to the race director.  The event timing would start at 8am on Saturday and each participant would leave on their bike at the time they had completed their swim (you swim 1.2 miles in 30 minutes, you leave at 8:30am).

I decided I’d like it to feel as much like a triathlon as possible, so I planned to do the swim Saturday morning.  Come to find out, the Legacy Center wouldn’t let me swim early because I wasn’t a “member”, so I headed over to the American Fork Fitness Center.  1900 meters in 29:04.  It was ok, but not overly spectactular.

T1

I had to then jump out of the pull and jet to south Saratoga Springs where the bike would begin.  I got there at about 8:25 and literally had 3-4 minutes to get my bike out and gear ready to take off (at 8:29).  It felt like a real transition.

Bike

I was the first one to take off on the bike and it was a shame that I didn’t get to say hi to any of the other participants and the camaraderie is the best part of the event.

I noticed that my heart rate was kind of high and I assumed that it was because of the adrenaline rush in getting my gear out of the car and ready for the bike.   I kept thinking it would come down a little, but it didn’t.  I wasn’t overly concerned because I was basing my strategy off of power, not heart rate.  I planned to ride between 190-200 watts on the way out and 210-220 on the way back.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a specific strategy like that in a race before.  Most of the other events have been so short that you can go “all out” and not care.  I needed to know how it felt to push it on the second half of the bike.

The course headed north and then turned west towards Eagle Mountain.  It went through “city center” and continued out through Cedar Fort and turned around at Fairfield.  Only a few minutes into the ride I was wondering when Keb Wilson would pull up on his bike (he is a very strong biker).  At the turn around I saw him coming about 1 minute back.  He had made up some good time.  I continued to anticipate his arrival and pass, but it didn’t come for another 8 miles or so.  We battled a little and rode near each other for the next 6 miles until his pace pulled away from my power strategy.

Coming down one of the later hills I tried to pull out some electrolyte pills that I had taped in a little plastic pouch on my handlebars.  The tape had sealed pretty good to the plastic and so I ended up spending several minutes focusing on what should have been a simple task.  I know I lost some time there.  Final bike time: 2:27:00.  Not bad for a slightly hilly course.

T2

I came into transition 1-1.5 minutes behind Keb, but he was still finishing up his transition.  I made my switch quick and was out about 45 seconds behind him.

Run

I felt a little more confident about my run and so I decided to just relax and let my body go to work.  Over the first mile the separation between Keb and I did not change.  My legs were tight and it would just be time before they loosen up.  The course headed north along Redwood Road until mile three where it turned into the neighborhoods and weaved north until the turn around at just over 6.5 miles.

At mile two I noticed that Keb was starting to pull away from me (I would time the gap from when he passed a landmark till I passed the same landmark).  I didn’t really start to worry until mile 3 when the gap continued to grow.  He was now at least 1.5 minutes ahead of me.  I was beginning to get worried.  I was feeling so confident about my training and preparations for Ironman, and here, I couldn’t even keep a good pace for a ½ ironman.  I wanted to just relax and get into a smoother groove, but there was one thing in particular that was keeping me from relaxing.  I had to pee… bad!  I didn’t want to spend the time in transition going into the house.  Also, I was wearing a trisuit and not a two-piece as I’m waiting for some apparel to arrive.  My wife kept teasing me all winter that I needed to practice peeing on the bike (I never get to because I have to bundle up in so much winter gear it would not be smart to be soaked… in pee for the ride).

I have to make a small diversion from the race now because I’m guessing that some of you are freaking out about the whole “peeing” topic.  Just so you know, for those competitive athletes where just a minute or even a few seconds could change their race, peeing has to be done while moving.  No time to stop and use a john.  Most of the time this is done near the end of the bike portion and you simply use a water bottle to rinse yourself off afterwards. (oh, and for any that are now thinking of trying this, make sure that you are not riding in front of anyone because that is rude)

So, back to the race and my dilemma.  There wasn’t really a good place for me to pull down my straps and “go” on the side of the road, so I decided I better practice what I might need to do in an Ironman.  Peeing while running, even when you really have to go, is not easy.  Your body has a tough time relaxing enough to do so.  It took me over a mile of trying on occasion and finally about mile 3.5, while running down a hill, I was able to “go”.  I had my fuel belt and rinsed myself off with a water bottle. I felt much better.

Over the next mile things started working a little better.  Near 5 we had a small aid station and I grabbed a sip of coke.  This did the final job in getting me into my groove.  I had previously been running 7:15 miles, but was now working my way towards 6:30.  Keb had about a 2 minute gap at its largest, but I noticed that I was now gaining on him.  I finally made the pass near mile 6 and continued strong.  I did not want him to see any fatigue or weakness in my new found speed.

I felt strong on the return and continued build a large gap over Keb.  I could no longer see him when I glanced back.  Nearing mile 10 the course goes up a steep hill.  This did it for me and I could feel that my legs were shot.  I looked at my watch to see how I was doing.  There was a slight chance that I could complete the run in 1hr 30min.  I had to keep pushing hard.

“Never mind, I don’t think can do it.”  That was my thought with 2 miles left.  My legs hurt too much and I was not able to maintain my pace very well.  I didn’t think the 1:30 was going to be a possibility.  Luckily I got to run down some hills as I entered the last mile and it gave me some hope.  I could go it, only a mile left!

The last several hundred yards hurt so badly!  I had to over a small hill, but it was now a sprint to the finish.  I was within a minute of my goal… push!!!  The last 30 seconds of the run were an all-out sprint (or whatever my legs could do to sprint) and I didn’t look at my watch.  I pressed the “stop” button, looked down… 1:30:00 exactly!!

The biggest lesson learned: be patient.  I know that come Ironman St George, I will have a tough time getting into a groove on the run, but if I just wait 4-5 miles then I know that my run training will take over and I’ll be just fine.

Fun fact: My first half marathon was two years ago on a flat course and I did 1:30:12.  I was so happy to beat that after biking 56 miles and on a hilly course.  Now, on to more training!

SIX Nutrition did a great job supporting the event by giving out two t-shirts and a month supply of their vitamins to Keb for his fantastic job on the day.

I had an easier training week leading up the race and would be able to race at a top gear.  My plan was to ride down and bunk with the BYU Triathlon Team, but on Thursday before the event my wife called me at work, sounding a little stressed, and said, “I can’t handle these kids all by myself!  We’re coming with you!”  Within hours the plans had completely changed and we were off, headed for Cedar City, where we would stay on Thursday night.  Friday we drove the rest of the way to Lake Havasu, AZ, checked in, and then headed to the beach.  My family would enjoy the sun and chilly water while I would do about a swim, bike, and run with some short race effort repeats.

We then went back to the hotel and my last minute race preparations were made after we put the kids to bed.

Race Morning

Race morning I ended up riding about two miles in the dark with my race gear so that the family could get some extra sleep.  I keep forgetting how dark it can be in transition while setting up.  Luckily I’m used to using my phone as a flashlight while getting ready in the morning.

I have to give a big shout out to the amazing guys at Timpanogos Cyclery who were able to order in a new tire and replace my slashed tire, in just a few days.  When putting in the new sealant though the valve must have been clogged because on race morning my front tire would not inflate or deflate.  Luckily it had been inflated two days prior and was worth racing on.  I’d have to solve the problem upon my return.

Swim

Entering the water was very…. very cold.  51 degrees in fact!  Luckily I knew this from swimming the day before and got in the water early to completely warm up and get accustomed to the harsh sting of the water against my face when the head is submerged.

The collegiate males took off in the largest wave.  Four minutes later, the collegiate women, then the Olympic men.  It was a fun sprint and battle to the first buoy about 200 yards out.  I guess I’m lucky because it could have been very bad if I had been knocked around.  After the buoy the field spread out.  It didn’t take long before we were passing the tail end of the women… and then some of the men from the first wave.  We swam up a channel that divides the island from the mainland and then back.  Once exiting the channel and around the light house, it’s a short 100 yards to the beach exit.

I felt like I had a pretty good swim, but not amazing.  My time: 24:59.  This is not good.  I know I didn’t swim that slow!  After looking at other results and talking with other racers, this must have been a long swim.  I did this race three years ago and my time was 23:17 and I know I’ve made improvements.  Another friend who did the race both years did a 23:30 this year, but a 19:19 in 2009.

T1

The first transition was smooth I was out in 48 seconds, the fastest of the day.

Bike

The bike actually started with a 100 yard run through the sand/gravel.  Most people ran in their bike shoes.  I opted to run bare foot and carry my bike.  I think this was the faster option, but my feet paid for it as there were several sharp rocks.

I hoped on my bike and started hammering from the beginning.  Within the first two miles I started battling with two other athletes, but eventually let them go.  I don’t think it was whether I wanted to hang with them as that I couldn’t.  I was still maintaining a very high power output and continued to push that the entire bike.  I would just chance down the next collegiate racer who had started several minutes before me.

We were all in for a nasty surprise when we turned around and had a big headwind facing us.  I quickly realized that with my strength and aerodynamics this would be an advantage for me.  On the way back towards transition I had to remember to not let up even though the wind was relentless enough to discourage other riders.  Within a few minutes of transition I came upon my old friend and previous teammate, Ian Nelson.  We raced together on the BYU Triathlon Team and he had always beaten me in the big races.  I had not vengeance with him, but I’ve been hoping that my focus this year will prove itself and it did by catching up to him and passing him on the bike.  He was racing in his last year at BYU.

My bike split was 1:04:10, the third fastest of the day (minus those in the collegiate division – I won’t dive in too deep, but I don’t feel bad not being with the top collegiate guys as a few of them are pros… and they are focused on this distance and pretty much tapering for their National Championship 3 weeks later).  I guess the two others that I had battled early on had the faster splits.  I was stocked though because this was almost four and a half minutes faster than my 2009 bike split and we had to deal with the wind.

T2

Once again, smooth, and the fastest of the day at 22 seconds.

Run

The run heads out straight into about 200 yards of sand!!  Yuck!  I felt like I couldn’t move through it at all.  It just made my quads burn.  Eventually I entered onto a walkway along the channel that headed towards the London Bridge.  As cool as it is to run over the London Bridge during the event, it isn’t that cool to have to run up a few flights of stairs to get there.  It took me a few hundred yards for my legs to loosen up after ascending the stairs and crossing the bridge.

The course went out onto the island before returning on the same route.  I was trying to chase down a tall collegiate racer, who fit the epitome of a tall, fast runner.  I was happy to be keeping pace with him.  We were able to pass several other athletes, but I was not able to make much ground on him.  He stayed at a steady 10-15 yards in front of me.  At mile 2 I had a collegiate racer pass me, but other than that I was only passing other athletes.  Also, I wasn’t too concerned about the athletes around me because they all started several minutes before me.

I was very surprised that I was keeping this fast of a pace and felt pretty good.  The hard training and low elevation were helping.  At mile 4 I finally made some ground on the tall racer as I think he was starting to feel the fatigue.  I pushed by and aimed at the next racer.  After running across the bridge, down the stairs, I then headed along the walkway towards the sand.  I was gaining on the next racer… until we hit the sand.  How come it was more like quicksand to me, but not others.  In the 200 yards of sand I had three racers pass me.  The first two were collegiate racers, so I didn’t care, but then the third was in my age group!  I tried so hard to stay with him.  As soon as the sand turned to solid ground and then grass, we had about 100 yards to the finish.  We were both sprinting, but he had the lead on me and I couldn’t bridge the gap.

Right after I crossed the finish line I turned around and my son, Lochten (2 yrs), came running down the finishing shoot.  He’s going to be such a great triathlete one day.

Run time: 39:28.  Even though I got passed right at the end, I was very happy with my run and the race in its entirety.  This was my second fastest run at this distance, by only 7 seconds.  This is great considering the sand/stairs and also that I haven’t really done any “speed work” for this distance. This was also 2 minutes 20 seconds faster than my 2009 run.  My overall time: 2:09:51.  Placing: 4^th in Age group and 5^th overall.  I was very happy with my performance considering I am training for such a long event and this is a “short” event.

I need to thank my wife and kids for cheering me on and supporting me.  Also, thanks to my coach, SIX Nutrition for helping me sustain my energy and recover, Fishbowl Inventory for allowing me the time to train, and Timpanogos Cyclery for keeping my bike in top shape!

After The Race

We had hoped to spend the day at the beach in the sun, but it was cloudy and only about 60 degrees.  The wind was picking up more and it was supposed to get worse.  We decided that since I wouldn’t be receiving any awards we might as well start our trek back home.  We drove to Las Vegas and let my wife finally get to see what the casinos are like (although we didn’t gamble).  We also enjoyed a very good Vegas buffet the next morning.  The trip didn’t have any more sun as we were rained on in Vegas and snowed on in Cedar City.  Overall it was a very fun trip and race and I’m very glad my family got to come!

I was lucky to find a little outhouse at a desert recreation area and hid myself inside for 10 minutes to try to thaw out.  I decided to venture back towards home and seek warmer terrain.  Within a minute of heading back down I knew I couldn’t handle it (this was not just a “adding to the pain bank” thing, I was worried about hypothermia).

I called my wife and she was very kind and understanding and headed out the door to get me.  My son was excited to “pick up daddy because he was stuck”.  I tried to say warm in the outhouse (but not really) for the next 45-60 min.  I checked the temp on my phone… 25 degrees!  Boy did I pick the wrong route.  Lehi was supposed to be close to 40 by that time.  I could not get warm!!!  It wouldn’t have mattered if it warmed up a bit because my body was too cold to start heating itself.

It still took me the ride home and another hour to warm up.  I scrapped the workout and did Saturday’s swim in the afternoon.  I planned to do the rest of the ride and run on Saturday afternoon… in the warmth.

Note: I was about to publish this, but didn’t around to it until now (Saturday afternoon), when I have some more fun updates.

Saturday, about noon I left for a 3.5 hour ride, then the 2 hour run.  The weather was amazing.  I didn’t have to wear tights.  It was 50 degrees and going to warm up to 54.

After a brief warm-up I got up to a great power output and had a great groove going.  About 45 minutes in all of a sudden I heard a loud noise and sizzle, then within a second or two my rear tire was flat!  I got off thinking it would just be a brief hold up because I carry a pit stop with me (injects sealant and re-inflates).  I checked the hole.  It was a huge gash!  I’d be lucky if the sealant would work. It didn’t.

I laughed as I had to call my wife yet again.  Two days in a row with no luck.  I’m now off to get in Monday’s workout in instead – a 20 mile run.

If you haven’t already subscribe here and I’ll promise to write more posts than I did last month – its hard when you’re training 20-30 hrs a week.

Here is what we’re giving away:

usTRIsports

usTRIsports is one of my new sponsors.  They manage the best races (mostly triathlons) in the Salt Lake Valley.  You’ll get 50% off their Spring Sprint Triathlon in May 12!

Six Nutrition

Six Nutrition is the best multivitamin for men.  You will receive a 2-week trial!

Timpanogos Cyclery

Timpanogos Cyclery is the best bike shop in Utah Valley.  You will receive a set of Lizard Skins DSP bar tape (color of your choice), redeemable at Timpanogos Cyclery!

Solase Massage and Oxygen Bar

Solase is the best massage clinic (and oxygen bar) in Utah Valley.  You will receive 30 minutes use of the massage chair and 20 minutes use of the oxygen bar!