Solana Beach, Best Race Yet!

After a long wait and canceled last race, what a great Sunday! 2nd place finish, raising money for Erica Davis my CAF athlete of choice, and finishing the last 100 yards with my good friend and 1st time triathlon finisher, the Goat! I mean what else can you ask for, a fast and fun race, friends to compete with and against, family to cheer you on, and some solid podium spots for Breakaway Training!

So my race went like this..... Just an OK swim, lost my goggles again after the first set wave hit me, but not bad enough to fall out of the top 5 out of the water. Transition 1 solid, some problems with my right shoe while on the bike, but not everything can be perfect. Off the bike into the run and feeling good. All I could think of was, well, I am not going to catch the guy in 1st because I can see him 50 yards ahead and he usually runs a faster 5k then I do, yet I know the guy in 3rd (my boy Dave Plattfoot) and he shouldn't be able to catch me because its only 3.2 miles. See, I can hold off Dave if the race is short enough, or should I say if the run is short enough:) 2-1-3 as pictured. Dave that Brad is no joke brother, lets see if one of us can get him by the end of the year!

I just wanted to thank my friend Dave Dale and of course my Dad and Virginia for waking up so early just to support me. I love competing, but I love sharing my experiences with those I love even more! Now, lets finish the year strong and help Erica meet her goals, please visit the CAF website by just clicking on the CAF logo on the right side of my page and lets make a difference!!

More California Fires!

I was really looking to add one more great race to this years list at the 2008 Donner Lake Tri-, but due to the fires in Northern California the air quality was so bad they had to cancel it. At first I was really bummed because I felt really strong and for the first time in a long time my leg was feeling really good. I have been working with a massage therapist to help loosen up my piriformis muscle and IT band which is the cause for my tight and injured hamstring. I structured my training specifically to hill climbs knowing that this race would be won and lost on the hill climb. If you want an idea of what it is like to climb the 6-8% grade at Donner Pass at 7200 feet above sea level.......... all you need to do is tie a shirt around your face covering your mouth restricting your breathing and then go climb for 3 miles straight. Now I mean with no breaks, no middle sections where you can spin the blood from your legs, nor a nice down hill so you can catch your breath, but 3+ miles of 8-12 mph of "F my life" as my younger brother Brad likes to call it.

Anyway back to why I am not bummed any more........... Because while I was frustrated that I had trained for some amateur short distance race that was canceled on me, others were loosing their homes, pets or possibly even their lives. So enough said, please visit this websites to see if you can make a difference in those peoples lives who now have nothing........ Make a difference now if you can, because you never know, some day you may be the one who needs the help!

http://sanfrancisco.about.com/b/2008/06/25/northern-california-fires-how-to-help.htm

I Ran Like a (wounded) Dog!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kGh5Ag8NsBQ

I cant tell you how frustrating it is to work and train hard for each race, yet this race I ran like a dog and finished 8th. I was just never into it, ready, nor looking forward to hurting on the run. I have been nursing a right hamstring for most of the season now and it finally came back to bite me. This is a picture of my dog Hurley...... he is the ish!

So the race went like this, I had a decent swim getting out of the water 5th, smooth T1, and really felt strong on the bike, legs were warming up nicely and I made up 3 spots putting me into 2nd going into the run. Yet again, knowing my run is the weakest leg of the 3, I started off slow and began to pick it up until the 4th mile. That's when my toes started tingling and my right hammy started cramping up........... lets just say I kept punching myself in the back of the leg to try to keep the muscle from ceasing up on me. It worked, but I couldn't run like I usually do come race day. See usually I run as fast as my lungs will let me until the race is over, but this race I just had to sit back and put it in cruse control. 8th may not sound bad out of 100+ in my age group, but I don't compete to finish in the top 10, I do this because I want to win!

Speaking of winning, big ups to Beth Gerdes for winning her 25-29 age group! Beth has been coming back from a serious leg injury and a broken arm from a "training" bike crash and even though she doesn't know it , the Olympic/International distances are were she will dominate! I wonder if it has anything to do with her boyfriend James Walsh, one of the nations top amateur Xterra athletes pushing her? Naaaa!

Lastly, I want to blow up Dave Plattfoot for his 6th place finish last week! I have a feeling that if I could have been a better rabbit and stick in 5th place, Dave would have still run me down like he does every Thursday in our track workouts allowing him to finish 4th......... Sorry Dave, I tried brother!