Monday, June 15, 2009
Boise 70.3 Race Report
June 13, 2009
Boise 70.3- This is my first trip to Idaho, and I have to say I’m surprised by the lack of trees. I don’t know where I got the idea that Idaho was more wooded, but Boise reminds me of a less rocky, greener Nevada. I was fortunate enough to arrange schedules so Erin could join me for this trip. It is great to have my number one groupie out on the race course yelling at me to pick it up. It must have worked because I had the fastest half marathon split of the day, a 1:13:23.
The race had a couple of unique features that were new to me: first being a 2pm start and second being an overall net downhill. The other point to point races I have done have been net uphill on the bike. The swim took place at Lucky Peaks reservoir about 15 or so miles out of town, 300ft higher than T1. The weather had been very unsettled all weekend, and I was really hoping that the swim might be cancelled, as pool time has been minimal the last month. We had to take shuttles up to the start, which got us there with wayyy before we need to. Clouds were packing in and were looking ominous but the rain held off for the pro start. The swim kicked off without any hitches, but I felt a bit tossed around in the 10 inch afternoon wind chop. Never really able to get my rhythm, I got through the course, coming out in 31:18, including one minute of run up the boat dock to the timing mats/transition.
The bike went extreemly well. I have seen some signs of good fitness in training, but I have to admit being a little surprised with the 2:09 bike split. About half of the bike course was pouring rain and windy. Riding the Zipp sub-9 and 1080 front was a little unnerving at times but definitely contributed to a great bike split. The course was rolling, with a couple of minor hills. Kudos to the volunteers and staff working the aid stations and corners, as the turns were very clearly marked, coned off, and supervised. I moved up from about 26th place to 10th on the bike before beginning a soggy 13.1 mile jog.
I knew from the clock in transition that a PR was in reach if I could nail the run. I pretended that I was just running a 10k since the course consisted of two 10k loops. Mile markers seemed to be spot on, and despite sopping wet shoes, I kept the pace pretty honest at about 5:30 miles. One at a time, I picked off athletes, which kept me motivated despite a struggle to hold pace the last 5k. The last mile I knew I was top-8, and was going to break the 4 hour mark (something that’s eluded me a long time). I crossed the line in 3:57 in 5th place with the fastest bike+run combination of the day, among a stellar field including Ironman World Champions Craig Alexander and Chris Lieto.
This race definitely gave me some motivation to get in the water and find out why I am so hydronamically challenged. I had a PR swim at Wildflower (28 minutes) last month, so things aren’t too far off. Hopefully, if training continues to progress as it has, I will be a serious podium contender in this summer’s 70.3 races including the 70.3 World Champs.
Next weekend kicks off my first Xterra (Buffalo Creek) of the season. Time to bust out the fat tires. I’m excited to get in the dirt, as I’ve been on the road a lot in the last couple months. I just got my SRM last week, and I’m STOKED to get it on my Blue Triad. Thanks to the folks who keep sending me good vibes, especially Erin, who is sitting here typing this and who is EXCEPTIONALLY fantastic. Thanks also to Lindsay and Luke for making the trek to Boise to cheer me on in the rain and chauffeur me around in their fancy new Subaru. I will be making some adjustments to the race schedule for this fall, reflecting relocation to the Boulder area next month so Erin can be closer to her job. The 70.3 races in Belgium and Germany will probably be swapped for Calgary (Aug 2) and Lake Stevens, WA (Aug 16). Stay tuned at the blogger for more awesome news. Time to get on a jet plane!!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Boise 70.3
Awesome race. Pouring rain through the bike and run. Swim was a little choppy and got worse as it went on. Finished 5th overall....very stoked! Fastest run time of the race (1:13 low) and bike split was solid. I'll post a full race report when I get back to the Fort.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Apple and Auburn Duathlon Race reports
Sunday concluded two consecutive weeks of Duathlons- the Apple Duathlon in Sartnell, Minnesota (a Short Course World Champs qualifier), and the Long Course Duathlon National Championships in Auburn, California.
I am proud to say that as of Sunday May 31st I am the Duathlon Long Course National Champion.
Under great weather I raced a 3k run, 56mi bike, and 13.1mi run. Auburn’s duathlon shared the bike and half marathon course of the half triathlon, which involved 5500 ft of elevation gain on the bike, and over 2500 ft on the run. The bike was as scenic as it was hilly, passing by numerous lakes and rivers. Most of the course took you through pine forests of the Sierra Nevada foothills. The first run (3K) started on Folsom Reservoir, and involved a mix of pavement and narrow single-track. The second run of 13.1mi started from Railhead Park in Auburn (T2/Finish), nearly 1000 ft higher than T1. It was mostly 2 loops of the 10K Olympic course, and was equally scenic.
Joe Thorne, a sub 14-minute 5K athlete from Austin, took the 3K out hard, and we immediately distanced ourselves from the main pack. We entered T1 together, and headed out on the bike neck in neck. At mile 5 of the bike, Joe accidentally led us off course for a couple miles, where we turned around and found ourselves between 20 and 25th place once back on course. The athletes in front of us were from both the Duathlon and long course Triathlon, so it was hard to get an idea of placement between the two separate races as we moved up through the field. I lead most of the climb, but did not put any significant distance on Joe until we started the downhill sections- thanks to the superior aerodynamics of my Blue Competition Triad TT bike and Zipp sub9 disc and 1080 front wheels. I came into the second transition with about a 4-minute lead.
I hit the second run as hard as I could with the first few single-track miles around 5:30 pace, but the hilly terrain later in the run took its toll. I finished up the half marathon in 1:19:20. My Avia bolt racing flats performed well, and offered just enough support for the demanding technical single-track. I took 4 Powergels and 5 Succeed salt tablets during the race, and felt fantastic.
I am very excited to be the Long Course Duathlon National Champion, and I look forward to channeling my early season fitness into more long distance triathlons and duathlons this year, the next being Boise 70.3 June 13th.
Worth note, the weekend before I placed second in the Apple Duathlon in Sartnell Minnesota, against a stellar field of international caliber athletes. I was within 50 seconds of the winner, Dave Thompson- my splits were 15:27, 48:44 and 16:30 for the 5K-33K-5K event. It was a great tune up for the Auburn Duathlon, and was a great sign of early season speed. At this event I qualified as one of 3 professional athletes to represent the US in the ITU Short course Duathlon World Championships September 25th.
Jason Digman of Dig It Triathlon graciously hosted my stay, and also works with analyzing and tracking my cycling power and performance.
Justin
I am proud to say that as of Sunday May 31st I am the Duathlon Long Course National Champion.
Under great weather I raced a 3k run, 56mi bike, and 13.1mi run. Auburn’s duathlon shared the bike and half marathon course of the half triathlon, which involved 5500 ft of elevation gain on the bike, and over 2500 ft on the run. The bike was as scenic as it was hilly, passing by numerous lakes and rivers. Most of the course took you through pine forests of the Sierra Nevada foothills. The first run (3K) started on Folsom Reservoir, and involved a mix of pavement and narrow single-track. The second run of 13.1mi started from Railhead Park in Auburn (T2/Finish), nearly 1000 ft higher than T1. It was mostly 2 loops of the 10K Olympic course, and was equally scenic.
Joe Thorne, a sub 14-minute 5K athlete from Austin, took the 3K out hard, and we immediately distanced ourselves from the main pack. We entered T1 together, and headed out on the bike neck in neck. At mile 5 of the bike, Joe accidentally led us off course for a couple miles, where we turned around and found ourselves between 20 and 25th place once back on course. The athletes in front of us were from both the Duathlon and long course Triathlon, so it was hard to get an idea of placement between the two separate races as we moved up through the field. I lead most of the climb, but did not put any significant distance on Joe until we started the downhill sections- thanks to the superior aerodynamics of my Blue Competition Triad TT bike and Zipp sub9 disc and 1080 front wheels. I came into the second transition with about a 4-minute lead.
I hit the second run as hard as I could with the first few single-track miles around 5:30 pace, but the hilly terrain later in the run took its toll. I finished up the half marathon in 1:19:20. My Avia bolt racing flats performed well, and offered just enough support for the demanding technical single-track. I took 4 Powergels and 5 Succeed salt tablets during the race, and felt fantastic.
I am very excited to be the Long Course Duathlon National Champion, and I look forward to channeling my early season fitness into more long distance triathlons and duathlons this year, the next being Boise 70.3 June 13th.
Worth note, the weekend before I placed second in the Apple Duathlon in Sartnell Minnesota, against a stellar field of international caliber athletes. I was within 50 seconds of the winner, Dave Thompson- my splits were 15:27, 48:44 and 16:30 for the 5K-33K-5K event. It was a great tune up for the Auburn Duathlon, and was a great sign of early season speed. At this event I qualified as one of 3 professional athletes to represent the US in the ITU Short course Duathlon World Championships September 25th.
Jason Digman of Dig It Triathlon graciously hosted my stay, and also works with analyzing and tracking my cycling power and performance.
Justin
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