Long time, no update.

Its interesting. What do you do with your race blog when you "retire"?

 July of 2010 was my last trithlon: ITU long course worlds in Germany. After that race, despite finally breaking an hour for a 4K swim, I lacked the motivation to get back in the pool. There was simply no desire.

I still enjoy running and cycling, and have participated in a few duathlons, including last years ITU short course national and world championships. I still plan on racing, but I feel my professional days are over. This was largely facilitated by an accident this spring that involved a broken leg and shoulder reconstruction. Fun fun.

On the flip side we are excited for a new chapter in life- my wife and I are expecting out first child this fall. We have also moved to the bay area to be closer to family and friends as we take on this challenge. I will greatly miss Colorado, its majestic mountains and the friends we have left, but I greatly look forward to spending some time in the sunshine state and rekindling relationships with those we left 6 years ago.

For those that helped me succeed in Triathon: I am ever grateful. My success would not have happened without the moral and financial support you provided. Thank you.

Given this blogs neglect, I'm not sure how much I will be using it going forward. I appreciate its nostalgic value, and it reminds me of the finer details that I have forgotten from races. As such I will not be deleting it... but as of now its officially a weekend-warrior's blog. Enjoy!

Duathlon National Championships

This weekend I raced the USAT Duathlon National Championships. Awesome venue. I went pretty hard and finished 3rd overall, 2nd American.  It was a great time, with a sunburn to prove it. I will try to describe this weekends events with pictures instead of typing a lot.



 
Horsecow you ask?  I saw one once.





$25 Hotel. You get what you pay for, plus some smokes and duct tape.



Hotel UPGRADE! Thanks Josh!!



Fashion before function.




Horsecow pain train.  High Five!!



 
Done! Time to Celebrate!

Post ITU LC worlds album- Germany 8-2010

Clearwater Pictures

Trucking along in the Avia Avi-bolts
Smooth and relaxed
Into T2
Chase time!
In the water before sun up!

Clearwater 70.3 race report

I capped off my race season with the 2009 Ironman 70.3 World
Championships in Clearwater, Florida on November 14th. It’s been my
most successful triathlon season, with personal bests in the
half-Ironman distance at Boise 70.3 in June, and again in Clearwater.
I have continued to make improvements in all three disciplines.
Swimming remains my biggest challenge; however, compared with last
year, I have made a 3-minute improvement in the 1.2mi distance. I am
also confident that my relocation to Boulder and new training
facilities will result in continued improvements throughout the 2010
season.

Florida in November offers ideal racing conditions—morning
temperatures in the fifties, highs in the seventies. Hurricane Ida had
come through days before, so the swim venue was moved from the gulf
side of Clearwater to the harbor side, which guaranteed a calm and
fast swim. There was no longer a beach entrance and exit, but merely a
narrow dock and ramp that did not facilitate wave starts. The pros
were the only division to start together, while all the age-group
athletes had a time-trial start to avoid too many swimmers in the
small harbor area at once. After a quick 5-minute warm-up, 65 male
professionals lined up and were off at the sound of the gun. With a 69
degree water temp measurement taken the morning of, the professional
athletes were allowed to wear wetsuits. In the past, I have been a
bit timid in the frantic swim start. Typically, my swim strategy has
involved a few minutes of extended warm-up before settling into a hard
race pace. However, at Clearwater, I opted to swim with everything I
had from the get-go and suffer a slow, painful demise over the 2k
distance. For whatever reason, this seemed to pay off as I swam a
personal best of 27:18.

Coming out of the water a little behind the lead swimmers
provided little traffic on the bike course, which allowed me to focus
on a steady effort and staying aero. As I crossed some railroad tracks
3 miles in, my gel flask containing 400 calories was ejected off my
bike, so for the entire race I relied solely on 2 gels from each of
the bike aid stations for nutrition. Flat as a pancake, Clearwater is
known for its blazing bike splits. The month before Clearwater, power
numbers on my Garmin 705 GPS/bike computer have suggested peak form;
however, out on Clearwater’s course, at the same efforts, I was
pushing about 5% less than what training zones predicted. I had gone
on 2 big bike rides the Saturday and Sunday before Clearwater, and if
I had to guess, this is why my legs felt a little flat. On my blazing
fast Blue Triad and Zipp wheels I have no excuses, as I still posted a
good bike split at 2:08. I also learned a valuable tidbit in
understanding how my body tapers best.

One of my focuses coming into this race was on improving my
efficiency at transitions. With the Avia Avi-Bolt racing flats I
experimented with a “no socks” half-marathon. The shoes are nearly
seamless, very comfortable, and lend very well to triathlon racing. It
took a couple miles to get in my rhythm once out on the run, after
which I focused on staying hydrated and cool, utilizing each aid
station for ice cold sponges. The first 10k loop was pretty desolate,
but by the second loop, age groupers had joined in on the course,
giving me some carrots to chase down. The last couple miles I felt the
lack of nutrition, but luckily didn’t cramp, and I finished up the
last few miles stronger than all previous. My run time of 1:13.02 was
the 6th fastest, resulting in an overall time of 3:53.05 (46th
professional). It was great to have my parents and Erin in Florida
with me as I closed out my season. They are my biggest fans and make a
most excellent pit crew.

I am currently at the end of my 2 week exercise hiatus, and
I plan to begin a heavy swimming block that will take me through
February. The goal is to slowly progress swim yardage into the
30K-40K/week range. I am excited about my new swim facility, Rally
Sport in Boulder, with both indoor and outdoor pools open year round.
I have been very happy with their coaching staff, and I look forward
to seeing how far we can take my swim fitness this winter. Cycling and
running speeds have become faster and more consistent throughout the
year, and I plan to open next season with a big aerobic base. I will
continue planning my 2010 race schedule through Christmas—a lot will
depend on whether the World Triathlon Corporation initiates a $750
professional fee for their 2010 70.3 events. In either case, I have
been very happy with the progressive and steady gains I continue to
make in the sport. I plan to make 2010 my best season yet.

Crucial to my success this season has been the involvement
of USA Triathlon and the generous help of the USAT Trade Team
Sponsors: Blue Competition Cycles, Rudy Project, Zipp, Avia, Garmin,
USA Triathlon Wetsuits, Zone Nutrition, Skins, Speedo, and Green
Layer. My success this year has also been dependent on continued
support from PowerBar, The Olander Company, Inc., Davis Wheelworks and
my wonderful family.

Next season I’ll be racing as a married man. I have had the
incredible fortune of finding someone who loves and appreciates all
the quirks of a die-hard triathlete. She is my masseuse, motivator,
confidant, and best friend. For you patience and support- Thank you
Erin.

Happy Holidays,

Justin

ITU short course Duathlon World Championships

NASCAR Motor speedway. Rev your engines boys, its time for a two-legged drag race! That was the mental dialogue on the start line of yesterday’s ITU Short Course Duathlon World Championships in Concord, North Carolina. Donning some of the best run fitness of my life, I stepped onto the start line (the actual NASCAR track) to begin the 10K run, draft legal 40K bike, and 5K event that incorporated a repeated 2.5K run loop and five 5mi bike loops that involved a full loop on the NASCAR race track. My health and run taper leading up to the event went surprisingly well. I had some time trials on tired legs that did not produce flattering times, but deep down I felt like I was doing the work needed to be competitive in the elite field. People always ask me- “So how do you think you will do?” to which I respond “I’m gonna finish.” The unpredictability of having everything go well on race day, especially draft legal events ,always brings a level of anxiety to one’s expectations, and some of my best results have come from events that I have approached with humble expectations and minimal confidence. Possibly, this is a coping mechanism to deal with the likelihood of mediocre results; regardless, I try not to set myself up for disappointment or overestimate my realistic physical capabilities. My goals leading into this event were to be in 30min 10K shape if I were racing an ideal flat out 10K. I knew the race was going to break into packs on the first run, and I figured if the group I was in could stay within a minute of the very front leaders we would catch back up on the bike. The bike course was rather technical, and with forecasted rain, reinforced my thought that people would be cautious and most likely everyone would come together before starting the second run. As I was discussing with coach Jason, I wanted to go big or…. well, yea, go home. My strategy therefore was to take it very comfortably on the first half of the 10K, bridge up or back off to the closest run group, work together on the bike to catch the leaders, and really open it up with fresh legs on the second run.

The race was executing perfectly. At the start I was immediately at the back of the run train. That was ok, because I know my best bet to conserve energy was to run even or negative splits the 10k. Sure enough athletes were being slowly shredded from the lead group, and half way through I found myself comfortably leading a growing number of decent athletes, including 3 other Americans and last year’s World Champion, a monster cyclist. I was getting splits that we were holding a 1 minute deficit on the leaders, and feeling VERY relaxed, everything was perfect.
Off with the flats and onto the road we went, about 15 athletes total. The first couple loops on the bike were pretty nerve-racking. Although I was trying to conserve energy I felt great and to keep safe found myself pulling a good bit. I feel confident in saying my bike handling skills are superior to most of the duathletes out there, and I constantly found myself 40 yards off the front after technical (and wet) sections. During one of the rainiest times on the bike some athletes crossed wheels and 5 guys total hit the tarmac six feet in front of me. I locked up the brakes as I slide sideways through the rain trying to steer around the pileup. I had really forgotten how far bodies slide when crashing- especially when wet. Steadily our group chewed away the leader’s gap, and my excitement and adrenaline was pumping as we started the second to last bike loop, knowing we were going to catch the leaders. Half way through the loop my rear wheel started feeling a little wobbly… my tire was going flat. My heart sank. I had inadvertently left my CO2 cartridge and vitorria pitstop in the bike bag from Canada a week prior, but TSA graciously removed both means of repairing a flat tire from my checked luggage. This meant that I was solely relying on USAT’s wheel support, that we rode by every lap. The twists and turns in the course were great on inflated wheels, but the technical 3.5 miles to the wheel swap on a flat tire meant loosing significant ground to the charging bike pack I was just in. I pulled up, changed the wheel, and powered out of the pit area, trying to stay as positive as possible, knowing my chances of a high finish were over.

I really liked the course, and had a great time traveling with Josh Merrick, and I thought of these things as I solo-ed the remaining bike lap with a 2min deficit. Transition was smooth, and out I went trying to find a psychological happy place that would encourage me to finish the race strong. A Russian athlete went by me 1K into the run, and the competitive urge was all I needed to kick it in gear and pass a hand full of runners the remaining bit. The last leg was short, I would guess about 45 seconds. The top finishers were legit, and I can only aspire to compete at their fitness level. Who knows where the chips would have fallen had I started the second run with the lead pack. Regardless, I had a fun trip, and look forward to a few more big events before winter sets in.

Racing has fantastic ups and utter disappointments. You ask 10 athletes why they race and you will get 10 different answers. The bottom line is that most of us completely take for granted the basic freedom and opportunity we get in toeing a start line. At the elite level, we have been given a gift; how we foster and display that gift is a function of our psyche that defines the sportsmanship of each athlete. Triathletes and runners alike don’t train for the money, rarely the fame, and if we happen to win a pair of shoes, race bag, or spare tire- awesome. There is no value we can put on the hours we train, the self-inflicted suffering, and the personal sacrifices we make, to do what we do. We all share a common competitor, one who is with us each and every workout, every race. They encourage and taunt, strive for our better, and won’t let us quit. My college running coach had a favorite workout. He called it “pace of choice”. We would do some hard track repeats, and then be sent out for an unanticipated 5 mile “pace of choice”. Sure we would race each other, but deep down we all knew who we were really racing. The greatest satisfaction I get from running is when I occasionally beat my fiercest competitor: myself. “You are your own executioner” Coach Hunt would say. Some days I see that executioner, from the corner of my eye, I will catch my shadow, more commonly I just hear footsteps approaching. I quicken the pace, “nobody passes me” I would think. And just to be sure I would take a glance back down the lonely single-track.

70.3 Muskoka

On Sept 13th, I took my first trip north of the border for the second annual Muskoka 70.3 Triathlon in Huntsville, Ontario. What a stellar trip. The race was incredibly well organized and had the best scenery of any long distance triathlon I have done. The exquisite Deerhurt Resort hosted the swim and transition area and proved overly capable of managing the athletes and transportation. The swim took place in the Lake of Bays- a huge body of water that was comprised of endless inlets and bays. The water was surprisingly warm (~72 degrees), and clad in my comfortable USA Revolt neoprene suit, I swam the 1.2mi distance a bit slower than I was hoping for. But not surprising considering recent months have involved planning a wedding and moving from Fort Collins to Boulder. The last 4 weeks have finally slowed down- and I am settled in a great swim group at Rally Sport Club in Boulder. Despite being busy, I have put a large amount of run miles in, and the legs have been feeling strong. I was betting on those legs as I exited the water at Deerhurst, and hustled up a 300m hill to my faithful wind-cheating steed-- Blue Competition’s Triad. Equipped with Zipp and rocking the 2010 Rudy aero helmet I powered my way along the maple tree-lined roads with the colors and smells of fall urging me on. Not being in the lead swim pack has its advantages, such as setting my own pace on the bike and not having to worry about a draft penalty. The bike leg, as sometimes happens, went by way too quickly, and before you can say Muskogee, I was out on the run course. The run was a simple out and back, and had a good mile long hill at the far end to bring a little pain. As I made my way to the turn around, eventual dominator Craig Alexander muttered something positive as he comfortably ran by (on his way to a 1:11 split). #2 and 3 were locked toe to toe, but Cunningham definitely looked the fresher of the two. As I counted up the athletes going by it became evident that I was not going to be making any reimbursement this particular event due to such a competitive international field. I was however very satisfied with my hard effort as I finished up strong with a comfortably fast run split and a huge smile on my face for 10th overall. The race enthusiasm at Muskoka was off the charts. Of all the races under my belt, only Kona surpasses last weekend in sheer passion and encouragement from the spectators. It felt like entire communities came out to cheer on the athletes, and people were always yelling my name! …Even though it was on my jersey and bib number. Although I was 10th, you would have thought I was winning.

So in summary- I would race Muskoka if you:
1. Like racing on hilly country roads engulfed in vibrant fall colors
2. Like clean, cool lake swims
2. Appreciate enthusiastic fans.
3. Enjoy Canada. Aye.

I would not race Muskoka if you:
1. Like really flat courses.
2. Like racing in 100 degrees
3. Don’t like organizing international travel arrangements.
4. Dislike hockey or maple syrup.

I am now off to (actually in transit) NASCAR’s Lowes Motor Speedway in North Carolina for the ITU short course Duathlon World Championships September 26th. I am in superb run shape, and I am very optimistic for Saturday’s event. Should be awesome!
Until next time,
Bruss

Kick off Classic 5K

Raced a little 5K yesterday, always humbling to realize how much you can make those hurt. Did not rest much, and felt it half way through. First mile @ 5:06, 2mi @ 10:17, and last mile @ pain train pace. After the race hopped on the bike for some "Du" training. Later in the afternoon got my first taste of "old stage rd" NW of Boulder along with Erin (who PR'ed in 5K with a 26:50- WOOT!). She is getting lean and mean. Well, lean anyway. She let me know how thrilled she was on biking uphill on tired legs, but we both enjoyed the downhill back around to Boulder. Gonna cut down the run mileage this week- inject a little speed, and head to Muskoka friday for my first 70.3 in a couple months. Wish me luck!
Results: http://boulderroadrunners.org/results/KICKRES.HTM

Quick B-day camp trip

For my birthday Saturday, Erin and I snuck up into the mountains for a quick overnight pow wow off Old Flowers road, complete with some smoked salmon and s’mores over a fire. Happy campers. "Officially" in my late 20s.... old man Bruss :)

Fat tire race report

Yesterday I got a little dirty in the first annual Fat Tire Triathlon, put on by Without Limits Productions in Fort Collins. Lance Panigutti and his crew did a fantastic job. The course was tough, but not overly technical. Some good Xterra athletes came out of the woodwork, and I was stoked to finish up 2nd place. I have been in crunch mode the last couple weeks in gearing up for the Duathlon World Champs, September 26th in North Carolina, and this last week was no exception. Speed work has been minimal, but the aerobic engine is really coming around. The race got my legs into that "uncomfortable" gear, and I was happy to have a pretty good swim- coming out of the water in 4th place. Still so pumped on my USA Triathlon Revolt wetsuit-- every time I get in it I am blown away at how much faster I go with some quality buoyancy. The bike course was really fun; two 6 mi loops, very flowing singletrack-- definitely had to watch the speed going into a couple corners, but there were some blazing fast sections. The photochromic Rudy Project Noyz were perfect for the overcast morning. The run was the most difficult leg- 2mi uphill, 1mi traverse, and 1.8mi back down, 4.8 total. More technical than the bike trail, the footing required 100% attention. The Avia Bolts handled the rocky stuff well, and have been surprisingly durable, still feeling supportive after almost 90 race miles. Caught the guy in 2^nd place on the last 1/2 mile- and made up a little ground on the leader, but being a MTB stud he had a huge cushion starting the last leg. One more training push this week before Muskoka 70.3 on September 13. My first trip north of the border....aye? Awesome!!

Fat Tire off road Tri

Yes I have a towel with my name on it.... so I don't get lost in the transition area :) made by Textile solutions

Flipflops = slow trasitions, but happy feet....

Epic singletrack

Erin takes the credit for this sweet shot

Home sweet home

We are officially moved into the new place here in Boulder. Uhg, I forgot how taxing moving is. The place is a lower floor of a 3 story house in north boulder.... in a word I would call it "cosy". Still have to fix some fence stuff in the yard for chip, getting a yard for him was of course the deal breaker :) Just joined RallySport Fitness, pretty sweet gym 6 minutes from the house. They have a great OUTDOOR pool- open year round. SWEET. I am not going to miss swimming inside. I am somewhat close to the trails/dirt roads of N. Boulder, which are ridiculously awesome. a bit if a run to get out there, I guess I'll just have to up the mileage. training has been sporadic, as expected with getting settled. New job.... Rocky Mountain Cardiology. stoked to be working 8hr days, opens up a little more daily workout time.
First real focus will be Muskoka 70.3 september 13th, and will probably race the fat tire offroad tri in Fort Collins Aug 30th.
jh

Buffalo Creek Xterra and Fort Collins Fathers Day 5K

Buffalo Creek & Fathers Day 5k
A couple weekends ago I raced my first official Xterra event, and for tough man points followed it up the next day with the Fort Collins Fathers Day 5K.
The Xterra was fun- super tough bike course. Was feeling really flat from Boise still, and suffered on the bike and run accordingly. Finished up 4th Place, not bad for my first dirty triathlon! Was just out of the $$, ohh well. It was a nice turbulent night of camping- with Chip barking and stepping on me all night in the tent before getting up to race. Swim actually went ok... the higher the altitude the better I seem to swim relative to other athletes. The race site was out in the boonies, Wellington lake out of Bailey Colorado. 10 miles out on a washboard dirt road. singletrack on the bike was SICK! the course was awesome except for having to get around a bunch of the "short course" athletes that shared a section of the trail. Yelling at people to move out of the way on a narrow dirt trail was pretty tiresome.
All in all a nice little weekend camp-out with Erin and the dog. We got back Saturday night, and got up Sunday to race the Fathers day 5k...
There was a $150 prim for the first person to the mile mark. A 14:30 5K guy tried to kick me down the last 40 yards.... pulled out the college 1500M speed and buried it to take the mile victory....that hurt. I continued to SUFFER another 2 miles to finish up in 2nd overall @ 16:11, and pick up a couple more bucks. Awesome, Awesome 5k. root beer floats for all finishers, well organized, flat and fast. FYI, i don't recommend running your first mile in 4:37 if your going to average 5:13 pace :)
Took some down time following the 5K- 9 days off the legs, I start building back up this week for all the biggie races this fall- Duathlon short course Worlds in September, Xterra Worlds in October, and 70.3 Worlds in November.

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!!

Boise Pics!!