Chad's Triathlon Training

Silverlake Triathlon

2011-05-16T09:04:00.001-05:00

This was my first time to race Silverlake. It was certainly not my best day. I put myself in good position following the swim and bike, in first place with a cushion, but ultimately I got passed by 6 guys on the run. In fact, this is the first race that I ever placed higher in the swim than in the run. I did win my age group on the bike, but it wasn't good enough to overcome my slow run. I didn't like the bike course because there were about a million turns. This race really made me realize how much work I have to do to get back to where I was last year.

Kona Eastside Super Sprint Triathlon 2011

2011-05-02T12:24:00.001-05:00

Due to my crash and broken collarbone in January, my race season started later this year. I decided to start with the shorter sprint race at Kona Eastside. The distances were 300 meter swim, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run.

This wasn't a huge race, but I managed to bring home hardware for first place in my age group - 6 minutes faster than 2nd place! I was 6th place overall, and was proud to (finally) have the fastest overall bike split.

Overall I felt pretty good during the race. The lake swim was definitely long, so I have no idea how fast I swam. The bike was very windy, but fortunately we had tailwind on the way home. My run was unimpressive, but it didn't hurt me in this race.

So I'm far from being at my best with only one full month of training behind me so far this year, but I'm very pleased to start off the season with a win! And I will be working very hard to improve over the next few weeks, with a few more races lined up before the summer heat gets here.

2011 Race Schedule

2011-02-25T15:57:00.005-06:00

Kona Eastside (4/30)

Silverlake? (5/15)

Combat (5/28)

Tejas (6/5)

Sylvan Beach? (6/12)

Jeff & Brede's? (7/10)
Shadow Creek Ranch, Pearland (7/17)

Bayou Du? (7/17)

State TT (7/30-31)

Bridgeland? (8/6-7)

Clear Lake (8/27)
Summertime Blues? (9/4)

Houston? (9/25)

Tri Roadie Showdown (9/?)

Du The Bear (10/2)

Try Andy's (10/?)

OnUrLeft Du (11/?)

Setbacks

2011-02-23T10:54:00.000-06:00

It's been a frustrating off-season for sure. After taking a break at the end of last season, my attempts to ramp my training back up have been deterred by sickness, holiday travels, and then finally by injury. Less than a week before my first race, Frost Yer Fanny Duathlon in January, I crashed on a training ride and broke my collarbone. Yes, this is the same collarbone I broke 4 years ago the last time I crashed my bike!

It's been 5 weeks now since my crash and I am finally able to run and ride without pain. I hope to start swimming again this week also. My broken collarbone was worse this time and took longer to heal from. My injury has taken me out of several early season races already, some of which I had already registered and paid for.

At this point, I am targeting the Kemah sprint triathlon on April 2nd to be my comeback race. I will likely skip IM Texas 70.3 in Galveston for the first time though. I just won't be ready to race how I want to race that distance by early April. I will again mostly focus on sprint triathlons this year. I will also race some duathlons and TT bike races. I have decided to steer away from most bike races though. Crits are just too dangerous. And most of the road races are out of town and on much hillier terrain than I can train on. But there are plenty of local triathlons for me, and I will try hard to improve on my performances from last year.

Onurleft Duathlon - November 15th, 2010

2010-11-15T08:49:00.000-06:00

I finished up my 2010 race season on a high note, winning my age group at Onurleft Duathlon and placing 4th overall. I had a good race and was happy with my performance. It was a 2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run. I had the second fastest bike split overall, behind overall winner Andrew Strong. It was a cold morning with a little bit of tricky wind - but definitely better than the warm humid weather from my last race.

This has been my busiest race season so far. In total, I did 19 races this year. This includes 10 triathlons (one as a relay and one as a blind athlete guide), 2 Duathlons, and 7 bike races (5 criteriums, 1 road race, 1 time trial). It was a very good year for me, with huge improvement on the bike. But I can't wait to build on this and have an even better 2011. I already have some goals set for next year. Racing starts again in 2 months!

Firethorne Katy Triathlon - Oct 24, 2010

2010-10-25T09:56:00.002-05:00

FINALLY! After five second place finishes this year, I finally won my age group! It's ironic, though, because I had a terrible race. I wasn't feeling great all week and even struggled during my training all week.

I felt good during the swim, but when I got on the bike I could immediately tell that I had no power. My bike and run times were much slower than any other sprint tri that I've raced this year, and I finished 5 minutes slower than I expected. Definitely not what I was hoping for!

During the run, I thought about how good my season was and tried not to be too disappointed. When I looked at the race results, I was shocked to see they had me in 2nd place because I did not expect to place at all! I collected my 2nd place award, but it turns out the first place guy started in the wrong swim wave and his time did not include his swim time. So he was DQ'd and I got first place! It was close, though. While last week I lost by 3 seconds, this week I won by only 3 seconds!

Even with my struggles, I still had some positives. I was 17th out of 61 in my age group on the swim - which is good for me, especially since I haven't been swimming much at all lately. And my bike split was 2nd in my age group and 9th overall. It's funny though, that I had so many really good races this year, and all it took was for me to have a lousy day to get my first win! Hey.... I'll take it!

So I guess it's "off-season" now, although there is another duathlon in 2 weeks that I am considering racing.

Try Andy's Tri - Oct 17, 2010

2010-10-18T09:31:00.004-05:00

I had another good race at Try Andy's Tri, but I got so painfully close to my first age group win that I can't help but be disappointed. For the fifth time this year I came in second place, but this time it was only by 3 seconds!

This was a short sprint tri, with a 300m lake swim, 10mi bike, and 3mi run.

I did not have a great swim because my goggles were fogging up and other guys kept grabbing me and not getting off of me. But I was only a few seconds slower than earlier this year, so I can't complain because I haven't been swimming much since I moved.

I had another great bike leg - fastest in my age group, and 4th fastest overall (averaging 26.1mph). Also, I was within a few seconds of my bike time from the same course in June, so at least I know that I was able to get all my speed back after my long break this summer.

I also had probably my best triathlon run of the season, averaging 6:50 miles. However, with one mile left in the race, I caught up to the first place guy in my age group. I couldn't shake him, so we ran side by side knowing it would come down to the final sprint. After we turned the final corner towards the finish, I took off too early because he stayed with me and then he out kicked me to the line.

So I finished second place in my age group and 12th place overall (out of about 850 people that registered for the race). I also beat my time from the same course in June. But coming so close to the win and seeing it slip through my fingers made it a tough loss. I know I shouldn't complain after having such a good race and bringing home hardware. My race season has far exceeded my expectations this year. But I have one more chance to try for the win next week at Firethorne Katy Triahtlon, which will be my last triathlon of the season.

Du the Bear Duathlon (Oct 10th, 2010)

2010-10-11T12:45:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting to race a duathlon for quite a while, so I signed up last minute for Du the Bear. As a bonus, all of my girls were able to race the Du the Teady Bear kids duathlon after my race. My race consisted of: 2 mile run / 10 mile bike / 2 mile run.

I had a good race, and managed to hang on for 2nd place in my age group - even though I missed the last turn into transition on the bike and lost at least 30 seconds. I think I would have had a top 5 bike split without my mishap! As I suspected, duathlons are a quite a challenge, since everyone takes off so fast on the first run and you can't let your competition get too far up the road. This race brought out some very strong cyclists and runners, and I am happy with how I performed in my first duathlon. This was, however, my fourth 2nd place finish this year. I will keep trying to get the win!!

Houston Triathlon - September 26, 2010

2010-10-04T16:59:00.001-05:00

After a long 2-month break to get married and move, I returned to racing at the Houston Triathlon. I put together a Sugar Cycles relay team since I really only wanted to race the 40K bike leg. I had 2 runners and a swimmer who got injured or had to back out, but finally I teamed up with Kyle Davenport, who agreed to do the swim and run legs. Kyle is training for the Kona Ironman, so this event worked out well for his training. We were at a disadvantage, though, going up against 3-man teams.

Kyle did well on the swim and run, and I won the bike leg. We won 3rd place male relay team. Even though I only had to race the bike leg, I was very happy with my race. Out of 1200 racers, I had a top ten (and possible 4th or 5th if you exclude some questionable results) bike time overall - with a time of 1:01:11 or 24.5mph. Since moving to Clear Lake, I have been riding a lot with the Bike Barn group rides and I think my fitness level is almost back to where it was in June when I was peaking.

I am going to train hard over the next 2 weeks, and try to finish strong in my last 2 races of the season - Try Andy's Tri and Firethorne Katy.

New York City Triathlon - July 18, 2010

2010-07-22T21:54:00.000-05:00

I was presented with an incredible opportunity, by my good friend Patty Godfrey, to guide a visually impaired athlete at the 2010 Nautica New York City Triathlon (1500M swim, 40km bike, 20km run). This was being organized by the C Different Foundation, which works to create opportunities for visually impaired athletes to participate in athletic events. For this event, C Different was able to bring together 30 blind or visually impaired athletes, and guides, from all over the U.S. and Canada.

I arrived in New York City with Patty on Friday prior to the race, and we met up with our athletes. Patty was guiding Annie Young, and I was guiding Darwin Doose - both from Minnesota. Friday evening, we participated in the Jamaican Underwear Run in Central Park, finishing at the same finish line where the triathlon would finish. There were about 500 people who showed up for this 2 mile run, wearing all sorts of crazy outfits. It was a lot of fun.

Saturday was very busy. I had to go help pick up some of the tandem bikes from Central Park and ride them a few miles through NYC traffic back to the West Side YMCA. This was pretty crazy but would become second nature over the next 2 days. We then had time to practice riding our tandems with the athletes. All went well, and then we went over to the Hilton host hotel to attend the mandatory paratriathlete meeting and pick up our race packets. I found out at the meeting that, in addition to 4,000 triathletes, there were around 80 paratriathletes competeing at this race, and almost half of them were visually impaired or blind!

After this, I had to go back to Central Park again to pick up another tandem bike and ride it over to the bike transition area. And then we all met for a nice dinner at Sumbuca's, and the race director showed up to meet us and thank us for participating.

Sunday was race day, and we had to get up very early to get to the transition area by 4:30am. We got all set up and walked a mile down to the swim start. The paratriathletes had their own special swim wave right in the middle of the other waves. But we had extra time before and after our wave so that we would most likely not catch up to or get caught by the other waves.

The swim took place in the Hudson River. We jumped off a dock a few feet into the river, and there was a rope to hold on to, because the current was so strong. Fortunately we got to swim downstream! Darwin and I had a bungee cord tether connecting us together at the waist. Darwin is a former Ironman and recently completed a marathon, so I knew he was more than capable. The swim went very well and with the aid of the current, we came out of the water in 21 minutes!!! That's about 10-15 minutes faster than I would normally be able to swim that distance!

We jogged a long way back to transition and got started on our bike "adventure" on the Henry Hudson Parkway. Everything went great the first hour! We were passing people up the hills and down the hills and feeling really good. We were on pace to finish in about 1:20. But that's when the wheels started to come off - well almost! Our back tire started shaking badly and almost fell apart! We got off the bike and noticed every spoke was either loose or broken! The bike was no longer rideable! A mechanic stopped to look at it, and our only option now was to push the bike or quit. Quitting was not an option, so off we went. Fortunately we had chosen to use the flat bike pedals and not our clip-ins, so we were wearing our running shoes. I pushed the bike as we jogged and walked the rest of the way. And that heavy tandem bike was not easy to push, especially with the back tire rubbing on the brake pads and bike frame!

We had no idea at that time that we would be pushing that bike for 2 HOURS the remaining 7 miles! Not only that, but we were out of fluids and had nothing to drink those 2 hours (I later heard this was the hottest NYC Tri ever!). At some point during that time, another cyclist was not paying attention and literally crashed into me at full speed! Fortunately I was OK but he went down hard. He was bleeding badly and thought he broke his hip, but he got up after a few minutes and rode away! We were also stopped once by a race offical who told us we were going to be pulled out of the race! I told him that we were ok, we really wanted to FINISH the race, and could push the bike the rest of the way. He contacted the race director and got the official decision that we could continue as long as we were off the bike course by 11:15am.

We rolled into transition at 10:30am, 3 hours after we started the bike leg! We grabbed the rope tether, filled up on fluids, and took off on the run course. The run course starts off crossing down W 72nd street for a mile before going into Central Park. The street was completely closed off to traffic. It was really an incredble experience as we ran down the center of the road listening to everyone cheer for Darwin. I reminded him that we were the only ones on the road at the moment, so all the cheers were for him!

Given how tired and dehydrated we were by now, we alternated running and walking the remaining 5 miles in Central Park. Running through Central Park with all the crowd support was also an awesome experience. There weren't too many racers left on the road, but the park was full of people including a ton of encouraging volunteers. I could tell many people were inspired by Darwin as we passed them.

We crossed the finish line in just under 5 hours. It was at least 2 hours longer than we expected, but it was all worth it to see Darwin get his finisher's medal. I told him we should come back and do it again because he would be almost guaranteed a PR next time!

After the race, we had to get another back tire for my bike so I could ride it another 6 miles again back to drop it off. Then we all got cleaned up and met at Blondie's to celebrate and share our stories. It was very inspiring to hear from everyone about their race. This race is particularly challenging logistically for anyone. But to see so many blind and visually impaired athletes take on this challenge was definitely one of the most inspirational moments of my life. I was honored to be able to participate, and I hope to do it again. Thanks so much to everyone who donated to such a great cause!

Sugar Land Sprint Triathlon (June 27)

2010-06-28T13:29:00.000-05:00

I wasn't at my best for this race, but I was fortunate to still do pretty well. I didn't get home from a wedding in Galveston until 3am! Fortunately this race took place in my own neighborhood, so I was able to get 2.5 hours of sleep before I rolled out bed and rode my bike a few blocks over to the race start.

The race had 800 participants - the biggest sprint I've done this year. It was also another pool swim. I had an OK 300-meter swim, but not quite as good as I should have been able to do. I managed a decent 26.2mph bike (for 10 miles), which was 1st in my age group, and 3rd overall - but I know I could have gone faster. And somehow I was able to run 3 miles at a 7:11 pace. I also had 2nd place T1 and T2 transition times in my age group.

I could definitely tell that my energy level was a little low and I wasn't able to give my best performance. But I did finish 2nd place in my age group, and 5th place overall. So given the circumstances, I guess I can't complain. That's my 3rd second place finish this year, so hopefully I can make some improvements and come up with an age group win before the season is over.

Tour de Louisiane Stage Race (June 12-13)

2010-06-14T12:49:00.000-05:00

This was my first Stage Race, which consisted of a Road Race (also my first), Time Trial, and Criterium. I lost about 30 seconds in the last few hills of the road race, which kept me from winning the GC, but I won the time trial and finished with the pack in the crit, and finished 6th place GC in the CAT5 race. I learned a lot from this race, and it was a great experience. I definitely plan to do more road and stage rages in the future.

Tejas Sprint Triathlon

2010-06-07T08:10:00.003-05:00

Tejas was my 3rd tri in 3 weeks, and another very good race for me. I placed 2nd in my age group and 17th overall. This was a bigger field than the last 2 races, and tougher for me personally because of the longer swim and shorter bike. And last year I was 7 minutes slower in this race. So needless to say I am extremely pleased with my performance.

With the longer swim, and not being a fast swimmer, I knew I needed to push harder in this race. I managed to swim under 12 minutes, which is 1 minute faster than I swam the same distance 2 weeks ago, and 3 minutes faster than last year! And my swim was surprisingly 24th in my age group out of 62.

I expected to have another strong bike split based on my past 2 races, and I again managed to finish with the 2nd fastest bike split overall, and 1st in my age group. I was only off of the fastest bike split by 14 seconds, which was by the overall winner and the same guy who won overall and beat my bike split last week at Combat.

I had another decent run, especially after pushing so hard on the swim and bike. It was a brutal race because it was very warm and extremely humid. I ran hard, but I never saw anyone in my age group. It turns out Trent (the former pro), who was 1st in my age group, was 4 minutes ahead of me, and the 3rd place guy was 3 minutes behind me. I had the 5th fastest run in my age group, so I have to be pleased with that (for now).

I was also very proud to have the fastest T1 and T2 transition times in my age group! Every second counts!!

This race was a lot of fun because it is close to where I live and I always see tons of friends out there. This year my parents and sister from out of town, along with my kids, were all able to come watch. And my Sugar Cycles race team had 10 people racing, and we brought home a ton of hardware!

Here are my time splits:

Swim (600m) - 11:48 / 1:58pace (24th AG)

T1 - 0:54 (1st AG)

Bike (11mi) - 26:21 / 25.1mph (1st AG, 2nd overall)

T2 - 0:25 (1st AG)

Run (3mi) - 21:08 / 7:02 pace (5th AG)

Overall - 1:00:38 (2nd AG, 17th overall)

Combat Sprint Triathlon

2010-05-30T13:55:00.004-05:00

I finally had a "breakthrough" race! I had my personal fastest swim and bike times ever, and managed to finish 9th overall. Unfortunately my age group was stacked and I came in 4th and left without hardware. This was my first "A" race of the season, and I had extra motivation to beat some friends who had been talking trash for several weeks. And yes, I beat them all with time to spare.

I beat a lot of people at this race that I never expected to beat. I even surprised myself at how well I did. This really opened my eyes to how much potential I have if I stay focused and keep training hard. I felt like I had a lot to prove at this race, and I am so glad I was able to put in a strong performance.

This was my first race with a pool swim in 4 years. I finished almost 10 seconds faster than my goal time so it's good to finally see some positive results from all those Masters swimming classes I go to at 5:15am twice a week! The only negative was I never had any idea where my competition was because of the staggered start times.

Again, all my hard work on the bike paid off big time, and I rode the 14.5 mile bike course at a 25.2mph average. This was good enough for the 2nd fastest bike time of the day, just 9 seconds behind the fastest - which was by the overall race winner. With 3rd fastest bike last week and 2nd fastest this week, I hope to keep moving up!

My run was not as fast as I had hoped, but since I really went for it on the bike I can't be too disappointed. But if I want to move to the next level, this is where I really need to start improving.

Here are my time splits:

Swim (300yd pool) - 5:12 / 1:44pace
T1 - 0:53
Bike (14.5mi) - 34:32 / 25.2mph (1st AG, 2nd overall)
T2 - 0:31
Run (3mi) - 21:40 / 7:13pace
Overall - 1:02:50 (4th AG, 9th overall)

Road Racing!

2010-05-27T12:46:00.000-05:00

I think I have officially earned the title "Roadie" now that I have raced 3 crits and purchased my USA Cycling license. I'm a CAT 5 Road Racer right now, but I should be able to upgrade before the end of the year. I also signed up to race in the Tour de Louisiane Stage Race in June, which will consist of a road race, time trial, and criterium.

I am enjoying road racing very much, and it is definitely paying off for me. I was reminded of how dangerous it can be though at my last crit at Bear Creek Park, where there were several bad crashes, one of which I had to go off-road to avoid.

Kona Eastside Triathlon 5/24/10

2010-05-24T08:18:00.000-05:00

I finally got some payoff for all my hard work. I raced the Kona Eastside sprint tri, and finished 2nd in my age group - 2nd only to local former-pro Trent Stephens (who should have won overall so that I could win the age group!). It's not a huge race, but it's nice to finally see everything come together and bring home some hardware.

It was a challenging race, being very warm and humid, and winds around 15mph. I had a good swim (for me) and finished 9th in my age group. I really crushed the bike, finishing with the 3rd fastest bike split overall, and 1st in my age group - even faster than Trent and the overall male winner! The first half of the bike was straight into the wind, but the last half we got to fly with the stiff tailwind! I rode 27-32mph on the way back, in my 11 tooth ring most of the way! I averaged 24mph on the bike.

The run was boring and hot, with no shade. My run pace was ok but not great - good enough for 3rd in my age group. Personally I think the run course was long! However, I had a good idea where my competition was, and I did what I needed to do. And I probably had my best T1 and T2 transitions ever!

I went into this race with NO taper whatsoever. I trained very hard the previous week, but I do not think it hurt me. I have another race in 6 days at Combat, and then a week later at Tejas. Hopefully I can even do a little better at Combat because the swim is only 300 yards!

The Sugar Cycles tri team kicked butt at this race! We had 5 racers between the Sprint and Super Sprint, and took home 3 1st place awards, along with my 2nd place. Great job to Kelly, Morgan, Jeff, and Kyle!

Here are my splits:
Swim (600M)- 13:01/ 2:10 pace (9th AG)
T1- 1:02.09 (5th AG)
Bike (16.44mi)- 41:16 / 23.9mph (1st AG, 3rd overall)
T2- 0:38.7 (4th AG)
Run (4mi)- 30:24.9 / 7:35 pace (3rd AG)
Chip time- 1:26:24 (2nd AG, 14th overall)

My First Crit

2010-05-06T18:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I raced my first ever criterium race at the Bear Creek Park Crit. It was pretty intense and definitely a learning experience, but I don't think I did too bad for my first time out. I even found myself out in front for part of one loop. I finished somewhere in the middle of the Cat 4/5 field, but I'll race smarter and do better next time. I will try to throw in some regular crit racing this year to supplement my bike interval training.

"Lone Star" Ironman 70.3 Texas

2010-04-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

I have mixed feelings about this race. It wasn't my best race for sure, but there are several factors that contributed to it. I'm mostly focusing on shorter sprints this year, so this was definitely not an "A" or even "B" race for me. I didn't train properly for a half iron distance, which includes racing the Gateway Oly 2 weeks ago. I was a little under the weather for several days this week. It was pretty windy and much warmer than it has been all year. And I trained pretty hard during the previous week. Regardless, I still hoped to do well and hopefully come close to breaking 5 hours. I finished in 5:29:28, which I won't beat myself up over after seeing how much everyone else suffered in this race.

My swim was much better than Gateway 2 weeks ago. There were plenty of large buoys and I managed to swim pretty straight this time. The water was fairly rough, but not as bad as Ironman Florida last year. My swim time wasn't super fast, but I was middle of the pack and about where I expected to be compared to everyone else.

My T1 was not too bad, but I had an issue when I tried to mount my bike and my gel bottle fell out of my bento box. My Sugar Cycles skinsuit doesn't have any pockets, so I was hoping it would stay secured in the bento box. I had to lay my bike down to go back and get my gel bottle so I would have fuel on the bike. This cost me probably 90 seconds!

I struggled pretty bad on the bike. We had a lot of headwind and crosswind going out, so it was pretty tough, especially with the disc and deep rim wheels. I lost another 90 seconds when I had to stop for a nature break, but it was important to drink lots of fluids with the hot run coming up. Everyone expected a good tailwind after the turn-around, but it was not to be. Except for the last 5 or 10 miles, it was mostly a strong crosswind. Regardless, for some reason on this day I just didn't have any power in my legs on the bike. It was much tougher mentally and physically than I expected it to be.

My T2 was a little slow but I had to put socks and sunscreen on. I need to improve my transitions!

I started the run feeling pretty good. The 4 loop run course is great for getting a lot of crowd support and seeing where my friends are on the course. It was so warm I made sure to drink plenty, force my fuel down, and keep cool using the cold water and sponges. I held a decent pace for all 4 loops and was very happy with my run.

The is my 4th year to race Lone Star, still one of my favorites, and even more so now that it is an IM 70.3. I had a lot of fun cheering for my Sugar Cycles teammates (and other friends) on Saturday, and watching my girls run in the kids race (1km run) Saturday afternoon. There was a hug pro field at this race. I got to meet and talk to the eventual winner, Torenzo Bozzone, and get a lot of training advice from a few others, including Chris Lieto! I definitely hope to participate in this event one way or another every year. It was a tough early season race, but now I can take a few weeks to focus on speed before I have 3 back to back to back races, starting with Kona Eastside on May 23rd.

Gateway Race Report

2010-04-12T10:31:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately I did not have the race I was hoping for. In an Olympic distance race you can't have a bad swim, and I screwed mine up pretty bad. Once I started swimming, I was never able to sight off the buoys. They were too small and too far apart for the conditions. End result was I swam WAY left and probably added a few hundred meters to my swim. Even though I felt good in the water, I lost too much time and the bike/run legs are not long enough to make up for it.

I had a pretty decent bike leg. Going over the Kemah bridge 4 times was tough, especially with no momentum on 2 of them. I also noticed a big difference trying to move the heavier HED race wheels quickly up the hill. They are great for going fast, but not so great for accelerating or climbing. The rest of the course was straight and flat and we only had a slight crosswind. I could probably have pushed the bike a little faster if I had not added all that extra swimming!

I started really well on the run, but I had to slow down to deal with side cramps (again!) from miles 2-4. The highlight of my race was the last 100 yards. A guy passed me and I saw his age on his calf and he was in my age group. I sped up to catch him and he saw me coming and sped up and we sprinted to the finish, and everyone started cheering for us. He had me the whole way but I caught him at the line, and the results show that I beat him by 0.1 seconds!

I was very impressed with the event itself. It was very well organized, and my only complaint was the issue with the swim buoys. It was really cool getting to meet professional triathletes Andy Potts and Matty Reed! And I got some great tips from them. Another nice touch was they had a carpet mat running 2 blocks from the swim exit to the transition area for us to run on!

Side notes:
- My first attempt at quick mount/dismount on the bike went pretty well.
- I went sockless and got a pretty bad blister on the arch of my right foot in my DS Racers.
- For some reason my goggles fogged up at the beginning of the swim, which has never happened to me
before?!
- I had no computer on the bike because of the rear disc and didn't like it at all.
- Olympic is NOT my distance!

So race #1 is over, and now it's time to get ready for Lone Star 70.3 half ironman in 2 weeks!

New Road Bike

2010-03-26T09:33:00.003-05:00

I went ahead and bought a new road bike at Sugar Cycles - a 2010 Specialized Tarmac Comp. It's my first carbon frame bike. I really needed a good road bike for all the group rides that I'm doing now. It puts me in a better riding position when riding in a pace line and my brakes and shifters are together. I'm loving the light carbon frame so much, I may look at upgrading my tri bike next year!

Shaving Seconds

2010-03-03T16:58:00.000-06:00

As part of my commitment to get faster this year, I've taken several steps towards improving across the board. Most recently I started back doing track workouts, which I hope to attend weekly. And I also purchased a new time trial helmet! (It sure looks fast at least!) And of course, most importantly, my training has been going very well lately!

Masters Swimming

2010-02-17T08:28:00.000-06:00

I am a month into my 2010 triathlon training, and things are going pretty well so far. Today I started swimming with the First Colony Swim Team Masters group. I know this will improve my swimming, so I had committed to starting today. It just so happened that today was 28 degrees at 5:15am when we started. Oh well... I'll do what it takes since my age group competition is so tough. My riding and running is improving weekly. I've had to do more indoor training than ever before the last few weeks, but I am staying motivated and getting outside whenever I can. I am excited for my race season, which starts in 8 weeks!

2010 Tentative Race Schedule

2010-01-31T13:53:00.008-06:00

Here is my tentative 2010 race schedule:

Apr 11 - Gateway to the Bay Oly (Kemah) - already raced!
Apr 25 - Lone Star Half Ironman (Galveston) - already raced!
May 23 - Kona Eastside (Baytown) - 2nd place age group
May 29 - Combat (Texas City) - 9th overall, 4th place age group
Jun 6 - Tejas (Sugar Land) - 2nd place AG
Jun 12-13 - Tour de Louisiane Stage Race - registered
Jun 27 - Sugar Land Memorial Hermann (Sugar Land) - registered
Jul 18 - Bayou Duathlon (LaMarque) - Maybe?
Aug 8 - Bridgeland (Cypress) - registered
Sep 5 - Summertime Blues (Freeport)
Sep 12 - Jeff & Brede's (TBA) - Maybe?
Oct 2 - Halfmax National Championship (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Oct 17 - Try Andy's (Sugar Land) - registered

2010 Racing Rig

2010-01-20T20:05:00.001-06:00

Here's my 2010 racing rig:

HED Race Wheels

2010-01-18T16:14:00.000-06:00

Today I finally got to test ride my new HED race wheels. All I can say is... WOW! I definitely felt faster on them, and rode faster than I should have after not riding the last several weeks. I took advantage of the good weather this weekend to kick-start my training for the 2010 season. I am going to sign up for the Gateway to the Bay Olympic distance triathlon in Kemah on April 11th to start my race season. I've been putting my training/racing schedule together, and I definitely plan on getting my money's worth out of the new wheels!

2010 Training & Racing

2010-01-16T18:57:00.000-06:00

Today was a good day. I started running/training again today. I gave my shin splints almost 2 months to heal. I had to sacrifice the Houston Marathon for this, but I need to be healthy for the tri season.

I also became a member of the Sugar Cycles triathlon racing team today! I am very motivated to get back into racing shape. I start racing again in April. I am already signed up for the Lone Star IM 70.3 Half Ironman, and I am considering another one as well.

Sugar Land Turkey Trot 5 Miler

2009-11-26T12:32:00.000-06:00

I ran this race 2 years ago right after Ironman Florida also. This race was was a lot of fun, with around 1300 runners. I managed to PR by over a minute, with a time of 33:10. Unfortunately, this was only good enough for 6th place in my age group, a full 2 minutes behind 5th! Oh well, it was fun, I PR'd, and I got to see lots of friends. A great way to start off the holiday!

Halfmax National Championship

2009-11-18T09:40:00.004-06:00

It was brought to my attention that my IMFL time qualified me to race in the 2010 USAT Halfmax National Championships in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on October 2, 2010! This race will also be the qualifier for the 2011 Long Course World Triathlon Championships in Las Vegas, NV. So it looks like I've got some new goals for next year!!!

Ironman Florida 2009 Race Report

2009-11-16T09:09:00.000-06:00

This was my third Ironman, and my second in Florida. But this was by far my best overall race experience! I have never been more prepared for a race before, and I was very confident going into the race. Of course anything can happen in an Ironman, but I was more determined than ever to be ready for this one. I broke my collarbone 3 months before my first Ironman, and I was simply not well prepared for my second Ironman. This time I made it the start line with no major issues, and it all paid off on race day!

I arrived in Florida on Wednesday night, 3 days before the race. I was too busy leading up to the race to worry too much, and I still didn't get too anxious until the day before the race. Fortunately I had no trouble sleeping race week. It was great seeing so many friends in Panama City Beach, both racers and supporters! The weather race week was a little warmer and a little windier than I would like, but certainly nothing to complain too much about. Panama City Beach will always be a favorite race location for me, and I'm sure I will be back again in the near future!

I got to the transition area race morning earlier than usual, so I was able to take my time getting ready. I've found that I can't eat solid food prior to a race, so all I had to worry about was getting down a few gels and some water. Gels and gatorade were my only fuel source that day until after the race was over! As the start approaced, we all made our way into the start corral on the beach. This is quite a sight! It is an awesome experience standing in the middle of 2500 westuit-wearing triathletes waiting to swim out into the Gulf in a mass start! If this doesn't motivate you for a race, nothing will!

I had 4 goals going into this race. My first goal was to go under 1:30 on the swim. I'm not a fast swimmer, but I have been steadily improving every year since I started racing triathlons. There was some wind race morning, so I knew the water was not going to be as smooth as I hoped for. In my practice swim the day before the race, the water was rough and I drank a lot of seawater. My last 2 Ironman swims were in perfectly calm water. So this time I was not hopeful for a fast swim time, but I was going to do the best I could. I started the swim very far to the right this time and swam straight towards the first turn buoy. This was a very wise decision because I did not have any trouble until I got to the buoy. The water did not seem as rough as the day before - or I was handling it better. After the first turn it was hard to see because we were swimming into the sun. I just followed the crowd hoping they were going the right direction! After the second turn, it was very easy to see because we headed right back to the beach condos. I finished the first loop feeling good, just a little bit frustrated with how much we had to walk to get over the sand bar. The second loop was a little rougher and people kept swimming into me. I finally moved from the outside to an inside line and this eased things up quite a bit. I felt great and I had a strong surge on the final leg of the second loop. I finished the swim in 1:28 and was very happy with this! That was a 7 minute improvement from 2 years ago, in worse conditions!

My T1 transition time was not great (7:52), but there's a lot of ground to cover and lot to get done. I ran up the beach, got my wetsuit pulled off, rinsed off the salt water, grabbed my swim-to-bike bag, changed in the tent, went to the port-o-john, and got sunscreen rubbed on my upper body. I later discovered that I should have gotten it on my legs as well.

The bike is the longest leg of the race, so obviously this is what most of my training time went towards. I had ridden 5 straight 100+ mile rides coming in to this, along with numerous 80 milers. I was ready for this. I also drove the bike course the day before the race so that I could chop up the course into shorter sections, which are easier to deal with mentally. I knew the course well and it paid off. The roughest part of the bike - and the entire race for that matter - was miles 22-50 going straight into the wind. The wind was supposed to be 10-15 mph. But if we were going to have wind, this is where I wanted it - in the first half of the ride so that it could push me home on the way back! For the first time ever, I rode the entire 112 miles without ever getting off the bike. I felt really good the last half of the course, and my average the last 40 miles was over 2mph faster than the first 70. My goal for the bike course was under 6 hours. I finished in 5:42, which was a 19.6mph average. This was a 38 minute PR! I was a little emotional getting off the bike because of how much training I had invested into it, and I couldn't believe how well it paid off for me! Hopefully it wouldn't cost me on the run!

My T2 was a little faster (5:23) but I still had to make sure to get everything done, including lubricating the feet to avoid blisters!

My goal time for the marathon was under 4 hours, and I wanted to finish the race under 12 hours. I knew my marathon goal was a little ambitious, but since my swim and bike went so well, I knew I just needed to run smart now to come in under 12 hours. I didn't feel great the first couple of miles. My back hurt and I was expectedly nauseous. I had no idea of my pace but my legs felt good. As I normally do, I found someone running a similar pace to talk to and we ran together until mile 19 or so. This made many of those miles fly by and for a while we were close to 4 hour pace. Since the course is a double out and back, I knew I had some friends not far behind me. This helped motivate me also since I didn't want to get caught! Even with the nausea, I was able to stick to my nutritian plan. I forced down a gel ever 30 minutes like clockwork, and kept the water and gatorade coming as well. I lost my running partner for the last 7 mile stretch when he started cramping up. But I was feeling better and was able to pick up the pace a little after that. At this point the race was over. The race and my body had played all of their cards, and they weren't going to beat me today! I knew I was flirting with an 11:30 finishing time, but had laid it all out on the course and I just held my pace for those last few miles knowing I was well under my goal.

I crossed the finish line in 11:32 - a 51 minute PR! I couldn't believe it! My marathon time was 4:08 - a 16 minute PR! So I had achieved 3 out of 4 goals on the day, but PR's all the way around. I can't complain! Out of over 2400 athletes who started the race, I finished 667 overall. My place after the swim was 1838, so I had passed around 1200 people on the bike and run. This is the advantage to being a slower swimmer!

Ironman is an incredible experience. It is humbling but incredibly rewarding to finish. I am so thankful to have survived 3 of them now. I have learned to respect the distance, and I know I will be back on the Ironman training road again looking to improve some more. Thanks to all my family and friends for supporting me through these crazy endurance races I keep signing up for. And thanks to all of my training partners who pushed me to new limits.

Catching Up

2009-11-15T00:05:00.000-06:00

Even though I haven't posted for well over a year, I have still been busy training and racing. Here is a list of races that I've done since Ironman Arizona in April, 2008:

CapTex Olympic Triathlon - May-2008
Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 Half Ironman - June-2008
St. George Marathon - October-2008
Marine Core Marathon - October-2008
Houston Marathon - January-2009
Lone Star Quarter Iron Triathlon - April-2009
MS-150 Charity Bike Ride (Houston to Austin) - April-2009
Tejas Sprint Triathlon - June-2009
PrairieMan Half Iron Triathlon - September-2009
Houston Half Marathon - October-2009
Ironman Florida - November-2009

As you can see, I am officially addicted to long distance endurance races. The shorter stuff is fun but too painful! Maybe in 2010 I'll mix in some shorter races?!

Lost in Cyber-Space

2009-11-14T23:25:00.002-06:00

Well it seems my blog has been patiently waiting for me to post something for quite a while now! Ever since Facebook and Twitter came into my life, I didn't see much use for the blog anymore. But now that I need to post a race report from Ironman Florida 2009, I see that the blog still has its' place. So I will now try to keep my blog updated again with my training and race reports. Very soon I will post my recent Ironman report, which was a very big day for me. Stay tuned...

Race Report

2008-04-19T08:25:00.002-05:00

Ironman Arizona 2008 Race Report:

This was my second Ironman but it was a completely different experience. My first Ironman was five months earlier in Florida and we had near perfect race conditions. This time around a combination of my scaled-back training, extreme heat, and high winds led to a much more difficult day and a 2 hour slower finish time of 14:27:38. However I was just happy to finish this race given how difficult it was. I still finished only 14 spots lower in the overall standings, even with my slower time!

SWIM: Unlike Florida, we had to jump in the water 15 minutes prior to the swim start and make our way towards the start line. For me this is very difficult, even with a wetsuit, since I can't tread water very well. Needless to say I was pretty tired by the time the starting cannon went off! However since we were all spread out it was better than Florida in that I was able to start swimming right away and it wasn't too crowded. The course was a single loop and I finally got into a good rythm after the turnaround. I would occasionally bump into people because of how dirty the water was, but overall I had a very good swim, didn't cramp at all, and even knocked 3 minutes off my Florida swim time with a 1:32:25 swim.

BIKE: After a quick 5 minute transition I started out on the first of 3 bike loops. I knew it was going to be a hot day but I was not expecting much wind. And I didn't expect the heat to affect me too much on the bike either. The wind was not too bad in Tempe but once we got out into the desert the wind picked up substantially and became a big problem. I was barely moving as I rode out directly into the wind and I didn't realize that I was not drinking enough. After the turnaround I was literally flying back towards Tempe and I felt great! Halfway through the second loop I was still struggling with the wind but I felt ok. But by the time I finished my second loop I realized I had not been drinking enough and I was becoming dehydrated. My head hurt, I was losing power quickly, I became nauseous, and I knew I was in big trouble. On my third loop I had to start taking long breaks at every water stop to force fluids down and try to recover. I just felt terrible and every time I stopped I was not sure ifI was going to be able to continue. I also discovered that my Perpetuem (liquid fuel) is not very appetizing when it's hot. I finally started feeling better towards the end of my third loop and I was able to bypass the last water stop as I got some strength back. I finally finished the bike in 7:27:13, well over an hour longer than my Florida bike time.

RUN: I had another quick 4 minute transition and I started out on the 3 loop run course. I felt pretty decent the first loop and a half. I used cold sponges on my shoulders and ice water in my handheld bottle to help offset the heat. I was running well, taking short walk breaks, and getting my gels and fluids down. But I knew I couldn't maintain it for the whole marathon. I started walking up the hills the last half of the second loop. When I started my final run loop it was dark but I managed to meet a guy that I stuck with for most of that loop. He had an amazing 5:30 bike split but then spent an hour in the transition tent trying to recover. We walked quite a bit but both of us were just happy for the day to nearly be over - especially after seeing so many people having to quit the race. I switched from gels to chicken broth and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I started running and picked up my pace quite a bit the last mile and half because I wanted to finish strong. I was so happy to turn the corner and see the crowd as I approached and crossed the finish line. I finished my marathon in 5:18:32, almost an hour slower than Florida.

I was pretty nauseous for about 45 minutes after I finished but after that I was fine and felt much better than after Florida. When I could move I went up into the stands and cheered for other finishers. Michelle sprinted in with a strong finish and a big PR. She had talked me into doing this race last summer and I was signed up before I had even done my first Ironman. We did a lot of our training together and I really owe her because I don't think I could have made it without her. It was also great meeting so many triathletes from the Houston area throughout the training. I'm already looking forward to my next Ironman! Florida 2009???

Picture Links:
http://picasaweb.google.com/chadfikes/IronmanArizona2008
http://picasaweb.google.com/fikesj/ArizonaIronman

IMAZ Facts

2008-04-15T08:16:00.000-05:00

Well I made it home and now it's back to work so this will brief - but I'll put something more detailed up later this week.

If you wonder why they are moving this race to November, all you have to do is look at the conditions this year. It got up to 94 degrees and the wind was blowing up to 23mph (although I think more in the desert) directly in our faces for almost half the bike course. Surprisingly they had almost no cold fluids on the bike course and they even ran out of fluids at one critical aid station. Someone described it as racing in a hair dryer. In fact this race had the third most DNF's in Ironman history - at over 17%! And to put it in persepective, I finished 2 hours slower than I did in Florida, and I only finished 14 spots lower in the overall standings.

So with that being said, it was a very tough race but I was just so happy to finish! Thanks everyone for your thoughts and support! And congrats to Michelle (with her new PR!) and Russell on a great race!

6 Days To Go

2008-04-07T08:07:00.003-05:00

Wow it's getting so close again! It seems like only such a short time ago I was this close to doing my first Ironman and here I am again. I am getting excited and anxious, but I think I am ready. I enjoyed my first official weekend of taper with just a 35 mile bike ride followed by a one hour brick run on Saturday. I also got my bike cleaned and tuned up. It was weird having so much free time on my hands this weekend where I was either not training or exhausted from doing so.

I am flying out to Arizona in 2 days. I'm going early to spend a couple of days relaxing up in Flagstaff/Sedona before the race. I will be boxing up my bike and bringing it with me on the plane. Hopefully that's not too much of a headache. I should be able to pack a lot quicker this time around since I know what to expect.

The early forecasts are calling for a pretty warm race day so I may be adjusting my marathon time goals appropriately. I'm not going to worry too much though because all you can do is trian yourself the best you can and show up prepared to deal with whatever the race day throws at you. Just like most endurance races, the key to a good race is showing up well trained and healthy.

I've made a lot of new friends training for this race and I am excited to see all of them out on the course. And hopefully I'll finish well enough to cheer for a few them at the finish line. I'm also excited that I will be able to see a lot of family at the race. The course is very spectator friendly so it will definitely help seeing my friends and family out there!

Lone Star Half Iron Triathlon

2008-03-31T07:50:00.005-05:00

Let the taper begin! I raced the half iron distance in Galveston yesterday in a time of 5:44:44. Although I didn't go all out it was still a very tough day - especially on the bike. But I did ride almost 2.5 hours on the bike the day before. So I have now reached the 2 week mark until Ironman Arizona and I am definitely ready to taper!!! My Ironman training has been unorthodox to say the least, but I have stuck to my "plan" and I'll find in 2 weeks how prepared I am. The very good news though is that I made it though my training healthy and uninjured!

3 Weeks until Ironman

2008-03-24T07:36:00.002-05:00

Well my second Ironman training adventure is coming closer and closer to its' conclusion. I just completed another big weekend of training. I rode 70 miles and swam 2 miles at Twin Lakes on Saturday, and then I ran 20.3 miles on Sunday. Even though I got a late start to my training, I am starting to feel like I am well prepared and should have a good race. I think it's entirely possible that any time I lose on the bike I may be able to make up on the swim and run. Even though technically I am starting my taper, I am racing the Lone Star Half Iron Tri this coming Sunday. I will not race at full speed, but it should be a good final race tune-up!

4 Weeks, Big Weekend

2008-03-17T08:01:00.003-05:00

This weekend was my big peak training weekend that I had on my schedule. But it ended up being not too painful at all! I rode 64 miles on Saturday in the Tour de Houston and then ran the Seabrook marathon on Sunday. On both days I was lucky enough to have friends with me the whole time so I did not push myself too hard and I actually enjoyed both events quite a bit! I again lucked out with the weather, with Sunday being very windy and not a good day to ride. I also got in a 2-mile swim this week. I just have 2 more weeks of hard training before I get to taper!!!

5 Weeks to IMAZ

2008-03-09T21:43:00.002-05:00

Only 5 short weeks left! I can't believe it! I had to take a few days off from training last week due to business travel and some knee pain. However I picked it back up this week and finished off the week with a century bike ride on Saturday and a 15-mile run on Sunday. It's funny how a 2 hour run seems "short" to me right now?! My swimming has been lacking so I hope to really pick it up the next few weeks! My bike time will definitely be slower than Florida, but my running continues to be strong and I'm really hoping for a big IM marathon PR!

Seven weeks to Ironman Arizona

2008-02-24T21:39:00.006-06:00

The big race is getting closer, but my training is continuing to build AND improve. This weekend I rode 80 miles on Saturday and ran 18 miles today. The last time I had a big bike-run "brick" weekend like this I really suffered on the run. But today I felt amazing on the run (even though it was hot) and I experienced one of those elusive "runner's high" days where I just felt like I could run forever. I am not pushing as hard on the bike to keep my legs more fresh for the run, and it's definitely working!

I should be up to 100 miles on the bike in 2 weeks and I have the Seabrook Marathon coming up in 3 weeks. Then after that I have 2 weeks until the Lone Star Half Ironman, and then 2 weeks of taper until Ironman Arizona. I can't believe it's so close!

I did a lot of my Ironman Florida training alone, but thankfully this time I have a training partner, Michelle, who is helping me stay motivated. Thank you!!!

Tueday Night Hills

2008-02-20T08:41:00.003-06:00

I have incorporated Tuesday Night Hills as a regular part of my Ironman training. A group of us labor up the highest peak in Sugar Land numerous times. The "hill" happens to be a 7-story parking garage - but it's the best that we have around here!!!

The hill training is important to me for not only the physical benefits, but also for the social aspect which helps keep my head from spinning off! I'll admit there may be a beverage or two consumed after hills, but we usually feel like we at least earned it!! If you ever find yourself in Sugar Land at 7pm on a Tuesday, come join us at the Town Square hills!

President's Day

2008-02-19T07:47:00.002-06:00

I was fortunate enough to be off work on President's day, so I took the opporunity to get in a long bike and run brick. I did a solo four hour 71-mile ride plus a one hour brick run. I did not push too hard on the bike and it was windy, but it is still quite obvious to me that I was much stronger on the bike last year. The good news, though, is that my running is better and I'm not dealing with any injuries (knock on wood!).

Moving On

2008-02-13T09:29:00.004-06:00

I had to take a blogging break after my Florida race, but since I'm back in training again for another Ironman I guess I should keep this blog going. Somehow last summer I got talked into signing up for Ironman Arizona in Tempe on April 13th. I wasn't always sure I was going to do it, but now I am committed and training and hoping to have a good race.

I am, however, approaching my training completely different this time. I am not following a long, detailed training schedule. I am not obsessing over my training. I am not even focusing on setting a PR. Since I already have a good base, I am just going to build up my training distances to where I will peak for the race. There won't be much taper, but by doing this I hope to avoid burnout. I am utilizing local races and MS150 training rides as benchmarks in my training. And most importantly I am doing a lot of group training and trying to have fun!

I just finished up a good training weekend, where I raced the Surfside half marathon (and added on extra miles for a 29-mile day) and rode in a 63 mile MS150 training ride the next day. I haven't been swimming much but I did get in a 1.5 mile pool swim last week. The cooler temperatures definitely take a hit on my training motivation, but with only 60 days until the big race I don't have much time to waste!

Memories

2007-11-12T10:07:00.000-06:00

Here is my official finisher's photo:

And here is a permanent reminder of my Ironman experience:

IRONMAN photos

2007-11-07T07:58:00.000-06:00

Here are some links for pictures that were taken at the event:

These are mostly from my camera and were taken before the race:
http://fikesfamily.smugmug.com/gallery/3789934

Here are some good pictures on the Ironman website:
http://www.ironmanlive.com/events/ironman/florida/?show=photos&slideshow=1&y=2007

Here are some pictures taken by a few of my friends that were there:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYtWThqzaOGLiI¬ag=1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18309085@N02/sets/72157602950242717/show/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenpaterson18/sets/72157602920223151/

I AM AN IRONMAN!

2007-11-05T19:23:00.000-06:00

WARNING! This race report is way too long! Pictures will follow.

I finally heard the words “You are an IRONMAN!”. I have been thinking about this moment for well over a year. I have been committed to this goal for exactly a year. I have been training for this goal “officially” for 7 months. I survived the training. I survived injuries. I survived major life changes. I made it to the start line in Panama City Beach, Florida, and on November 3rd, 2007, I completed my first IRONMAN – with a total time of 12:23:13!

My IRONMAN week did not go exactly as planned. My dad had some health issues and had to go to the hospital. This affected my parents’ plan to come to the race and also to help out with the kids. On Wednesday afternoon, I left for Florida with my kids, not knowing exactly what was going to happen with my dad. During the drive, however, he was released from the hospital and we worked it out so that my mom was still able to come down for the race.

I arrived in Florida early Thursday morning, and was pleased to find out that the Holiday Inn SunSpree we were staying at was a beautiful hotel and very kid friendly! After picking up my race packet on Thursday morning, I spent the rest of the day with the kids hanging out the hotel. And then in the evening we went to the pre-race dinner and mandatory athlete’s meeting at the race hotel. Athlete’s village was just awesome! Athletes were everywhere, from all over the world, including over 100 professional triathletes! I bought some official IRONMAN merchandise and just soaked in the experience.

On Friday morning, our AMAZING support crew arrived, including my mom, and I was finally able to switch from dad mode to athlete (although you can’t ever really quit being a dad!). I got in a 15-minute ocean swim on the race course and a short bike ride and jog down the beach. Then I went back to my hotel and prepared my transition bags. After checking in my bike and transition bags in the transition zone, I met up with all of my family and friends for lunch. Then I spent the rest of the day at the hotel making final race preparations.

I got to bed at a decent time, but I woke up a few times, and then finally at 2:30 I woke up and could not go back to sleep. I was ready to go and out the door by 5am. I had a very enjoyable 30-minute walk down the beach towards the race start. It was dark and I walked barefoot right along the water’s edge and prepared myself mentally for the job at hand. It was funny that I didn’t hardly see (or hear) anybody at all until I arrived at the race hotel and walked around to the front parking lot where the transition zone was. But when I turned that corner, BAM! It was real now! The transition area was ALIVE! I quickly made my way to my bike and got body marked and prepared for the race. I aired up my tires and added some stuff to my transition bags. After about 45 minutes I was done and there was nothing else I could do. I made my way to the beach, saw some friends, and then went into the swim corral with my friend Lisa. I finally got to see my mom and kids right before the start, and I also found my friend Kevin in the corral.

Even though I’ve seen pictures and video of an IRONMAN start, it is beyond imagination being a part of one! Everywhere you look is a sea of rubber-clad “super” athletes stretching and jumping and getting pumped up. After the pro race started at 6:50, we listened to the national anthem. And right before the race they started playing “I am Ironman” and I have never been more pumped up in my life! The helicopter was buzzing overhead, the boats were littered out across the ocean expanse, the sea of athletes and spectators and volunteers were yelling and screaming and cheering. And finally….the starting cannon went off and the race was on!

Since I am slower swimmer – at least compared to IRONMAN caliber athletes – I let the large mass of swimmers enter the water ahead of me. It didn’t matter. The first quarter of the swim was like being caught up in a fish net. But I swam smart and didn’t get kicked in the face or pushed under or any of the other nightmare scenarios that I had worried about. The swim was a double loop, and we had to come out of the water and run along the beach before starting the second loop. Thankfully they gave us some water to drink between loops. I finished my first loop in around 43 minutes and I finished the swim in 1:34:50 (2:30 pace per 100m). I was ecstatic with my swim time since I had feared much worse! My place after the swim was 2116 overall.

I ran out of the water, got my wetsuit stripped off by the volunteers, waved at my friends and family, and went to the transition tent. A volunteer handed me my bag and I quickly put on my bike helmet, socks, shoes, race number/belt, and grabbed some energy bars. A volunteer wiped me down with sunscreen as I ran out to grab my bike. I had an awesome T1 transition time of 4:15!

The first 70 miles or so of my bike were great! I was feeling good and averaging around 19mph. My nutrition plan was working and the weather was perfect! But for some reason the last couple of hours on the bike turned into complete misery! I slowed down a lot and I could not figure out why I was struggling so much. I did manage to survive, and thankfully the last 7-mile stretch I finally had some wind at my back. It was very helpful seeing so much of my support crew on the bike course, which was really amazing considering it was a 112-mile loop! I finished my bike with a time of 6:15:01 (17.9mph) and I think I passed around 500 people.

After the bike I was SO happy to hand it off to a volunteer and I have never been so ready to run a marathon (since it did not involve a bike). I had another quick transition (4:19) where I put on my running shoes and cap and grabbed my race number/belt loaded with gels.

Even though I was feeling really bad on the bike, when I started running I was almost immediately 100% better. I was not sure that I was even going to be able to do the marathon earlier, but I figured I would stick to my plan until I could not any longer. My plan was to take 1-min walk breaks at each water stop, which were a mile apart. I had no problem doing this, and I held a steady 10-min pace. The run course was wonderful because it was a double-loop out and back course. So there were a LOT of fans on the course, and of course my support crew was EVERYWHERE yelling and screaming their lungs out. I think it really was an unfair advantage for me to have such amazing support – but I’ll take it anytime! My second happiest moment of the day was before I finished the first loop and I saw that all of my TriPsyclone team was on the run course and I knew that we were all going to finish! I got to see and encourage my friends several times on the run course and I was having a great time!

The sun went down when I reached the final turn-around and I found a new friend from North Carolina to run with for a few miles. I was still holding my 10-min pace and I knew that my day was almost over. I got some more encouragement from my support crew during those last few miles, and then with 2 miles left I was fading a little but I felt no pain! When I got close enough to hear the excitement at the finish line the emotional end to this exciting ride started to overwhelm me. A lot of my day was a blur, but I will never, ever forget running down towards the finish line and hearing “Chad Fikes, from Missouri City, Texas, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!”. I pumped my fist on my chest, which was tell my kids “I love you” and then I raced across the finish line with my IRONMAN fist pump that I had planned on for such a long time. It was over!

I finished my run with a time of 4:24:50 (10:07 pace), which brought me up to 1099th place overall. I finished 120th out of 233 in my age group. I had passed over 1000 people on the bike and run! I had shattered my 13-hour goal time! I had an amazing day, and felt great for all but about 2 hours of the bike. All my training had paid off!

At the finish line I got my finisher’s medal, cap, and t-shirt. I hugged my family and friends who were at the finish line. I tried to eat but I was too nauseous. So I went and got a quick massage, which was wonderful. I actually discovered that I did not hurt as much as I had in previous marathons?! I did end up being nauseous and sick for the rest of the night, and I think I was probably dehydrated. I got to see my friend Lisa finish strong at the finish line before my sickness forced me to retire to my hotel. I watched my friends Sandy and Kevin finish together on the internet from my hotel room.

Thank you to everyone who helped me to achieve this goal! There are really too many to name (and I would forget some). But thank you to my family for all of your support. Thank you to my training buddies. Thank you to my AMAZING TriPsyclone support crew! Thank you to Lisa, Sandy, and Kevin for joining me on this amazing ride! And thanks to all of you who followed my training or tracked me on race day!

RACE DAY

2007-11-03T03:54:00.000-05:00

Well it's race morning. I have been awake since 2:30am and unable to go back to sleep. It's almost 4:00 now so I will soon be be doing my final race preparations. When I look back at all the training I have invested in this one single event, I am so thankful that I made it this far. I have always known that the key to this thing was the training. No matter what happens today, this has been a life changing experience. I am determined to have fun today and to not allow any negative thoughts to dominate my mind. I know I will be carried many miles by the cheers from my family and support crew, and I also know that I will have to dig down deeper to complete this race than any other race I have competed in. I could not have asked for better weather. It is 57 degrees right now with almost no wind. It will be all sunshine today with a high in the upper 70's. It's time.... IRONMAN, here I come!

12 HOURS

2007-11-02T18:50:00.000-05:00

It is now just a matter of hours until the race begins! I am so anxious and ready. I just can't wait to get started. Today the entire support crew arrived and we all had a fun lunch together. I was able to get in a good warmup swim on the actual swim course this morning. It is amazing swimming in such calm and clear ocean water! I also got in a mile jog down the beach and a short bike ride from my hotel to the bike check-in. I think I've got everything ready for tomorrow, so I just need to relax and get some rest before my 4am wakeup call. Everything is going really well, but I know that I will have to dig down deep tomorrow. My next post will be after the race, so thanks for reading and for all the well wishes! In about 24 hours from now, I WILL be an IRONMAN!!!!

2 Days

2007-11-01T15:18:00.000-05:00

Well we are all here and registered for the race. This is a view from my hotel, which is about a mile down the beach from the race start. It is absolutely beautiful here! The atmosphere is very exciting! It took me an hour to get registered this morning, but I have spent most of the day with my girls taking it easy. I hope to get in a practice swim in the morning and maybe a short ride. Tonight we have the welcome dinner and the mandatory pre-race meeting. I have already seen a few of the pros. I can't believe I'm here!!!

4 DAYS?!?!

2007-10-30T21:22:00.000-05:00

4 days?! That can't be right! I should be much more nervous. I'm sure I will be once I arrive in Florida. In just a few short hours I will be driving down I-10 en route to Panama City Beach for my first Ironman! I am SO glad that it's finally race week because I am in desperate need of some R&R! I just need to get through one more tough 140-mile "training day"! At least the weather forecast is looking reasonable.

My bib number is 558. I hope to finish by 8pm (CT) on Saturday, but I will be happy to finish no matter what the clock says. If you time it right you can watch me live crossing the finish line at Ironmanlive.com. I'll post another update from Florida!

2 Weeks!!!

2007-10-20T13:09:00.000-05:00

Wow, I can't believe that my race is only 2 weeks from today! I feel like I am well trained and I am still very anxious for race day. I am enjoying my taper period right now. I received an extra boost of motivation last weekend watching my friend Kona Bob complete the Kona Ironman championship in Hawaii. He got in the race on a coveted lottery spot, and ended up setting a PR on a very tough course! He has set the bar high for those of us going to Florida, but I know that we are all well trained and will finish strong.

My peak training included 4 consecutive 95-112 mile Saturday rides and long runs building up to 3 hours. Today I am heading out the door for a 2-mile lake swim (in my wetsuit on a 90-degree day!), followed by a 3-hr bike ride, and then a 2-hr long run in the morning. And in 11 days I will be packed up and heading out on I-10 to finish up what has been an exciting adventure! And I am so thrilled to know that 20+ freinds and family members (including my girls and my parents) will be in Florida to cheer us on!

And for those of you who have been following by blog, sorry for the slow postings. I will do my best to keep the updates coming up to and following my big day! Thanks for reading!

5 Weeks

2007-09-30T16:09:00.000-05:00

I am down to 5 weeks until my race. I am getting really excited and I have been thinking a lot lately about the race. My training is going exceptionally well and I know that I will be prepared to put in a good performance. I just wrapped up this week's training with a 112-mile bike ride and 1-mile lake swim on Saturday, and a 17-mile run today. I will continue my peak training the next 2 weekends before starting my taper.

Training for an Ironman has been quite a journey so far! I never dreamed when I signed up almost a year ago for this race everything that I would have to go through to get to where I am now. I have faced many obstacles throughout my training: getting divorced, becoming a single dad, wrecking my bike, braking my collarbone, and dealing with numerous injuries. No matter what happens over the next month or during the race, I have learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of. I am thankful that I have had this goal all year long to keep me focused and to provide me with a healthy outlet. While my motivation was weakening somewhat after my bike crash, it is now stronger than ever and I can't wait for race day!

8 Weeks To Go

2007-09-10T09:07:00.000-05:00

My training continues to progress well and I am less than 2 months out from my race already! This past week was my biggest week of training so far. My eight hour weekend workout included a 5-hour, 95-mile bike ride, along with a 2-hour run and a 1.2-mile lake swim. My wreck injuries have almost completely healed so I am able to train without any pain. I am nursing a sore outside right shin, but at this point it is bearable and I have to train through it regardless. I need to really focus on 4 more hard weeks of training and then I can start my taper!

10-Week Countdown

2007-08-26T20:16:00.000-05:00

This a picture from last year's Ironman Florida!

Beginning this week I will be offically entering my 10 week peak training phase. I have been following the 30-week Intermediate training plan in the book "Be Iron Fit" by Don Fink. My training plan peaks out at 15 hours of weekly training. If I can survive the next 7 weeks, then I can taper for 3 weeks and I should have a good race.

My crash injuries continue to heal amazingly well. My broken collarbone is actually not my biggest problem - in fact it is not much of a problem anymore at all. The main thing still keeping me out of the water is the slow healing of my road rash on my left arm. I will give it another week or so and then I have to get back in the water! I also have an injury on the outside of my right shin. It started hurting before my bike crash, so I was disappointed that it came back right away when I started running again. I have no choice but to cut back on my running a little and try to train through the pain.

I got in a 4 hour ride yesterday and a 1.5 hour run today. The riding is going exceptionally well! Since my bike is going to be my definite strength in the Ironman, I am going to really focus on my bike training from here on out. I know I can't really improve my swim all that much in the next 2 months, and my running is going to be limited with my injury. And besides, on the bike is where I'll spend most of my time during the race!

A Good Weekend

2007-08-19T23:11:00.000-05:00

I am VERY pleased to report that after only 2 weeks of recovery I successfully completed a 3 hour bike ride and a 1 hour run this weekend! My collarbone is obviously still not healed, but surprisingly the pain was minimal, and overall I actually felt very good. This is extremely encouraging to me in regards to my Ironman training because I can now build my bike and run back up just in time to start my final 10 weeks of peak training. And I'll just add my swimming back in in a week or two whenever I can.

I was surprised to find out that my picture was in 2 triathlong magazines this month! There is a very small picture of me cheering for the winner of the Buffalo Springs Lake tri in Triathlon magazine, and there is a nice picture of me running at the Tri Raider Sprint in Runner Triathlete News. Too bad there are no pictures of my bike crash!! I would really like to know what caused it!

Alternative training...

2007-08-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

OK, so I really needed a fun night out with friends to get my injuries out of mind! I know I can ride the trainer now, but honestly this injury setback has really put a damper on my motivation. So I was very happy to spend the evening at a farewell party for our good friend Jen P - who just moved to Atlanta but came back to town to close on her house.

And just to be clear, I did not drink all of these beverages - just the beer! The shot was given to me as a sick joke which my "friends" will just not let die... but hey, if they want to keep blowing their money that's their loss!

My injuries continue to improve every day and I even got in a 2 hours trainer ride. And oddly enough I was most comfortable riding in the aero position. I think I will be riding and running within a week! It's amazing how quickly the body can heal! Now if I can just re-capture my motivation!

Comeback...

2007-08-12T17:41:00.000-05:00

I think there is nothing worse to an athlete in training than to take away the training. So after a week of healing I finally got back on my trainer last night. It was a little uncomfortable with the broken collarbone, but all in all it was not too bad. I was even able to briefly ride in the aero position, although certainly not stable enough for the open road! My hope is that after a week of riding on the trainer I can take the bike out on the open road, followed shortly by jogging then running. Swimming is still probably 3 weeks away, although I think I may be able to at least get in the pool and do some drills before then.

I think PrairieMan HIM is definitely out now since it is 4 weeks away. Hotter'N Hell 100-mile bike ride is also out. I am partially considering doing the Longhorn HIM in Austin on October 7th just to get in one more long distance tri before Florida, but it is only 4 weeks before IMFL so I am just not sure yet. If not then I may not race again before Florida.

I took my bike to Sugar Cycles to get it checked out after the crash and it looks to be OK except for the front wheel. The front wheel is pretty wobbly and has 2 broken spokes, but they are sending it in for repair and I should get it back in 2 weeks. Luckily I had a spare front wheel I could throw on there for time being! Now I just need to get myself a new helmet before next week!

CRASH!

2007-08-06T07:47:00.000-05:00

Well after 2 years of riding, the crash demon finally caught up to me. I went down in a pace line this weekend while riding with a large group in Dallas. I was one of 3 broken collarbones! I'm pretty banged up and almost had to have surgery because they thought I was bleeding internally, but on the positive side, from the waist down I'm 100%!

We had a 20+ person pace line moving 20-25mph and the front of the line slowed down and people started hitting their brakes and then WHAM... asphalt! They said my rear tire was in the air as I was going down!

Initial prognosis is no running for 2-3 weeks and no swimming for 4-6 weeks, but I should be able to start riding on the trainer within a week. Not too bad, all things considered, and I should still be on track for my Ironman in November - although just not quite as well trained as I would otherwise have been.

The whole thing was pretty senseless on my part because I should never have been riding in such a large pace group, especially with riders I did not know. Who knows for sure what caused the wreck, but I firmly believe that crashing is an inevitable part of aggressive riding and unfortunately my luck finally ran out. I will be back soon and I will be a smarter rider in the furture!

Ironhead Dallas Triathlon (7/15/07)

2007-07-16T16:39:00.000-05:00

Olympic Distance
(1500m swim/26mi bike/10km run)
Chip time = 2:34:57
Age group: 11 of 37
Overall: 71 of 390 finishers

Swim: I was generally pleased with my swim. The water was nice and calm. I was in the first wave. I did not push too hard on the swim this time, and I felt very comfortable. I practiced drafting a little, but I had a hard time swimming a straight line. I'm sure I added 100m due to the fact that this was a clockwise swim and I always veer to the left.
Swim time = 35:53 (2:24/100m pace)
Rank = 26th age group (232nd overall)

Bike: Again the bike was my best leg. The course was generally flat and there was little wind. I took some gel 15min into my ride and about 45min later. I drank 2 bottles of water w/Nuun. I felt very strong the last 5 miles on the bike, and only 2 guys (who were blatently drafting) passed me during the bike section.
Bike time = 1:09:01 (22.6mph)
Rank = 9th age group (49th overall)

Run: This was certainly not my best run, but with the heat and lack of shade I was not too disappointed. Also, I was far enough behind the guys ahead of me that I did not have a lot of motivation to chase guys down. I took some gel twice on the run and drank gatorade.
Run time = 47:34 (7:40 pace)
Rank = 9th age group (53rd overall)

Nutrician: I did not suffer major cramping and dehydration like I did last year at this race. I had GI distress the first half of my bike, but it did not slow me down. I had my usual pre-race meal of gatorade and a Larabar 2 hours before the race, and some coffee. I then had an Espresso Gu, 2 E-caps, and a bottle of water 15 minutes before the race start.

Overall: While I wish I had placed higher than 11th, I am happy with my race. I did not taper at all for this race, and in fact it was a high mileage training week. I had a 20+ minute improvement over last year since I did not get sick this time. The competition also seems to be getting tougher in the longer races.

Tri Raider Sprint at Buffalo Springs Lake

2007-07-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

Buffalo Springs Lake is a VERY challenging course, definitely the toughest tri that I have done. I was happy I was only doing the sprint!

The swim was amazingly difficult for me, even though I was happy with my swim time, because I became completey exhausted and could not catch my breath. I think it was due to the elevation - believe it or not Lubbock is 3200 feet above sea level - or from sprinting from a beach start in my wetsuit!

The bike course has some very tough hills. The lake is in the bottom of a canyon, so after the swim you jump on the bike and immediately have to climb out of the canyon! I saw at least a couple of guys with bad road rash from crashing on the descents back into the canyon.

The run was not too bad but I was pretty exhausted from the tough swim and bike so I was just happy to finish!

I am definitely planning to go back and do the full 70.3 race! It was a great atmosphere and a good challenge. Also being an Ironman event they had a really nice Expo!

Overall time 1:22:19
3rd place age group (out of 20)
22nd place overall (out of 201)

Tejas Triathlon (600yd / 11mi / 3mi)

2007-06-10T21:19:00.000-05:00

Chip time = 1:04:16
Age group: 8 of 56
Overall: 67 of 629

Very big improvement over last year! Swim was disappointing, but bike was a huge improvement (24.4mph)! Run could have been faster, but I had a stomach cramp that finally slowed me down the last mile. This was not a nutricianal problem, but rather a sleeping too late problem and not eating breakfast early enough. Transitions were also much improved - I did not wear socks but I did notice blisters after the race.

My New Tri Bike

2007-06-01T13:00:00.000-05:00

I bought a new tri bike to help me improve my comfort and speed when riding in an aero position. I bought a 2007 Specialized Transition Expert with Roval star hub racing wheels from the new bike shop a few blocks from my house, Sugar Cycles. I love the bike and it has definitely been worth every penny I spent on it! The gold color also makes it VERY easy to find in the transition area!

2007 MS 150

2007-04-24T15:15:00.000-05:00

My second MS 150 ride from Houston to Austin was even better this year than last year! I finished safely, had no flats, made great time, and had a ton of fun. I rode with my friends Fabrice, Silvia, Chris, and John. I rode for Team Michelob Ultra this year and we had a blast both at our tent and on the bus ride home.

On day one, we rode 100 miles from Katy (Lexus Dealership on I-10) to La Grange in about 5 hours. We started at 6:45am and arrived at 12:30pm, stopping only 3 times to refuel and use the port-a-johns. I averaged 19.9mph due to great weather, drafting, and wind at our backs. On day two, we rode 75 miles to Austin, through the park, starting at 7:45 and arriving before 12:15pm. We rode about 4 hours, and my average for both days was 19.3mph.

For fuel during the ride I ate only Larabars and Gu gels, and I consumed lots of gatorade and water. This worked really well and I did not have any digestive problems. I also took Recover-Ease recovery pills after both rides and SportLegs during the day two ride. I actually felt better during the day two ride and I had very minimal soreness after the ride and the following days.

I can't wait till next year's ride!

Lone Star Half Ironman

2007-04-01T21:11:00.000-05:00

I completed my second half ironman today and I had another great experience! Even though it was far from perfect, I did manage to knock almost 30 minutes off my HIM PR from Prairieman last fall! My official finishing time was 5:22:54 (even though my watch showed 5:18). I was 14th in my age group out of 55 - top 25%!

The weather was a major concern for this race due to severe thunderstorms that lingered around all weekend. But even though I drove right through one on my way to the race Sunday morning, Galveston was spared and we had almost perfect weather with mild temps, completely overcast skies, and no rain or lightning! The only complaint was the wind (kind of expected) on the bike course.

I was very happy with my swim time (43:44). I knocked about 7 minutes off my last HIM, but I did have the added benefit of a wetsuit and salt water. I felt fine in the wetsuit, but the saltwater did bother my throat a little and one of my shins cramped up pretty bad near the finish. It was kind of cool for a change to not get left behind by all of the swimmers in my swim wave!

The bike was just plain brutal! The wind was really bad going out on the first loop and even worse on the second loop. But I did manage a respectable 19.3mph on the bike. I again struggled with cramping probably due to my pasta dinner the night before that did not settle well. Remember - eat early, eat light, and avoid anything greasy or spicy! Luckily I had some Rolaids with me for just such an occasion! I drank one bottle of Perpetuem per hour (1-1/3 scoops per bottle) and I ate one cherry larabar per hour. Next time I want to try using only Perpetuem and gels.

My run was very solid and a huge improvement over Prairieman. My time was 1:38:33 (7:31 pace). I drank a mixture of gatorade and water and took one gel during the run. I was actually a little nauseous during the run but I managed to run through it.

My transitions need to be quicker! I need to practice this before my next race. I also want to buy a new bike seat and adjust it for a better position. But overall I am very happy with this race and I think this was a great way to start off the tri season. Next stop... CapTex Oly Tri in Austin on Memorial Day!

2007 Houston Marathon

2007-01-15T22:34:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had a marathon "breakthrough"! It took me 4 marathons, but I finally figured out how to properly train, pace, eat, and even enjoy running 26.2 miles. I knocked 13 minutes off my previous PR and finished in 3:35:51. And I achieved this by running a 5-minute negative split. I actually felt "good" during the entire race and I never really suffered or hit the wall.

We were SO worried all week long about the weather, but the "major winter storm" got close enough to cool things down, but then stalled out long enough to provide almost picture-perfect conditions. It was in the low 50's and calm with overcast skies - but no rain. The high humidity was really the only thing to complain about. It was better than any forecast had predicted!

Here are the key factors that contributed to my performance:

Due to my injury history with shin splints and stress fractures, I added a lot of cross-training and limited my running to 3 days a week. My weekday runs were quality and my weekend runs were long and slower.
Prior to the marathon, I ran 4 long runs of 20+ miles, including 31 miles at Sunmart. My final "long" run was 24 miles 3 weeks before the marathon. I also did not taper as much as I had in the past.
I discovered that I can not eat much before a race. I ate a reasonable pasta dinner about 12 hours before the race. Then I ate a Cherry Pie Larabar 2 hours before the race and then I ate a Vanilla Gu every 45 minutes during the race.
I carried my hand-held water bottle with me and drank frequently. I kept it filled with half water and half gatorade.
I forced myself to run conservatively during the first half of the race, and I picked it up after that and then even more so the last 10K.
I managed to run with friends for almost the entire race. This helped tremendously by keeping my mind from negative thoughts!

I couldn't have hoped for a better race, and I am so grateful to all my Fort Bend Fit friends that I train with. I am still 25 minutes from qualifying for Boston, but I continue to improve in every marthon that I run. I plan to break 3:30 next time!

New Year's Resolutions

2007-01-01T12:36:00.000-06:00

Here are my 2007 New Year's Resolutions:

Do not eat fried foods
Eat less processed food
Eat more fresh fruits and veggies
Cut back on desserts
Complete Ironman Triathlon

I am currently tapering for the Houston Marathon, which is in 2 weeks. My goal is sub-3:40, and I am feeling very confident because I have put in 4 long runs of 20 or more miles, including 31 miles at Sunmart, and I have not been injured.

Sunmart 50K Endurance Trail Run (12/9/06)

2006-12-16T21:44:00.000-06:00

This was my first ultra-marathon, and I had a great experience. I have wanted to run Sunmart for several years, so this has been my primary running goal this year. I showed up to the race without a plan or expectation. I just wanted to enjoy the race.

Even though I lined up at the start with several friends, I somehow found myself alone very early on when we had to run single file down a narrow path. Thank God I recently bought an mp3 player! I did find Larry after a few miles, but again we separated at some point before he had to pull out with an injury (get well soon, Larry!). So I ran the rest of the race on my own (along with the handful of songs I had with me). It wasn't that bad, though, because there were several out-and-back sections of the trail where we got to cheer each other on.

By the end of the first loop, after 19 miles, I was still feeling really good. On the second loop, the hills were starting to take their toll, and I slowed down a little, but I never faded or hit the wall. In all of my previous 3 marathons, I had always crashed hard into the wall by mile 17, so this was a new experience for me. Even after 26 miles, I was still enjoying the run! After I passed the last water stop, I only had about 2.5 miles to go. I pushed hard to the finish and triumphantly crossed the finish line in just under 4:50. Thank you Jen and Zeenie for cheering me on at the finish line!!

After collecting my finisher's medal, tyvek jacket, and a hamburger, I was walking back to the FBF tent when it hit me what I had just done. I had to stop for a minute and take it all in. There is so little fanfare, compared to the marathon or the other warm-up races, and I was just so grateful that I had made it to the finish line - especially without a single fall! And I was also so grateful to have such a great (growing) group of friends to share it with!

I also very much enjoyed watching (almost) everyone else finish! Sorry I couln't stay to the very end, Andy, Dave, and Kevin. I will probably not be able to run Sunmart next year - because I have a bigger goal waiting on me - but I will defnitely look forward to my next Sunmart!

New Ironman Training Blog

2006-12-16T21:16:00.000-06:00

Having made the decision to sign up for the 2007 Florida Ironman, I decided to create this blog so that I can chronicle my year's worth of training leading up to my very first iron-distance triathlon, which will take place in Panama City Beach, FL, on Nov 3rd. As I have learned from my marathons, it really is all about the training. If I can survive the training, I am confident that I will reach my goal. It should be a fun year!!