2009

No events scheduled yet for the 2009 triathlon season. Please keep checking the website for updates. Thanks!

NEWS

09.11.08
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times...

The EAS 5430 Long Course Triathlon in Boulder, Colorado on August 10th was really great as I bested my last year's overall time by over 13 minutes (13:57 to be exact)! I was so looking forward to finishing my first IM race, which I knew was going to happen in Louisville KY, and I was really visualizing only complete success in Louisville! Three weeks later in Louisville, Kentucky at IM Louisville, I didn't make it past mile 77 of the bike as I had to call it quits for the day due to dizzyness, lack of equilibrium (i.e. not being able to stand up straight without falling over), some nausea, blurry vision, and basically nothing left in my legs due to the gnarly hills I had to deal with.

Safe to say, the events of August 31, 2008 didn't give me the preferred outcome I had anticipated and planned on.

It's very interesting racing on the different IM courses. Well, duh, as everyone says that; but this year was my first year experiencing it first hand. Every different course offers up a new and spectacular challenge. At IM Arizona it was the nasty 40+ mph headwinds for half of the bike leg and at IM Louisville it was the hills.

This was the first year of racing at the IM distance and it taught me many a lesson to take with me next year (in both my training preperation and in my race day execution) and in the years to come as I put more emphasis on racing IM distance events.

It was a memorable year and when I look back at this season in the years to come, the sometimes difficult and hard lessons learned will pay off major dividends!

05.07.08
I've just added the EAS 5430 Long Course Triathlon in Boulder, Colorado on August 10th to my event schedule for 2008. This race will be a great trial run for my IM race in Louisville, Kentucky just three weeks later. Last year I had major back pain for 11 of the 13.1 miles on the half marathon run so I'm looking forward to a better race this year with much better results.

04.16.08
I just got back from competing at Ironman Arizona in Tempe, Arizona where I unfortunately had a very rough day and didn't finish. It was a day of consistent hardships to overcome including two real bad bonks, a 15-mile stretch on the bike where my neck couldn't hold up my head on my shoulders, back pain, neck and shoulder pain, dizziness and almost passing out, and consistent 40+ mph gusts on half of the bike leg. Oh well, that's Ironman racing I suppose. Now it's on to IM Louisville on August 31, 2008 to try to become an Ironman.

01.30.08
I'm heading off to Palm Springs CA for the Counterpart Coaching/Chris McCormack Winter Triathlon Camp. Macca will be there for the entire camp as well as professional triathlete Kerry Classen. This should be an amazing week of training, getting to know Chris and Kerry, and pretty much everything fun you can imagine about triathlon. I'm not taking my laptop with me so I'll post a recap on the site when I get back.

10.20.07
I have just added IM Louisville to my 2008 schedule. The 140.6-mile iron distance race takes place on August 31, 2008 which means I will not be doing the Accenture Chicago Triathlon for what would have been a 3rd straight year. My ultimate triathlon quest to race at the Ford Ironman World Championship in IM Hawaii in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii is an extremely serious one -- like many other triathletes that desire the same thing -- that I couldn't skip an opportunity to possibly qualify and get my slot in Kona by doing iM Louisville when I had the chance.

09.06.07
Due to the lack of training caused by the bike accident/mishap in Chicago, and my custom Serotta CXII bike taking two weeks to get repaired, it looks like my participation the Harvest Moon Half Ironman scheduled for 09.16.07 in Aurora, Colorado will now have to be cancelled. Oh well, time to now concentrate on Ironman Arizona in just about 6 1/2 months!

08.26.07
I registered my first-ever DNF (major bummer!) at the Accenture Chicago Triathlon today. At about the 6.5 mile mark on the bike leg I reached back to get a drink and I hit a very bad and very deep pothole. The result was a really "nice" crash at about 20 mph on really rough pavement on Lake Shore Drive. I actually could have finished the race -- and would have -- if I could have placed the chain back on the big chain ring. After 15 minutes of trying to get the chain back in order; I unfortunately had to call it a day. I got banged up pretty nicely as a result.

I know I'm fine and will recover 100% -- and very thankful I escaped unscathed except for some very colorful road rash -- but I cannot say the same for my custom bike. The damage to my very beautiful custom Serotta CXII ("007" as we call it; due to the bike being just the 7th of it's kind off the production line) is substantial and I won't know how long it will take to get repaired until I get back to Colorado at the beginning of next month. My right aerobar is completely broken as I shattered the entire right aerobar, my gear shifters are shot, my brake levers are almost turned completely inward with the right brake lever having the most damage, the derailure needs to be replaced as well as both pedals as they are also banged up: basically the entire top section of the bike needs to be replaced! Ouch!!. The frame looks like it survived without a scratch and is in perfect condition, except for a minor paint chip on the bottom side of the down tube. All in all, I got lucky that no more damage to me or my bike occured.

08.13.07
Well, my first Half Ironman is finally in the books. I am now an official Half Ironman! The EAS Boulder Long Course race was difficult, especially with the 13.1 mile run in 95+ degree heat -- with no breeze and no shade -- but it was a great challenge and absolutely great fun to do. The aid stations were awesome, well-stocked (with lots of refreshing ice...thank you, Barry), and just full of helpful volunteers who literally cheered for every participant equally and with great enthusiasm. The whole Boulder Triathlon Series was so much fun to compete in. If you're looking for a great set of races to test yourself, then look no further than the Boulder Triathlon Series. You won't be disappointed!

07.18.07
I have decided to cancel competing in the Walt Disney World Olympic Distance Triathlon in Orlando, Florida (on 09/23), to race in the Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon in Aurora, Colorado (on 09/16). The Harvest Moon Triathlon is a Half Ironman Distance Triathlon.

07.08.07
At the Cabbage Head Duathlon in Wiggins CO over the weekend on 07.07.07, I recorded my fastest bike time to date in competition. My run pace in competition is getting better, as well.