Finally Mused

I teeter between thinking writing a blog about myself for the world to see is either narcissistic or purely a means of notifying my family, friends, and supporters of my slightly unusual lifestyle. Whichever you choose to believe, please know I am grateful for all of you. I have some wonderful news to share.

Let me sum up: On January 22nd, I ran into my best friend after not seeing her very much over the past several years. On Feb 14th I had a pretty serious knee operation to remove part of my torn medial meniscus and repair the other half, and the doc also performed what is called a 'micro fracture' procedure to help repair my badly damaged cartilage. The subsequent six months (physically) have been difficult, but that's the easy stuff to deal with. The exciting news is that in five weeks I will be marrying that girl I "ran into..."I proposed to her on June 22nd.

(one lucky dude!)

Additionally, I've been back in the saddle now for a few weeks after several months of just trying to not eat my weight in ice cream every day, and I will be making my first race post surgery the 2011 Beach 2 Battleship in Wilmington, NC on Oct 29th. In 2008. I won the inaugural half distance as an amateur, and Setup Events is kind enough to bring me back this year. I have since acquired an elite license, and I will be racing a pro this go 'round. If all goes according to plan, I'll be racing as a married man, traveling and racing with great friends from Chattanooga, and hopefully having an amazing time in a great city.

Please stay tuned for wedding pictures, race updates, excellent music selections, and whatever happens to tickle my fancy.

Pontevedra ITU Premium European Cup

Down to the nitty gritty: I ate a huge slice of humble pie. All of those guys are fast at every discipline. Going into the event, I had posted some decent swim times this season for 1500m, so I was confident about my abilities in the water. Kiss of death. The water in Pontevedra was cold. Maybe 59 or 60 degrees. I didn't warm up, because I was already a little warm inside my wetsuit, so I figured if I warmed up I would slightly overheat. Mistake. The swim was two 750m loops, and I had the worse starting position on the pontoon because of my ranking, or lack thereof. The gun blows and I am immediately swallowed up by great swimmers. My first 750m were humbling, but I was able to make up some time on the second 750m loop and NOT be the last one out of the water. Onto the bike. The bike course was technical and challenging with a couple climbs, descents, 180 degree u-turns, and fun European roundabouts. There were initially four of us working together to catch the main pack. Aboard Roxanne (my Litespeed C1), I was able to hammer the first two of six loops and catch some dudes that fell off the main group. The guys in my group were able to drop a couple athletes as well, but it wasn't good enough to catch the main pack. The bike contained moments of 190 beats per minute heart rates, mixed in with moments where you can re-catch your breath. The cycling is very dynamic as opposed to a steady state sustained effort, like non-draft triathlon. Bursts of max power mixed in with aerobic riding; just enough to thoroughly thrash your legs for the run ;)

Onto the run, I hammered my first of four loops, hoping to finish strong. Before the race, ITU officials told us that if we were lapped, your race in done. Well, Javier Gomez flew by me as I finished my first loop as he was finishing his second loop. He ended up lapping a bunch of dudes on the run. Anywho, I thought since he lapped me, my race was over. So I stopped. I asked race officials what to do, and after 30-45 seconds, an official said that I could continue the run, as the lap rule only applies to the bike course. Sweet. "Oh no." Time to haul ass. I ended up running 35 minutes flat for 10k, which probably would have been 34 flat or faster had I not stopped...not that it would have made a difference. However, that run was encouraging for me. The sport of ITU draft-legal triathlon is a completely different sport than non-draft time trial style triathlon racing. The swim will kill you. The cycling is a bike race, not a time trial. The run is an all out suffer fest.



I ended up finishing 45th of 60 athletes. It's tough to dissect this result, as there are many factors to take into consideration; travel, new kind of racing (for me), etc. I had a wonderful race experience and travel adventure. My next race will be the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon on July 11th. I am more than excited to race this spectacular event in my home town, and on behalf of my amazing sponsors and support system.

Until next time,

It always rains in Spain

...especially when Mother Nature knows you've rented a car in a foreign country. Here's the story:

The flight from Atlanta to Paris was a piece of cake, and I didn't have any troubles in de Gaulle, which is more confusing than Chinese Algebra. The final leg of the journey from de Gaulle to Vigo, Spain was a sleepy blur; something had to be too good to be true. It was.

Since Pontevedra (the race site) was only 20km from Vigo, I decided to rent a car in case I wanted to do some exploring after the race. I found a great deal on a sexy little red Citroen, and I was excited to hit the Autopista del Atlantico, which is the main road from Vigo to Pontevedra. The Autopista is a coastal highway, virtually identical to the Pacific Coast Highway, and Galicia (the name of the region in Spain where I am) is identical to the Pacific Northwest. Imagine San Francisco and the Oregon coast rolled into one. Except the signs are in Spanish.

So I'm scooting along the Autopista towards my would-be destination, when the road starts vibrating. "That's not the road vibrating," is what I said to myself. Luckily, the issue was the driver's side rear wheel. Not so luckily, the tire decided to detach itself from the wheel. Fortunately, I speak Spanish, so I was able to call the rental car agency and arrange for a tow truck. I was sitting on the shoulder of the road for about an hour waiting for a mandated tow truck, as my contract stipulated. All the aforementioned took place in the rain, which only added to the not-so-fortuitous ambiance. Since the issue was not simply a puncture flat, I deemed the car unsafe to drive, so I turn around and head back to the airport in Vigo to exchange the car...or so I thought. For no apparent reason I take a detour and get lost. No, I don't need directions. I know where I am. No I don't.

I happen to roll down my window and ask a caballero (Spanish for "man" "dude" "bud" "sir") for directions. This caballero was a priest. I couldn't make this story up if I tried. I find the airport, then try to exchange the car, but they had none. So, I resorted to taking a ride in a taxi to Pontevedra. My journey is complete...or so I thought. I had arrangements to stay at a hotel I found on the internet. Suffice it to say, the hotel was not as grand as its description. I then decided to call the host hotel for the race, and they were kind enough to offer me a great deal for a single room. I take one final taxi ride to my current residence where I am typing this blog post. After my journey I had a great meal of fish and veggies, spoke to my sweetie, then hit the hay, hard. Today, I have had a nice swim, run, and brief accidental self guided tour of Pontevedra. 

The race, which is the Pontevedra ITU Premium European Cup, takes place on Saturday at 6:30 P.M. I've never had a race at that time of day, so I'm excited to sleep in, have a relaxing morning, then hopefully light the road (and water) on fire.

I apologize for not having written a Memphis in May triathlon post. I think I may do that just now, but I wanted to share my travel story while it was fresh on my mind. Thank you for reading, and stay tuned.

Roxanne

"...you don't have to wear that dress tonight"

I cannot express enough gratitude to East Ridge Bicycles and Litespeed. Drool away, folks. Drool away.

Rev3, Recovery and Roxanne

The Rev3 triathlon in Knoxville, TN is a world class Olympic and half iron distance race held virtually in my back yard. I've never had such a luxury of driving only an hour and a half to a race of this caliber. Additionally, I had a support system that rivaled that of the Griswold Family Christmas, which made for an even more amazing race experience. Thank you all so much for your support.

Race morning began with a balmy 45 degree air temperature. Good thing I brought my Saucony run pants and warm up jacket! Rev3 does an amazing job of making everyone feel like a rock star, and the professional field literally had the royal carpet rolled out for us as our transition area was carpeted...no, not shag. After a fun five minutes of wading in 69 degree water sans wetsuit, the pro wave took off and I had a good swim. I came out of the water about 40 seconds down from the fastest swimmers in the world, so my feelings were not hurt as a former short course butterfly swimmer. Onto the very challenging bike course I held my own and rode strong. Nothing too terribly exciting happened, which is a good thing. I couldn't help but sing to myself the University of Alabama fight song as I rode through the University of Tennessee campus, though...my Quintana Roo CD0.1 (known to you now as Lolita) handled the technical, hilly and challenging bike course like Mario Andretti. Too bad I didn't have a Formula 1 engine in my belly.

The run course was also very fun and challenging, and I was able to run strong to finish 15th professional amongst a star-studded line up.

Recovery:

For the most part, all of us swim, bike, run and workout a lot. For the most part, all of us neglect the equally important aspect of training, which is recovery. Recovery is training. When we beat our bodies up, we must allow it to heal or we cannot become better as athletes. In order to recover, there are a couple very simple, easy but utterly paramount tools we must incorporate into our training routines; massage therapy and body balance/chiropractic care. Two Chattanoogans who literally keep me upright and training/racing as hard as I can are Christian Stegall and Dr Robert Haug. Christian is a massage therapist in town who specializes in athletic therapy and overall muscular health through massage. Dr Bob from Riverview Chiropractic keeps my body balanced through applied kinesiology and muscle balance. Email, call, text message, or send a courier pigeon my way and I will send you their information.

Roxanne:

I am extremely fortunate to live in the same town as cycling and triathlon powerhouse companies, Litespeed and Quintana Roo. You all have been introduced to Lolita, but now I proudly present Roxanne; she is a size ML Litespeed C1 frame equipped with a complete SRAM Red build. I will post pics as soon as I can fun my USB cable to connect my camera to my computer. She's 'purdy.' I cannot express enough gratitude to East Ridge Bicycles and the folks at QR and Litespeed. I've been to bike shops all around the world, and East Ridge Bicycles is second to none. Chuck Norris even thinks so.

St. Anthony's Triathlon

So, the Winchesters loaded up the fun, 'ol fashion, four wheel sleigh and pointed it south for about 580 miles. My mom, dad, one brother and I took off for a nice road trip/race/mini vacation, and it was a wonderful weekend.

The drive down was uneventful, which is nice, and we were all eager to get to Florida. We arrive on Friday before the race, and we all take a quick nap before heading down the race site for a warm up (I was the only one racing, but I use 'we' because if it were not for my family, I wouldn't be there!). I shook the legs out with a little spin and jog, followed by saying hello to the Quintana Roo and ISM (thank you for the photo!) guys. Afterwards, we joined a great friend, athlete, and coach Marc Bonnet-Eymard and a few others for a nice dinner. I had some wine, and I think I'm on to something for pre race relaxation. Normally, I'm wound up tighter than a (euphemism of choice here), but just a little red wine seemed to help me pump my cerebral brakes.

Wash, rinse, repeat for Saturday, and next thing I know, it's race morning. I get in a nice warm up, and decided to walk to the swim start as opposed to swimming across the marina like most other pros do. In retrospect, I maybe should have gotten in a better swim warm up. The cannon blows, and we're off. I settle into a decent rhythm, but never really got to motoring. I hop on Lolita, and I'm ready to ride. Things were going well up until about mile 10, when uber-cyclist David Thompson passes me, and a minute or two later a marshall comes by and asks me to stand down. What does this mean? Well basically, regardless of the distance of the pro in front of you, you must be on the other side of the lane as him. Well, David was a good 30 meters up the road, and in a roughly 20mph crosswind, it was difficult to judge where he was. So, I was penalized for the first time in my career. I couldn't change the outcome, so I put my head down and hammered after coming to a complete stop, waiting 60 secs, then resuming. All in all, the penalty probably cost me over two minutes on the bike. I rode hard, which took a little wind out of my running sails, but I ran as hard as I could, passing a few guys to finish 18th Pro. I hate to say "would've, should've or could've," but I know that penalty cost me close to three minutes.

Coach Tim and I have been putting a move on training since St. A's, and next stop is Rev3 in Knoxville, TN this weekend. Hopefully, I won't have such a look of pain aboard Lolita this weekend, as pictured above.

Until next time,

Lolita

I couldn't be happier to announce I am a new addition to the Quintana Roo and Litespeed family. Headquartered just down the road from my parent's house, American Bicycle Group is a cornerstone in the triathlon, cycling, and local community. And as a local boy, I couldn't be more proud to represent a local product.

Pictured above is Lolita. Quintana Roo chooses to call it the CD0.1...I prefer something a little more "exotic." The CD0.1 offers nothing less than industry leading aerodynamics and ride response. I've already logged many hours on her, including a few 1300+ watt sprint efforts, and I was simply blown away by the ride quality and speed. She is spec'd out with the following:

Frame: Quintana Roo CD0.1 High Modulus, size ML

Drive train: SRAM Red

Hidden brake calipers: TRP

Aerobars: Uberhund Blitz (thank you Bert!)

Saddle: ISM Adamo Racing (thank you Dave!)

Wheelset: training - Powertap 2.4SL Wireless; racing - Zipp Sub 9 and 404

Pedals: Speedplay X1

My road bike, which is on its way to East Ridge Bicycles, will be the Litespeed C1. East Ridge Bikes has been paramount in my development as an athlete and amateur bicycle mechanic. You guys are awesome. I will post pictures and ride reports as soon as she is built. In the meanwhile, Roxanne is a name that has been thrown around for the C1. I think I like the name duo of Lolita and Roxanne. Thoughts?

Next, I will be racing at the St Anthony's Triathlon in St Petersburg, FL on Sunday, April 25. I'm looking forwarding to opening up the throttle with Lolita.

Success and Lemons

Saturday, February 27th I started my season off with a pleasant surprise. I competed in the Scenic City 5k, which was a chilly morning for a jog along the Chattanooga Riverfront Parkway, but a good morning nonetheless. Saucony is a wonderful sponsor, and my lime green race kit and Type A3 racing flats had me looking fast. Unfortunately, the lack of sunlight during the Chattanooga Winter had me looking rather...um...not so tan. I ran 15:55 for 5k, bringing home my final mile in 5:03 with a mad sprint for the remaining tenth of a mile. It was a good morning followed by brunch with my dad and some out of town friends. Success. "Running on. Running into the sun..." was a fitting thought by Jackson Browne's 1977 hit. Success.


Lemons. Thursday, March 11, I flew down to Ft Lauderdale to compete in the Miami International Triathlon; this would be my first time racing this event as a professional, and I came down with guns a 'blazing. I was the overall amateur champion at this event last year, and I was looking to see how I stacked up against the world's best this year. The Friday before the race I had a great little swim warm up at the International Swimming Hall of Fame pool in Ft Lauderdale, and my confidence was high. Saturday morning I woke up with a not-so-pleasant cough and a little body ache. No problemo. "You don't have to feel good to go fast." I went down to the race site, warmed up, dropped off my bike, and set sail back to my cousin's house to rest up for the big dance. The rest of day was filled with no hunger (a disaster for me), sweats and cold chills, and a worsened cough. Sunday morning I followed my pre-race routine and headed down to the race site. I attempted a run warm up, only to nearly faint in the process. I got some great advice from Matty Reed and Chris Lieto that there are always other races, and I decided to pull the plug shortly thereafter. I went back to my cousin's house and slept the rest of the day. I woke up Monday morning in hopes of catching my plane, but that idea quickly turned into a trip to the ER because of my 103 degree fever, bad cough and body ache. Lemons. I stayed there for a few hours, got some good fluids and medicine, and they sent me on my way. I was finally able to return home on Weds, after it took a good 48 hours for my symtpoms to subside.


Today is Friday, and it is a beautiful day in Chattanooga. I haven't so much as broken a sweat (other than the fever) in seven days, but now I am seeing the light. Success. My lungs are still weezy, but otherwise I am ready to get back after it. Tina, Brett, Tyler and Brittany, you guys are awesome, and if it were not for you, I would probably be passed out on South Beach somewhere begging for someone to take me to the hospital. Thank you all so much for your support.

A year in review (horribly original...I know)

Comprehensive title, don't you think? Don't worry, I won't bore you to death with a summary of this past year, or why I have disappeared from blogging (okay, maybe a little).

The meat and potatoes:

A couple months ago I was having some energy and GI issues that I won't disclose for the sake of your lunch, but it turns out I have crohn's/ulcerative colitis. I went in for a colonoscopy and the doctor removed a pre-cancerous 1.2 cm polyp from my cecum and found an (un)healthy amount of inflammation scattered through my colon. Where do I go from here? I have been eating a fairly strict diet and taking some necessary drugs to calm things down. Other than that, I have no complaints. A fellow triathlete and Canadian Olympic team member, Paul Tichelaar, also suffers from Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and he is quite a successful triathlete. He has helped me answer a ton of questions regarding training, racing, diet, and everything that he has to deal with regarding IBD.

Following the diagnosis I have been maintaining my fitness, and getting ready for a serious winter load of training. For the 2010 season, now that I have my elite license, I will focus primarily on ITU draft-legal racing in an effort to earn enough points to race some World Cup events. Over the past month or so, I have been averaging some pretty solid mileage run weeks, and watching some cult-classic Kung Fu movies while putting some time in on my trainer. Riding on the trainer can be mind numbing, but I am more than convinced that it leads to increased fitness and strength on the hog. Why do I call it a hog? Simple. It sounds more manly to call a bicycle a "hog," because I really don't do anything extremely "manly." When the majority of my week is spent wearing tight spandex, I'll take the man points where I can get them. What's the name of my hog? Iceman.

On all other fronts, things are good. My parents have three six month-old Golden Doodles running around the backyard, and it's so cute that it makes you want to vomit. It's cuddly.

Christmas is around the corner, and I'm more than excited to see my three and five year old nieces on Christmas day. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and I promise to be mused more often to bring you bountiful bundles of blogging bliss.

"...'Tis the season to be Merry."

Chattanooga Waterfront

Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon
12 July 2009
1.5k/ 42k/ 10k

Local boy. Local race. I won’t lie, I felt some heat.

I drive over the swim course every day. Most of the bike course was on a route I took daily since high school, and I frequently train on the run course. Race morning, a teammate of mine and I woke up and went through our respective routines before we left my apartment for an early 7:30am race start. This was my first time racing this event as a pro, so I felt the need to give the local crowd something to cheer about; so I exited the water first, with the overall fastest swim time. Good start.

My family was in attendance, and more friends and faces than I can possibly count and remember all cheered me on as I looked like a wet poodle running up the cement stairs away from the Tennessee River. I was honored, exited and fortunate. Thank you all so much. Onto the bike I set a pretty good pace for me, and I perhaps biked a little too hard. The route was 42k as opposed to the typical 40k, so I was happy with my bike split considering the terrain. Another athlete passed me on the course, and I rode into T2 about a minute down from him. I started the run in second place and was looking forward to a strong run.

I think I depleted too much of my bank account on the swim and bike, because the first 5k of the run wasn’t exactly “good.” Let’s just say continental drift has occurred at a quicker rate than my third mile. However, to my surprise I was able to rebound ever so slightly for the last two miles and finish in fourth place...winning my first professional paycheck! I was beaten by two good friends and stud triathletes Jason Schott (3rd) and Eric Bell (2nd).

Next stop was the Mayaguez ITU Pan American Cup. (I used "was" because I wrote this race report after I completed the Mayaguez race. Race report to come shortly)

Rice-A-Roni and Tim Horton's

Escape from Alcatraz

1.5 mile swim/ 18 mile bike/ 8 mile run

San Francisco, CA

23rd pro

Coteau-du-Lac ITU Pan American Cup

1.5k swim/ 40k bike/ 10k run

Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec

19th

Friday, June 12th, my mother and I headed to San Francisco, CA for the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. The race was on Sunday the 14th. To my surprise, I had a cheering section for me a couple thousand miles away that included my mother, two aunts, an uncle, a cousin and a family friend. I can't tell you how awesome of an experience it was, and you all made the race weekend more special than you can imagine. Thank you.

So, our boat is anchored just off the coast of Alcatraz island, and the head ref instructs the pros to "step over the railing" and hang on. We oblige. We are standing on a hard rubber railing about two inches wide in hopes of gracefully diving into the 55 degree water as best we could. The gun sounds and we all dive into the frigid San Francisco Bay. It wasn't that bad. Due to the current, the 1.5 mile swim took even the best swimmers in the sport a little over thirty minutes to complete. As opposed to a linear path from point A to point B, our route looked more like a NASA launch path; using a planet's gravitational pull to slingshot a shuttle to it's destination. I was about two and a half minutes back when i exited, so I had some time to make up. I didn't accomplish this task.

After the swim, we had about a 3/4 mile run to T1, so I opted for some shoes so I didn't hack up my tootsies too bad. I was in for a surprise on the bike. It consisted of 18 miles of climbing and descending. We were either going up or down. Ouch. I learned a lot about myself on this bike ride, as my legs "wove a tapestry of obscenities" as their non-vocal muscles screamed in agony.

I hopped off the bike and began the run. Hardest run in triathlon, hands down. It is an 8 mile run with only about 1.5 miles of it on actual pavement. The remainder is on either trail or loose beach sand. This was actually a great run because it kept you visually stimulated the whole time. If you didn't pay attention, you ate it. After about 4.5 miles, you've made your way down to the beach from a steady descent from street level, which was on a dirt trail. After a short hard run on loose beach sand, you hit the infamous sand ladder, which is a set of 400 "stairs" taking you from beach level back to street level. These are not stairs. Imagine a long, steep, loose-sanded hill with short logs tethered together to form a ladder/stair system. It's tough to articulate with written words. It really is. I was able to keep a solid pace on the run, but again, nothing to write home about.

I finished in 23rd place, I think. The results look a bit weird and I can't figure them out.

(I didn't really have any Rice-A-Roni, but I did have official sourdough bread.)

Race report number two:

The Friday following Alcatraz, I flew up to Burlington, VT to rendezvous with another American triathlete, Eric Limkemann, so we could share a rental car on our way to compete at the Coteau-du-Lac ITU Pan American Cup, which was on Saturday afternoon. This was my first draft-legal race, and my first time representing the USA on a professional level. My former college teammate JP Richard and his wife allowed Eric and I to crash at their place just west of Montreal, which was an easy 30 minute drive to the race site. After the race, Val and JP made an amazing dinner for us and then gave us a tour of Montreal. Thanks guys, you really made our trip that much more awesome.

So the race: Two 750 meter swim loops, with a run up onto the starting pontoon in between loops. The first 750 meters was a shocker to me, as all these dudes are fast. On the second loop I was able to make up about 15 seconds and catch the second swim pack. This is the most intense swimming in a triathlon I have ever experienced...hands down. Onto the bike, there were initially five or so packs. I was in the third. After the first two laps of a six lap course, the second group had caught the lead group, which now put me in the second group. David Silver, another American, and I were doing the majority of the workload, as our group was poorly organized. David and I were not too thrilled about the non-sharing of the workload amongst the group, and we both verbalized our opinions to the others in the group. Whoops.

Onto the run, I was feeling good through the first two laps of a four lap run course. I faded a little on the third lap, but was able to rebound and run hard for the fourth. I started the run in roughly 25th position and was able to run my way to a 19th place finish.

I'm really pleased with my first ITU event, and please check out the International Triathlon Union for more information about what I am trying to do with my life. Thank you to everyone who made my journey to this point possible.

(I did have some Tim Horton's doughnuts and coffee.)

P.S. - I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Memphis in May Triathlon

1.5k swim/ 40k bike/ 10k run
Millington, TN
17 May, 2009
7th Pro

300 miles into the drive from Chattanooga to Jackson, TN I realize I had not forgotten anything, yet somehow I was uneasy. Maybe being slightly absent-minded bodes well for racing fast? At any rate, I had everything I needed with me and was ready to race and eat BBQ in west Tennessee. My dad and I have a standing deal that he drives to the race and I drive home; my dad's career as a baseball player has done nothing but set this torch of superstition a blaze. We stayed with my uncle and his family in Jackson, TN, and the commute to the race site was rather refreshing as we passed the mostly unchanged with time countryside.

Everything this weekend was a first for me: the mandatory Pro meeting the day before the race, the Pro start time of 10:30am (what was I going to do with a full night's sleep?), racing in the Pro wave as opposed to hours later, and a few other odds and ends. I got to see some old buddies, which was awesome, and meet a couple new ones in the same weekend. By nature, human beings are social creatures, and somehow a healthy social interaction lends itself nicely to this sport of individuality. I am race number 16. A good number. A certain Joe Montana wore this number. I don't have a laser-rocket arm with pinpoint accuracy. Sorry to disappoint.

Having a later start time meant we had many fans and fellow athletes alike watching us swim, bike, run and transition between the former. This race was in time trial format, meaning the athletes ran into the water one at a time with ten seconds of separation between us. I start the swim and drink an unhealthy amount of the pond/lake. I swam a decent time for me, especially since I didn't have a wetsuit (they're worth about a minute and a half over a mile swim). Onto the bike, I am quickly surrounded by the ubiquity of nature. No cyclists, no motorcycles, no noise. Well, I must preface that statement with the information that I had caught Andrew Starycowicz in the water, who started about 30 seconds ahead of me, but as soon as we began the bike he took off. Within a couple miles he was out of sight and I was alone. I stuck to my nutrition plan and got back to T2 as best as I knew how. The progressively harder blowing wind took its toll on me on the bike, as I'm sure it did on most everyone. I started the run and felt pretty good. This isn't exactly an easy run course, and I was already a little broken down from the previous weeks of hard training. To quote an iconic movie, "Certainly it hurts...The trick...is not minding that it hurts." So I put my head down and ran. I ended up running my second 5k about 30 seconds faster than my first 5k, so I was happy. I ended up 7th Pro in my first race as a Professional.

I can't give enough thanks to my family, friends and coaches who help me more than words can describe. East Ridge Bicycles, Zoot Sports, Powerbar, ISM Saddles, Kestrel Bikes, PEDRO'S, Fast Break Athletics, Smith Optics and many others: you all have helped me achieve my dream of becoming a professional triathlete. One race down, many years to come.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
T.E. Lawrence: Certainly it hurts. (After extinguishing a match between his thumb and forefinger)
Officer William Potter: What's the trick then?
T.E. Lawrence: The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.

St Anthony's Triathlon Race Report

1.5k swim (cancelled)/ 40k bike/ 10k run
St Petersburg, FL
26 April, 2009
3rd overall amateur

As my car door closes following a pit stop in Calhoun, GA, I realize I had left my wallet on my parents' coffee table in Chattanooga, TN. The race weekend started off with a slight detour of 84 miles. My dad says, "It's a good omen." I was furious at myself.

Friday afternoon I join a buddy, Lee Zohlman, for a little swim on the race course. The water was nothing shy of beautiful, and I had a great loosen up from the car ride down to Florida. I then proceeded to the race expo where I met David Bunce with ISM Saddles. A few weeks prior to the race I started riding this prostate-saving seat, and I wanted to meet the man who helped me...and the soft tissue of my under carriage. I look forward to riding ISM saddles for a long time. I feel fairly strong heading into the race on Sunday, so now there was nothing to do but wait.

Following a restless Saturday evening, my dad and I soldier down to the race course and walk to the transition area. After a few minutes of emceeing, we hear the swim had been cancelled due to rough current and dangerous chop on Tampa Bay. Being a self-proclaimed amphibian, I was less than thrilled about the news. Have swimmers at a triathlon ever caught a break? I'm sure the biker/runners out there were a little happier than I was, but that is pure speculation. Time to play the hand of cards I was dealt.

The bike was a mess, and everyone in our elite amateur wave knows it. We were staggered with a time trial format (sending one athlete directly after another) every two to three seconds, which only added gasoline to the ensuing fire of pack cycling. I rode as hard as I could. I have put in some serious training sessions on the bike, and I knew I could ride. In the heat of the news about the cancelled swim, I somehow forgot to remove my running race number from my gear bag. When I arrived at T2, I had to rack my bike, remove my helmet, unzip my backpack, dig through the mess to find the number, neatly stow the pack to avoid a penalty for a messy transition area (this is a rule by the way), throw on my running shoes and head off for the run.

I've been working hard on all three disciplines, so I was excited to see what my running legs had in them. Before the race I decided to run in my Zoot compression running shorts. I figured for a 40k bike and 10k run, I wouldn't need a chamois...and I lucked out. The compression felt awesome on my quads, glutes and hamstrings as I was running hard. I took the first 5k out somewhat conservatively, and then proceeded to run as hard as I could during the last three miles. I saw my coach with about two miles remaining, and he had some encouraging words to say. With one mile to go, he had more encouraging words, which helped me to run my second 5k in about 30 seconds faster than my first 5k.

My efforts on today were good enough for third overall amateur. USA Triathlon has a list of criteria for earning your elite (professional) triathlon license. One criteria outlines a list of special qualifying events, where if you achieve third overall amateur or better you will qualify for this elite status. I have now met the criteria and will begin racing as a professional as soon as my license arrives. My next race will be the Memphis in May triathlon on Sunday, May 17th. Hopefully I will have my elite license by then!

Miami International Triathlon

1.5k swim/ 40k bike/ 10k run
Miami, FL
15 March, 2009
1st overall amateur

The best part of my weekend was no doubt the fact that my dad's cousin and her family hosted me at their home in Ft Lauderdale. They took me to and from the airport, fed me, gave me a great bed to sleep in, fed me, shuttled me to and from the race site, cheered for me, and fed me. Words cannot express my gratitude towards Tina, Brett, Tyler and Brittany. Thank you guys.

Saturday, the day before the race, I felt okay. I was finishing up a pretty heavy training block, so I was anxious to test out my racing abilities slightly tired. A good hour ride on Saturday loosened up my joints and got me ready to kick the tires and light the fires...yeehaw. Sunday, at approximately 5am, my adopted family shuttled me down I-95 towards Miami. On the way, we passed a "gentleman's club," which was still thriving with activity...at 5am. Bienvenidos a Miami, for sure.

We had to deposit our children, errr, bicycles, the day before the race, so the set up on race morning was fairly simple. I go for a quick jog warm up and throw on my awesome new Zoot wetsuit, the Zenith 2.0. I warm up for a few minutes in the water and get ready to lay the hammer down. The last instructions that were given to the Elite Amateur wave were to swim to the left of the big buoys, which I did. After about 200m, I had a nice gap on the rest of the field, and proceeded to hammer the rest of the 1500m. I swim to the left of the last buoy, as instructed, and exited the water with a nice 1:40 lead, give or take. As I am running up the beach, I hear my cousin, fans and race officials yelling at me to go back into the water, and swim the RIGHT of the last buoy, which was a good 30m away. Bummer. I came onto the beach the first time in about 17:30, so my little detour cost me about 1:15, which as fate would have it, still allowed me to be first out of the water. Onto T1.

The bike course was a two loop, out and back adventure on the Rickenbacker Causeway, towards Key Biscayne. Traveling west, towards mainland, we had a nice tailwind, almost direct. Traveling east, towards the Key, was a not-so-nice headwind. Oh well, everyone had to deal with it. My Kestrel Talon SL, thanks to Steve Harad, performed wonderfully. It was my first race on this machine, and she was nice. I bike the second loop in roughly 90 seconds faster than the first loop, which got me pumped for the run. Onto T2.

Matt Reed and Andy Potts were about to finish their first 5k loop when I started the run, as their wave left about six minutes before mine. It was fun pretending I was ahead of them for at least a little while, and when Matty caught me before I started my second loop, reality sunk in: I had another 5k to go, but at least I held them off for three miles (please include sarcasm). The run itself was beautiful, with some decent shade and views of the Bay. Last year, I was caught in the last half mile of the run by a Gazelle, and got second place. This year, I was looking over my shoulder, probably too often, nervous of a repeat of last year's efforts. I held my own this year and broke the tape to earn the W.

I'm already back to fairly intense training in preparation for my next race, which is the St Anthony's triathlon on April 26th. See you then,

Christmas Come Early

"Meli Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day..."

The past two weeks for me have been nothing shy of awesome. East Ridge Bicycles here in Chattanooga, TN and Kestrel Bikes have teamed up to put me on two Talon SL bikes; one road and one tri bike. Last week was the maiden voyage on the tri bike, and she screams down the road just like the bird of prey after whom she's named (ahem...brand name, Kestrel, that is, not the model name, thanks to my overly intelligent friend, Jimmy. Kestrel(brand name)=bird of prey. Talon(model name)=deadly sharp toe). I've already done a few rides on it, and being a "not entirely svelte" athlete, I appreciated the responsiveness of the frame, as I have about 174 lbs to put some power into the bike. I hit a sprint at nearly 1400 watts, and the Talon SL took it like a champ. More to come on these bikes after I put more miles on them.

Smith Optics has been so awesome to me over the past year, and their sunglasses provide my eyeballs with the safety I need, in addition to making me feel a bit more stylish with their frame designs and fashionable apparel. I have been racing and training in a pair of street sunglasses, the Super Method, and even though they're not "performance cycling glasses," I find they have outstanding eye coverage. Their polarized lenses also add to their sun-conquering light reduction.

I can't say enough good things about Zoot Sports. For the past two years, I have exclusively raced and trained in their apparel. They are not just a triathlon apparel company. In a most recent care package (understatement), I received some cycling bib shorts that hands down are more comfortable than any boutique brand, European, overpriced, fancy-chamois bibs I have ever worn. Eli, Brian, and the gang out in Vista, CA have really made me feel like part of the family, and words cannot express my gratitude. More to come on some of their 2009 products...

Last, but certainly not least, I had the honor of being a groomsman at one of my best friend's wedding this past weekend. Kyle and I have been buds for quite some time now, and it was awesome to see him tie the knot. I actually have known the bride, Crystal, for even longer than I've known Kyle. Crystal was a diver at Alabama while I was swimming, and the fact that I got to see two friends get married only made the weekend that much more special. Everyone knew everyone at the wedding, and we all had a wonderful time thanks to a very special day between two of some of the best people I know.

Until next time, keep your tires rubber-side down, wear sunscreen, and eat your veggies.

Lazlo Hollyfeld

One of the cinematic jewels of our time, 1985's "Real Genius" was on television last night, as I stretched on the floor to recover from the week of training I had just completed.

Why such an obscure title to a blog post, and what does this have to do with endurance sports? Contemplation and self-realization. "I drank what?" is a line presented by Val Kilmer's character, Chris Knight, during a moment in the film when he is more or less reviewing his collegiate experience following a conversation with a corrupt professor. I encourage everyone to see this film immediately.

Chris Knight's pensive looks atop his dorm's roof caused me to be pensive as I writhed on the floor atop my foam roller to help stretch out my IT bands. My coaches are in the process of getting me ready for this upcoming season, and yesterday's reflection brought me to an utterly happy place as to my current level of fitness at the end of February. Two weekends ago, I traveled to Orlando, FL to train for a few days with my coach Marc before racing in Florida's Great Escape, a 1.5k swim, 18mile bike, and a 5mile run. Starting in the second wave, I was too proud (read: too dumb) to wear a wetsuit, but I still managed to swim within 50 seconds of the wetsuit-clad ITU guys who took off in the wave prior to mine. I'll take it. Onto the bike, I gave it what I had. My time in the saddle recently hasn't been exactly epic, as I have been limited to drills on the trainer, and small chain ring riding, so I wasn't unhappy with my bike split. Onto the run, I was able to put one foot in front of the other quick enough to win the overall amateur title. It's time to toss my hat in the ring with the big boys and earn my Elite license.

I am more than excited to be racing for East Ridge Bicycles in Chattanooga, TN this year. I have known these guys for quite some time, and through them I will be racing on Kestrel Bicycles. I am ecstatic to continue my relationship with Zoot, Powerbar, PEDRO's and Smith Optics. These companies are much more than business entities; they are friends of mine. So, thank you, and let's get ready to rock and roll this year.

Rider's block

...now if I could only get the "d" to sound like a "t," which would make the title sound more like the double meaning I intended.

The last weekend in September, my next older brother, Charlie, flew down from Atlanta to Orlando to help me pack up all my belongings and move to Chattanooga, TN. I am now living in with my oldest brother, sister-in-law and two nieces back in Chattanooga. I kind of feel like Uncle Jesse from the TV show "Full House," except I'm not married to super hottie of the 80's and 90's, Lori Loughlin, who also starred in one of my favorite movies all-time, Rad. But, I digress.

I've skipped a few races and updates over the past month, so 'lemme fill you in on a few goings on in my life, athletically speaking:

1.) August 30th - I competed in and was overall winner of the Crystal River Triathlon in Crystal River, FL, which was a great, hot and sweaty sprint triathlon on the west coast of the sunshine state. The swim was roughly 400 meters of gulf water, which helped me feel more buoyant, and I was able to come out of the water first. Onto the bike, where I had just been fitted by fit guru Adam Baskin, I was able to sustain my lead. The run was flat and hot, but I was able to hold a pace a big boy like me should be happy with, which carried me to the tape. At this point in the season, I had experienced some injuries and other issues, so it was extremely motivating and encouraging to be able to win a race.

2.) September 7th - I competed in and was overall winner of the Silver Springs Triathlon, in Silver Springs, FL, which was again, a hot and sweaty sprint triathlon in central Florida. I have never raced consecutive weekends, so it was nice to get the blood pumping again. The swim was in a beautiful spring fed, 75 degree, crystal clear oasis in the middle of a sleepy town. I took the 700 meter swim out conservatively, then progressively picked up the pace until the exit. Onto the bike, where there was nothing fancy to write home about; nonetheless, I kept up the intensity and came into T2 with a good lead. The run was through a theme park, which means there were 180-degree turns and serpentines to contend with, but I was able to run faster than the previous weekend, thanks to mother nature, and my coach who figured out I wear too much clothing; I raced in only tri shorts, and miraculously was able to stay much cooler ;)

3.) September 20th - I competed in the USA Triathlon Amateur National Championships in Portland, OR. The race is contested at the same venue for two consecutive years, with this year being the second, so I was familiar with the course having competed there in 2007. When the gun (air horn) sounded, all us 25-29 year old men took off in a clockwise rectangular swim around Lake Hagg. I layed the hammer down for about 200 meters, then calmed the the 'ol blood pumper down a bit as I approached about 1000 meters, when I picked the pace up again. I was able to come out of the water with a decent swim time, quite eager for the hard bike course which ensued. I wanted to negative split the two loop bike course, while still pedaling at a decent clip for the first loop. I was able to retain my position and, I think, pass a swimmer who came out of the water ahead of me. I began the run in third place, I think, and was able to run quite a bit faster than last year, which landed me a 15th overall finish, and sixth in my age group. I'm happy.

4.) September 27th (move day) - I ran a 15k in Orlando. I'm not sure why I subjected myself to such torture, but my coach and I are onto this whole "racing" idea ;) I like it. I was able to run a 53:52, which, as a self proclaimed amphibian, elated me. Very inspiring for my final races of the season.

5.) October 11 - Hickory Knob International Triahtlon in McCormick, SC. In the middle of the week I accompanied my dad on a business trip to the nether-regions of eastern South Carolina. That about sums it up. On our return, we detoured and found a sleepy golfing community on Strom Thurmond Lake which hosted an impressive amount of athletes in an end of season race. I was first out of the water by a solid 75 seconds, and mounted the bike faster than the Lone Ranger mounted Silver. I hammered the first two miles of the bike and found myself at a major intersection, where I was directed by the local Sheriff's department to turn right. I hammered the next three miles and found myself at an even bigger intersection, except this time, there were no officers, chalk marks, volunteers or any other persons telling me which way to go. The officers at the first intersection sent me the wrong way. By the time I had returned to the point to get me back on the right course, I was already four miles out of the way, and my race was over. The race director from Setup Events was more than accommodating and understanding of my situation. Put this one in the redemption tank for the last race of the season, which is a half ironman in Wilmington, NC, also hosted by Setup Events. I'm ready to go.

Until next time, keep your rubber roadside down and enjoy the ride!

The Final Countdown

...not only is a tremendous falsetto representation of the finest music 1986 had to offer, but it represents the goings on in the life of yours truly.

My blog posts have been much less frequent than I would have hoped, and I won't make an excuse for the lack in writing which I am sure you all find riveting. That being said, all is quiet on the Orlando front. We have remained relatively unscathed by tropical storms, aside from road closures due to flash flooding. And as fate would dictate, the weather has forced me indoors. I do view this as a blessing. I have been logging some quality running on a treadmill, which isn't as mind-numbing as one would believe. I almost prefer the "hamster wheel" now, as I can have unrestricted access to my nutrition, fans blowing cool air, and passers-by in the gym wondering why there is a crazy man wearing tiny shorts and a John McEnroe headband sweating all over the place like he was in a Turkish bath.

Additionally, I have been cycling on my indoor trainer for a couple weeks now. For those of you unfamiliar with an indoor trainer, it is a contraption that attaches to the rear wheel of your bicycle with a resistance unit applying pressure to the rear tire to simulate the road. Here is what it looks like: Computrainer. Cycling on a trainer forces one to pay attention to cycling technique, as you can actually hear if there are discrepancies between the motion of each leg and force applied; I am always striving for the "even hum" sound. Similar to the treadmill, you can also have your water bottles etc, on a table next to you, allowing for more convenience while you hammer the will out of your legs. I also prefer to watch a movie on my trainer; nothing gets my blood pumping like watching the Von Trapp family stick it to the Nazis! Ok, not really. I do like to watch action/drama movies with some sort of lively soundtrack.

Now, back to the title of my blog. I have our USA Triathlon National Championships on Sept 20, for which I am aiming my cross hairs. Countdown one. The second countdown refers to my duration in Orlando. Following the month of September, I plan on meeting a few prerequisites then applying to a Pathologists Assistant program. For those of you who had no idea, I have been working as a tech in a pathology lab in Orlando.

So that pretty much sums it all up. Until next time, keep your tires rubber side down, and stay away from tropical storms.

Is it time to race yet?

On the eve of the Olympic Games, I am growing more anxious in my own endeavours. The beauty of the triathlon season is that we are able to compete from March until November, with many events all over the country on a weekly basis. My next race is Sunday, August 17th, in Gilford, NH. Keith Jordan and Endorfun Sports host Timberman, a 70.3 event. For those of you wondering what 70.3 means, it is a half ironman; Ironman is a masochistic event, consisting of 140.6 miles of swimming, cycling and running. The swim is 2.4 miles, the bike is 112 miles and the run is 26.2 miles. Divide each leg by two, and that's what I'll be doing in two Sundays.

I'm excited for a couple of reasons: one, I love New Hampshire. It's beautiful, and there are colder summer temps than the south, and rolling/difficult terrain. Two, I haven't exactly had the perfect season I had been expecting, so it will be nice to hopefully piece together a good effort. I have prepared quite well for this event (and the rest of my season), having hit some good solid training weeks of 20,000+ meters in the pool, 14hrs on the bike, and north of 60 miles of running.

I was also able to recharge my mental batteries this past weekend in Moultrie, GA, as I attended the wedding of two friends. The wedding, reception, and every event surrounding the weekend was spent with close friends, and I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. I had a phenomenal workout of approximately three hours on the best rope swing known to man. It was blast watching former national caliber divers successfully attempt acrobatics off this contraption. I tried, but failed miserably.

So for now, I am going to begin backing off my mileage and throwing in a bit of intensity in preparation for Timberman. I will keep everyone updated along the way, and maybe even write a blog as I relax before the event.

Until next time, keep your tires rubber-side down...

Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon

Now that I've had some time to reflect, unpack and disinfect, I thought I might write about the race this past weekend:

I was excited to head back to Chattanooga not only to race, but to see my family and friends. My weekend started off better than amazing on Saturday morning as I was walking through the terminal and saw my niece with a huge grin on her face, dressed in purple and toting her suitcase, run to greet me...I could have gone home, never having raced at all, and been a perfectly content man.

After lunch and packet pick-up with my dad and niece, I think all of us were ready for the race.

Race morning. I had a good bike warm-up and was ready to walk the one mile upstream to the swim start with my dad and uncle. It was a nice relief to not have to do the walk by myself, as it helped me keep my mind relaxed. Before I knew it, I was swimming. I had the occasion to be one of the last swimmers to depart, as Team Magic did not have an elite amateur wave, which would come back to haunt me later in the race. Back to the swim, I was happy with the effort. With a quick T1, I was flying out of transition, but about half a mile into the ride, I came up on a beginner triathlete and was passing on the left, but to my surprise, this young lady swerved into me and I had to react by swerving out of her way.

I reacted and almost stayed upright. I hit the dirt (read: asphalt). Upon impact, my brand new water bottles from which I had never taken a single sip, were ejected. After about 30 seconds, I regained my composure and jumped back on my bike, sans nutrition, and hammered. Before I knew it, I was at the bike turnaround. I stopped. I calmly asked the volunteers if they had any fluids, as I had crashed and was depleted.

No luck. "Okay," I said to myself, and put my head down and rode. At about mile 18, I passed a competitor and noticed he had an aerobottle between his aerobars, a bottle on his downtube, seat tube, and a rear hydration rack with two bottles, making roughly 80+ ounces he was carrying on his person. I also notice these bottles were virtually full, as they were made of clear plastic. I slowed down to speak to this man, and gave him a brief recap of my day so far, and begged for a bottle. The man proceeded to tell me he was going to drink the remainder 60+ ounces of fluid with only seven miles remaining, and could spare no juice. Yikes...this man's belly ache might surpass the pain of my crash if he drank all his liquids.

Back to the bike. As I approached the last four miles, I found myself cycling in the hardest rain I have ever encountered on my bike. No big deal. I rode with my mouth open wide to hopefully get enough water in my mouth for a big gulp. I looked dumb.

After the fastest T2 of the day (my dad recorded all my splits) I stopped at the run start to drink as much fluid as I could from the aid station. This would not help. I don't remember running the first mile, and by mile two, the pain in my hip from crashing coupled with zero nutrition in my body from hammering for an hour and a half was enough to cause me to pull the plug. The volunteer said it was a good idea, as he said I looked rather pale. So I'm not "tan." I'm working on it.

As I was given a ride in a cool old jeep back to the staging area, I couldn't help but smile and laugh as I saw my nieces with my race number drawn on their arms and t-shirts by my awesome sister-in-law. This was hands down the best support crew I've ever had at a race, complete with mother, father, grandmother, both brothers, sister-in-law, uncle, nieces and countless friends. I hope I didn't leave anyone out of that count. Moral of the story: thank you so much, it means the world to me.

I was pleased to see my dad compile the race data in an Excel spreadsheet, which indicated that despite my crash, no nutrition, stopping at the bike turnaround, having a conversation with an overly hydrated competitor and cycling through a tropical deluge, I was only a few seconds behind the overall winner as we began the run. "Woulda, shoulda, coulda..." I could whine all day, but it is as useless as a rocking chair; it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere.

I am motivated, encouraged and ready to race the Timberman 70.3 on August 17. This half ironman is held in Gilford, NH, and I am more than excited to race in cooler temperatures and see how I hold up over this distance.

Until next time, keep your bike tires rubber-side down and share your juice.