Olympic Trials...last stop: Hy-Vee Triathlon (June 22nd)

The swim is back in for the last stop on the U.S. Olympic Trials circuit, the Hy-Vee Triathlon this Sunday, June 22nd. Local triathlon hero, Brian Fleischmann, will attempt to wrestle the remaining Olympic Games spot away from the heavily favored Andy Potts and Hunter Kemper.

Good luck Brian!

You can watch the live coverage here.

BFAST #2...or, DRAFT-FAST 2008!

There are cheats in every sport, and triathletes are no different. The main issue is that triathlons are supposed to be an individual event...but the opportunity to break the rules comes once you mount your bike. In a triathlon there is no drafting (except the UCI olympic type of racing), it's supposed to be every person against the elements to see how fast they can complete the event. This past weekend's Beaches Fine Arts Triathlon was a perfect example...

It was a pretty nice day on Saturday, although the surf was a tad rough...but nothing terrible. The gun sounded and I was aggressive early, and tried to stay to the outside to avoid the human washing machine. I had to swim a little extra, but was worth it to me. The swim course was much longer than last time, and was probably the correct distance this time. I came out of the water feeling like usual in a sprint triathlon swim...heart rate through the roof, heavy breathing, legs and arms tired...and then made the run through the deep sand to the transition area.

I had a descent transition 1 and headed out on the bike. I started ramping it up to catch people and try to find the leader(s). As I looked up I saw the lead motorcycle in the distance, so I kept going between 27-28 mph. It felt like it was taking me a while to get there for some reason, and as I caught them about mile 4 or so...I noticed why. They were all lined up in a pace line drafting. I think there were about 5 guys, and as I approached the front said, "That doesn't look like 3 bike lengths to me...you guys need to break it up." I went past at my same speed only to have them latch onto my draft. I then threw in a couple surges, but the were staying too close to drop without a full sprint. As we were heading back towards transition 2 periodically a rider would come by and pass (sometimes 2 at a time due to one rider in anothers slipstream), so I would have to slow down to not draft. I know that I normally can't run with the top guys off the bike, so try to have a bit of a buffer heading into the run. I also knew that several of these guys usually race Elite and are some of the better triathletes in the state. I finally resigned myself to the fact that they were willing the cheat at all costs, and I would have to see what I had on the run. And believe me...I'm pissed, but nothing I can do about it now. Where the hell were the course marshalls? My bike split is 12 seconds slower than last time due to all these idiots in my way.

We go into transition 2 and I have a quick transition and exit with two other guys. We're running pretty quick, and I hit the first mile in 5:40 something, ouch. The other two guys start pulling away...so I have to let them drift away. I'm soon passed by another guy from our "pack". We turn around and head back, I pass mile 2 in around 12:05. About a 1/2 mile to go another guy passes me and I try to go with him, but I know he's a really good runner and leaves me. I finish 5th, and the top 6 spots are seperated by less that 55 seconds. My run split was faster than last time by about 15 seconds.

After the results are posted, it shows they assessed a 2 minute penalty to two of the guys in front of me. I read the referee's penalty report, and I'm not even sure the penalties were for drafting...it was very strange. This moved me into 3rd place, which is nice...but the damage was done, the dynamics of the race were totally changed. Since there was drafting in the lead pack, I wasn't able to ride my normal race. I would have been able to put at least 1 minute on the next person on the bike, and although I had the fastest bike split of the day...it didn't give me a lead of the bike. I was only 38 seconds out of 1st place, and without cheating would have had at least that as a cushion coming off the bike.

The positive's from the race are that I had a descent swim and run although I have been on a bit of a break. I need to mentally and physically "reboot", so that when I start ramping up my training for Ironman Florida...I'll be ready and focused.

The last race in the Beaches Fine Arts Series is in 4 weeks, so hopefully they have some descent course marshalls to ensure this kind of racing doesn't happen again. We'll also see how I feel since I'll have been on a bit of a non-structured break until then. I'm in the lead for the series overall, so would like to have a good race.

P.S. If you look through the results, a LOT of people broke 25 minutes on the bike. It looks as though more people broke 25 this time, than at any other time since they've had the bike on this particular course...hmmm...

Last weeks results.
Historical results.

Sween

Cool running video filmed in Jacksonville

Here's a video filmed right here in Jacksonville, it's pretty cool.

Kevin Neal wins age group at Boise 70.3!!!

Kevin "Iron Stud" Neal was in Boise, Idaho this past weekend for their inaugural 70.3 event. He came out the of the water 8th in his age group, moved into 1st on the bike, and held everyone off on the run...incredible! He's now qualified for the Ironman and 1/2 Ironman World Championships for 2008...congrats!

Here are the results.

I spoke to Kevin tonight, and his time includes a 4 minute penalty for littering...when one of those super thin sports bottles passed out on the course bounced out of his cage on a 40 MPH downhill! Also, the bike course was 1.2 miles long (measured by several participants).

Rock & Roll 1/2 Ironman..."IV" been better...

I've learned something about Macon, Georgia...it's hilly and very hot! This past weekend Danny "Double D" Domingo and myself trudged up to Macon to do a 1/2 Ironman race. We knew there would be hills and heat, so it didn't come as a shock...but you always hope it won't be that bad. You have a mental plan in place "...hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, salt tab, hydrate, etc.", and hope that your body will respond accordingly...but, sometimes you just have a bad day. This happened to Danny at Gulf Coast, and I experienced it in Macon.

We stood in line for about 1 1/2 hours the day before...taking in the rays of the blazing sun. This confirmed that race day was going to be tough, especially when compounded by fresh black asphalt on the run portion.

On race morning word came that it was wetsuit legal, 77.5 degrees (78 is the cutoff)..so that was good news...at least for me. We put our stuff in the transition and made our way DOWN to the lake...like DOWN a pretty length steep hill that would help serve as the run up into transition...ouch! Getting my wetsuit on, I was already starting to sweat. I got in the water and it felt like a bathtub...jeesh, they must have taken the temperature from the very bottom of the lake! Anyhow, wave 1 containing the pro/elite's went off 3 minutes before our wave. The swim course was nice and pretty uneventful from my standpoint. Danny on the other hand tore off the front of our wave and caught all the pro/elite guys! He had the fastest swim time of the day, and was first out of T1! I got out of the water, ran down the beach to the hill...heart racing out of control...so, I walked up the hill until it leveled off before setting off again. It was a pretty good shock to the system.

Danny let the eventual winner go on the bike, but paced with two other riders for the rest and went into the run second or third overall. I knew 20 miles into the bike that I was having an off day. I couldn't get the gear rolling over, and it felt difficult even though I was keeping my heart rate pretty low. I battled back and forth with a couple guys, then ended up with totally clear road after mile 30...all the way to the end. About 15 miles to go I felt pretty fatigued and knew the run was going to be really hot. I thought about just dropping out after the bike, grabbing two beers (I always buy in pairs), and cheering Danny on to the end...but, I hate DNF'ing...so I HTFU and kept going.

I was 6th overall coming off the bike, and decided to run really slow and maybe pick it up around mile 9 or 10...it was a great plan. Two guys ran by me after a couple miles, and then the placings stabilized until around mile 9...then my stomach went south. I started feeling sick and had really bad cramps in my stomach. I chewed up some Tums and then finally got off the hot asphalt and bent over on the side of the road. Another guy ran past me and shouted encouragement...unlike in cycling where you try to break the guy next to you, fellow competitors cheer each other on...nice change of pace. Anyhow, I started running again...although at a slow pace, and kept going until the finish. I was passed by several guys, but did at least pass one guy inside the final mile. In the end I was 15th overall and 4th in my age group...I guess everyone was having a tough day. Danny was 3rd amateur and 6th overall. He had major issues on the run also, but HTFU'd and finished.

As I crossed the finish line, they asked me how I felt...I gave them the standard "...like shit" response...then made a left turn to the medical tent to get an IV, and there was Danny along with everyone else who finished in front of me getting one also...it was a tough day! The medical staff was awesome...they took off my shoes and socks, covered my body in ice cold towels, gave me a drink, and started my IV drip! Really, the medical folks there were incredible.

I'll post pictures as soon as I have them sorted out, and here are the results.