Stagnant

Today was the 4th time I have raced Boulder Peak,that is if you can call what I did "racing" today. The summer started off with a terrible race in Kansas, but I followed it up with a fantastic race at the Loveland Lake 2Lake. Riding high and with training well ahead of last year, I felt today would have been a day for a great race. However, a great race was not in the cards today. Throughout the swim I felt very relaxed and comfortable but unable to shift into a faster stroke. I actually swam nearly 30 seconds faster than last year, but I did not do justice to my swim training. As I headed away from the Boulder Reservoir and up to Old Stage Road, I felt very tight and stagnant, just as in the swim. I managed to throw up a fair amount of water as I approached the summit of Old Stage, disappointed that I had climbed a little over 1300 ft to the top with a belly full of lake water it would appear. Over the summit and feeling a lot better, I started to roll. I was able to fight back and was only 20seconds slower than my bike split of last year. The run was finally here, and I couldn’t have been happier. It only took me half a mile to realize this out and back course was going to be more like a fartlek workout than a race. I started in the second to last wave, over an hour and 1200 athletes behind starters. Running well through the first couple miles, I began to run into strong traffic, bumping shoulder after shoulder, weaving my way in and out, trying to find a rhythm. I was stagnant once again and beginning to become frustrated. I ended up running a 37:59 for the 10K and felt disgusted to see such a horrific time. All in all, I finished :67 seconds behind where I was last year and not happy at all.

Now what? Back to the drawing board! I am hoping Kompetitive Edge can find a way to take care of me by getting me into the Denver Triathlon in two weeks. With another race, I hope to redeem myself and better use this gift of being a triathlete that God has given me to better glorify him. After the race I was able to talk with my coach Jim Halberg and teammate Brandon Jessop which helped to calm me down and get my mind right to race again. I am so blessed to have a great coach and to be part of the Kompetitive Edge family. Hangingout with Jared, Ryan, and Brandon was truly the highlight of my weekend.

Special thanks to Jim Halberg for putting me up and to my parents for coming to watch and cheer me on.

Written in Pike's Perk with great friends, Adam, Lars and Andrew!