Loveland L2L

The 2012 Loveland L2L triathlon did not go according to plan, to say the least. Due to the High Park Fire, the bike course had to be shortened to 24 miles. The run course also was changed from a 10K into a 5.1 mile run. Since those two events have been my biggest strengths, I was a little concerned about how my times would be affected.

On a clear and sunny morning at 6:30 a.m., the gun went off, and the race was on. There was a 1500 m swim; and I completed it. That is all I have to say about that. On to the bike! I began hammering it, knowing that the swim was nothing to brag about. Despite a strong smoke aroma and a new course, I had one of the best time trial bike rides of my life. Coming off the bike portion of the race, I had made up a lot of time and passed tons of people. Coming into transition 2, I stumbled on a wet suit and nearly fell down, cutting open my shin a bit on my pedal. In spite of this, I still managed a :28 second transition. The run was on, and it was very important to push from the get go as it was getting hot and I had 1.1 miles less to make up time. I ended up running a 5:49 average which was not what I had planned but good enough under the race conditions. This Loveland L2L was my first and will always be my favorite triathlon! Peggy puts on a 1st class event, and I would recommend it to anyone. 

When all was said and done, I finished the race as the 4th professional triathlete which was good enough for $100. I will take this as a good start to my birthday weekend and a step closer to what I hope is a great Boulder Peak Triathlon in a few weeks. I want to thank my parents for coming to this race for 5!!! straight years! I am truly blessed to have such great parents. As always, I pray this race, my efforts in preparing, and my racing are ones which God finds pleasing, as all I do, I do to glorify Him. 1Corinthians 10:31

Swim(1500m) 29:11, T 1:06, Bike(24miles) 58:21, T :28 Run(5.1miles) 29:44 = 1:58.50

Boulder Sprint Triathlon

Today marked my 2nd attempt at the Boulder Sprint Triathlon. I raced the same race in 2009 and finished with a time of 1:21.03 and bettered that time by almost 5 minutes with a 1:16.16. I am very excited because I have been focusing a lot of energy on bettering my swim and bike. The swim was over 2 minutes faster and the bike 3 minutes faster. My run also improved, but what hurt me today was my first transition where I had a small helmet problem, costing me nearly a minute. Another cause for excitement was being able to race and catch a young man who had beat me by over 6 minutes in my terrible race at the KC5i50, and today sprinting to the finish I beat him. This reassures me that I am in good shape and with another week or so to acclimate to the elevation in Colorado, I am only going to get stronger. I am so blessed to have Jim Hallberg as a coach and host who has put me up and put up with me as I train. This I hope is the start of a great season during this summer in Colorado. I will be racing next weekend on June 23rd at the Loveland L2L which happens to be my favorite race.

Overall1:16.16. Swim13:19, T2:03, Bike 41:57, T:47, Run18:10. 23rd place.

Happy Fathers Day, and thank you to my “enabling” / “loving” parents who support this habit of mine. Don Bailey, you are an amazing father and an inspiration to me. Good Luck to everyone with their racing and training, and God Bless.