Finally!

With nothing to lose, Kompetitive Edge was able to pull some strings to get me into the Denver Triathlon on short notice. I was praying for some redemption from my past few races. This summer I had one solid race and two subpar races. This was not making sense to me as my training had been going fantastic. After a terrible race in Boulder, I headed to Longmont for some time with my coach Jim Hallberg. He told me that I was capable of racing a lot faster than my races had shown, that I just needed to hammer the swim and the bike as hard as possible, and then just see what would happen. Today, I started with a very simple strategy. Simply swim, bike, and run faster than I ever had before. This may seem as an unrealistic expectation, but knowing what I had done to train, I knew it was not.
The race kicked off in Sloan’s Lake, a very dirty and terrible tasting lake. Due to the warm temperature, wet suits were not allowed. Luckily, I was equipped with the TYR Torque speed suit. Knowing that I wouldn’t have a wet suit for buoyancy I figured I would be very lucky to be anywhere near my PR in the swim. I took out in a crowded wave and hammered it just as I was told. As I exited the water, I knew I had just swum a great split, 27:12, nearly a two minute PR. Off on the bike I was cruising, finding my way into the biggest gear, and pushing it. This strategy was working well but not without some help from the Big Guy upstairs. With my two favorite Bible verses written on my aerobars and a certain tune stuck in my head, I knew I had God with me. In case you are wondering what the song was, it was the Arky Arky Song from church camp. With His help, I had just biked 63:10, averaging right under 24 mph. Now that my arms were tired and my legs trashed, it was time to run. The out and back course was not a flat fast course as I had hoped, but a rolling one that pushed me to my limits in the heat. I knew that if I could hang in there I could break 2:10. My run split was a 37:46 that put me at 2:09.50, leaving 10 seconds to spare!

All in all, I am ecstatic! I had needed a sub 2:15 race time to assure me a spot in the elite category in several races, and today took care of that. At this time I am unsure if I will be racing any more triathlons this year, as the summer comes to a close. I want to say thank you to the Olson family for allowing me to stay in their very nice town home on the 20th floor! It was great to have such a nice place located close to the race to relax and sleep. Also, thank you so much to Byron Thomas who is a gifted massage therapist. He took great care of me before and after the race, putting some life back into my legs. Finally, a thank you goes to my family, friends, and sponsors who have been there with me on good races and bad. May the Glory go to God now and forever!

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!

Loveland Lake 2 Lake

June 25th was not only my birthday but also the Loveland Lake 2 Lake Triathlon. This year marks my 4th year in a row of doing triathlons, and the Loveland Lake 2 Lake was the first triathlon I ever did. I have been able to drop my time each year and had my highest placing finish this weekend. With this 2nd place finish I was able to qualify for USA Triathlon Nationals. There were 30 men in the 25-29 age group, and I pulled off a 2nd place finish. Since I turned 25 today, I was the youngest guy in my age division, so the future looks promising. My final time was 2:29.04 which was over four minutes faster than last year’s time and a new personal record for me on this course. Although my swim, bike, and run were all faster than last year, the biggest improvements came in the bike and the run. As the race went on I was able to continue pushing myself because I have grown stronger in the swim and bike. This keeps me more relaxed and able to put down a good run time. Going into the race today I was a little nervous after such a terrible race in Kansas, but I knew the training was there. I focused on the belief in my training and in the Lord. One of the Bible verses that is written on my aero bars is Isaiah 40:31: "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Those words were in my head throughout the race and will continue to be so in future races.



Having the best wetsuit from TYR, a bike that works great thanks to Ryan Stedeford and Kompetitive Edge, with some great shoes from Brooks, I was set. With the best parents and fellow Kompetitive Edge supporters there to cheer me on, it was a fantastic day!

Kansas Half Ironman

Goodbye, so long, and farewell Kansas Half Ironman. In three years, my best race there was when I was at the worst level of fitness of my triathlon career. Between the wind, the hills, and the heat of Kansas, I must not be suited to race a competitive triathlon in this state. This tells me that I was not meant to race here; so, I do not plan to return.

As for today’s race, as you may already know, it did not go according to plan. The water was beautiful and calm at 6:30 a.m. for the pro start; however, at 7:15 a.m., it was very rough with winds and boat traffic making the calm lake have nice big waves that managed to rip the straps of my goggles off my head. Luckily, they are the TYR Nest Pro’s, so they stuck to my eyes while I readjusted. After checking my watch, I was very disappointed with my swim and took to the very windy bike course. Weighing 160 lbs and riding with a disc rear wheel, I had the pleasure of being whipped all over the roads. My favorite quote from the bike today was from two men, “What direction is the wind actually coming from?” “All of them!”

When I finally got to the run I was excited to be able to focus on my strength and make up some time. I ran a smart race as I slowly picked up the pace and picked off competitors. My feet didn’t start rubbing and bleeding until mile 9. By the time I finished, I was cramping so bad that I collapsed across the finish line where Chrissie Wellington saw me, and the medics carried me to the medical tent. While they stuck me with 2 IV’s (one in each arm), Chrissie checked on me and was kind enough to sign both of my shoes as she reminded me how amazing Brooks shoes really are. So, how do I feel about the race? Yeah, I am bummed to not have done better, but I did the best I could under the circumstances and am looking forward to Olympic Distance races in Colorado!

Thanks to Megan Rosa who I coached at Baker for coming out and working the race while cheering me on!

Never Quit

In Psalms, I recently stumbled onto a different translation of a verse that hit home in a new way. I had always heard in Psalms 136 that “His love endures forever.” However, in another translation it states that “His love never quits.” I sat there thinking about what I had just read. As a runner, I have had countless people tell me to not quit, to fight, to refuse to give in. While coaching, I gave the speech many times about never quitting and fighting for every second until you cross that line. I picture myself coming down the homestretch, gritting my teeth, fighting, and not quitting. Reading this translation of a Bible verse made me think about God and how he isn’t going to quit on me. Knowing His love endures forever makes me feel secure. Hearing that his love never quits makes me feel strong.

Each day I spend in Colorado I feel a little bit stronger,stronger from great workouts, stronger because I am with my friends, and even stronger because each morning I wake up and run. I have ran in many states but there is a feeling as I finish a run and look up at Pikes Peak, my Ebenezer. A reminder of all that he has done for me. As I jog down the hill just to sprint right back up I look at Pikes Peak and I am reminded that He never quits, His love endures forever, and whatever happens in Kansas I am ok with because I am not going to quit. Doing the best I can using the gifts God has given me is all I can do. So when you are in your next workout, race,or flat rotten day, remember this; “His love never quits”!

The view from the Incline on Pikes Peak

Blessed With Support

My move back to Colorado is right around the corner. As always, my arrival there marks the true start of my triathlon season. Although this move may be the most difficult one I have ever done without having a definite plan for the fall, I feel I have all the support in the world. My family has done all they can to come watch me race and support me in spite of how far away I have been. The team I have been coaching is excited for my future and sad that I will not be their coach next fall, instead of being mad that I am leaving. They threw me a fantastic going away party with all the parents and runners coming together and even writing me individual cards with their favorite memories. In addition to all of that, I have a friend named Miranda who has been there for me as I stressed about this move and my future. She has reminded me to go to God with my worries and has also helped me put things into perspective. Finally, even with all the support in the world, I have Brooks and Kompetitive Edge looking out for me. Thank you guys for all the gear and making racing possible.

A Step of Faith

Once again, I reach a crossroads in my life. I have an opportunity to stay on as an assistant coach at Baker University but with low pay and no chance of real advancement. Two years ago I thought I would be ready to leave this place and start as a head coach; I never imagined it would be so hard to leave. The bond between a coach and an athlete is in my opinion the leading factor for success in running. If a runner trusts their coach, they are willing to give all they have and truly buy into what the coach is telling them to do. Only giving half of yourself to training is like giving half of yourself to God. That makes you lukewarm, and while you may think you are winning or doing well, you are not reaching your potential. As God would say, you are lukewarm. In Revelations 3:16, being lukewarm means God wants to spit you out because you are disgusting, and an athlete that does not commit to my training ideas is also lukewarm and wasting both of our times. However, I am blessed to have such an amazing group of athletes who are not just lukewarm, but instead are burning with desire to train and to praise the Lord. We have a team prayer that one of my athletes put together that the entire distance team does before a meet. This is the reason it is so hard to take this next step. To leave this group of young individuals is like leaving a piece of my family. I will miss them, but after much prayer I know it is best for me and what God is calling me to do. While I have been driving athletes to church, praying with athletes, and truly caring about them, I want to build an entire team under this philosophy, not just the distance program. This is not to say that I have not grown close to many of the sprinters, jumpers, or throwers because I have. They all know they can trust me, and they do come to me quite often about real life problems not just coaching advice.
With this new step, I am uncertain and yet still a believer. I do not know where I will be coaching next year, but I do know that I trust God to lead me, and while the first step is always one in the dark, I am not scared. A song lyric that really drove this home while I was deliberating over my decision was this “And there are places I’ve wished I could be, Battles I’ve wanted to win, Dreams that have slipped through my hands, I may never be back again, But I’m still a dreamer, A believer, Oh, I lost my faith in so many things, But I still believe in You, Cuz You can make anything new.” So many things are not how I planned them, but that is alright with me because I am a believer and God is leading me. So here I go, into the unknown, a career in coaching. I pray God will lead me through this time, I am truly submitting and giving my future to God. Nothing in life is worth having unless it is given from God, so sacrifices must be made and I am making them.
I will miss each and every one of my runners, my beaufitul route up Signal Oak that I love to run, Chipotle on Mass St., grilling with Sara, and the good old Baldwin City water tower. Less then a month now but I am excited for the impact I can have with my own program, and how many young souls I can try to being to the Lord.