Boulder 5i50 2012

The Boulder 5i50 is the second race in the series in Boulder and also the second race that I have competed in this summer in the 5i50 series. As always I traveled up the night before to check in and spend the night at my coach's house. After arriving, it began pouring rain and continued most of the night and morning. Being in the Elite wave that starts first, I knew the bike course would be very slick on the mountain turns. As I put on my wet suit, Dave Scott (6 time Ironman World Champion) sat down beside me, and we had a great conversation as he was there to watch his son race. After the talk, I was excited and ready to start the race.

The elite wave in the swim started fast as I expected it would, leaving me in the back as I am not known as a swimmer. Although I found my way to the back of the pack of swimmers, I still managed a personal best time for 1500m in the swim. Coming out of the water I was excited to see my split despite being behind the top athletes. Onto the bike where the course had plenty of puddles and slick spots as well as parts in the mountains where dirt had washed across the road. With these conditions I understood my time might not be as fast as I would like, but I would push all the same. Luckily for me the toughest hill ever put in a triathlon is on Old Stage Road; this is right where my coach Jim Hallberg had positioned himself to encourage me and tell me to get after it. I couldn't help but smile seeing him there because as a coach it is exactly where I would have been for my athletes. Coming to the end of the bike I was under pace for a new best time on the course when I heard that sound of rim on pavement. A FLAT TIRE with 2 miles to go! The decision had to be made quickly, and I decided to ride the rim for the rest rather than blowing the time to fix it. This would prove costly. I made the first turn with no problem right at 20mph as I had slowed since I was riding on the rim. With 200m to go and the last turn right in front of several hundred people, I made the turn too fast, and the bike went out from underneath me. I felt my body slide and my shoulder, hip, and knee did a great job of taking the brunt of the force. My skin also did its job in slowing the slide by applying itself to the highway. I could hear the yells and gasps as I fell and got up. I quickly grabbed my bike and took off running the remaining 200m. I could hear the loud cheers of support as the spectators could see the blood running off of my shoulder and other places. I once again had a quick decision to make and decided to give it hell on the run as I had good adrenaline. The adrenaline lasted about 1.5 miles, and the following 4.5 miles were excruciating. My left hip and knee could only land, and the majority of the push off had to come from the right side of my body. As I ran, I knew I wanted to finish because I have wrecked before and finished an Ironman bleeding; this should be no problem. However, at the finish line my body was aching. I was then helped to the med tent where they cleaned the rocks and dirt out of my cuts. The medics did a great job of bandaging me up and encouraged me to get x-rays to check out my hip and shoulder.

I am very pleased to have a new PR in the swim, to have been able to nearly match my time on the bike despite the terrible luck, and very happy that pain could not stop me from finishing. I may have said the verse Isaiah 40: 28-31 about 25 times on the run to tell myself I would be okay. I really appreciate my parents being there, even though I nearly caused a heart attack for my mom as she was right there to watch me crash. I also want to thank Beth and Carson, two friends who both gave me high fives on the run that helped me push through the pain. Without the support of family, friends, and my Savior, I would have stayed on the road and waited for the paramedics to pick me up. God Bless

2:20.46 Missed my course record by only 22 seconds.
Swim 27:27, T 2:03, Bike 1:12.09, T:57, Run 38:10

Out of the water with a new PR.

The pain is in my face with every step.

The medics cleaning me up.

Never look at an injury till the race is over.

Post race chat with Ironman GREAT Julie Dibens.

Colorado Springs Will Rebuild

Today I took off on my favorite bike route on Flying W Ranch Rd. and Garden of the Gods. It has been over a week since most of you heard about the blaze that destroyed over 346 homes and took the life of two residents in that part of Colorado Springs. Even though fires are commonplace in Colorado, never has one blown into a city like the Waldo Canyon Fire did last Tuesday. I think back to that evening, sitting up by Pulpit Rock with two close friends, watching it jump from house to house. As we sat there, we prayed together that no one would be injured and that the firefighters would be able to stop it. Not since the 1990 Limon, CO tornado have I had such a front seat to watch such devastating destruction.

My ride was supposed to be an easy 25 mile shake out after a 6 mile run, but it quickly changed as I rode by house after house that had been burned and destroyed. What I couldn't get over that fateful night nor today is the true power that only God possesses. Even with hundreds of firefighters and fire hydrants, they still were at the mercy of the fire. Only God can truly stop such a fire. My bike ride was a reminder of His awesome power; I was overcome with different emotions as I cycled through the area. The majority of the damaged homes will be rebuilt. As sad as it was to see families digging through the rubble, I was excited to see people alive and well. This city is truly a great home and I am proud to be from here as it has reached out and taken in those lost. What truly took me back today was a person whose home was half destroyed by fire but still standing. They were painting on a piece of their fence a thank you note to the firefighters. Firefighters ripped down fences and pulled down wood decks to try to save houses and to stop the spread of fire. I am proud of this city for its support of the firefighters and the trust in God to rebuild and keep the people safe. Thank you to all the firefighters, national guard, and police who did such an amazing job in protecting this city and keeping the people safe.

I race Sunday morning at the Boulder 5i50 Triathlon.

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.

Cracked Rib = Bad Day

On Saturday afternoon, I made the trip from Salina to Kansas City. I tried to stick with the normal routine, dinner at Noodles and Company (thanks Ashley for the company), hydration, and 8+ hours of sleep. What I didn't expect came Sunday morning!

I had been getting through workouts relatively pain free in spite of my cracked rib, but when I put on the wet suit for the triathlon, the added pressure to my chest made it very painful throughout the swim. To make matters even more interesting during the swim, a fellow competitor went off course causing me to add a few hundred extra meters of swimming. By the time I was out of the water, I had recorded my slowest 1500m swim in several years. With that portion completed, I was ready to try and salvage what I could of the race by hammering the bike and run legs. The morning had started off clear and calm, but the calm was quickly replaced by 15mph winds that made my bike leg decent; however, it did not give me the kind of time I needed to make up time lost in the water. Finally to the run, my favorite part of the race. I was able to run a decent first two miles but managed to get a giant blister on my right foot that bled through my shoe. I finished the race and thanked God that I had not gotten a flat tire. Then, I went to find friends to catch up with. Final splits: Swim:29:42, Tran: 1:51, Bike1:06.32, Tran: :50 Run 38:34, Final 2:17.26

Through the eyes of a child.

Just last night at the coaches' BBQ for Kansas Wesleyan, I was admiring the children who were playing. Their energy and imagination is truly a gift that I forget to enjoy myself. Today I was reminded of this fact when I went to the pool to clear my head of stress and anger. I was having a rough day and decided that a pool workout would be a good idea. I went there to be alone, because it gives me time to think. However, God did not want me to be alone and made sure that I would not be alone.
As I started my workout, I noticed a friend of mine was at the pool with his granddaughter. He came over to say hello, but he could see I was upset and wanted to be left alone to train. His granddaughter climbed up on the ropes to my lane, and in between sets,she introduced herself. After finishing my next set, she was still there, waiting for me to come up for air to tell me more about herself and to ask questions. Initially I was a little annoyed as I wanted to be alone, and Dan tried to pull her away. However, she was making a friend and was not to be stopped. Lola told me about her grandparents, how fast she could run, and that I had more hair than her father. As I swam, a verse came to mind, Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 14:19 I changed my workout and made longer breaks to allow myself to become friends with Lola. When it came time to leave the pool, I was no longer bearing the burden that I had when I arrived. I could not thank the workout for this, but instead a young lady who put a smile on my face. I once said, “The day I get too old for fun… dig my grave.” Well, I am not too old for fun, and I am going to make sure I don’t forget that. Sad or challenging news can get the best of anyone, but a conversation with a six year old showed me that God is always working in my life.

I hope that I can look at life more like a child, always wanting to learn, to grow, to understand, and make friends. I am so blessed to have a God who loves me and will do whatever it takes to get through to me.

You may ask how this really pertains to training, and my answer is that the next time there is a distraction in your workout, don’t necessarily look at it as a hindrance but instead an opportunity. I have no proof this will make you faster, but I do promise it will make you happier. Good luck to everyone racing the Kansas 5i50 this weekend!

Cracked Rib

One week away from kicking off the 2012 triathlon season, and my confidence is a bit shaken. What was originally thought to be a bruised rib turned out to be a cracked rib. Joking around with friends ended up with me getting tackled, and now I have spent the last nine days teaching my body better posture on runs and on the bike to relieve any pressure. The most painful thing is not training though, it's when I sneeze. Needless to say, I am learning to deal with a constant pain on deep breaths that may come in handy when finishing a triathlon. My kick off triathlon will be the Kansas City 5i50 Olympic distance triathlon. Hopefully with prayer and a little rest, I will be ready to rock it. This is the time of year I look forward to, as I will be returning to Colorado to train and race. Following this next race, I will have a week in Indiana at the NAIA National Track and Field Championships followed by a move to Colorado for two months.