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.

USA Duathlon National Championship

A successful trip to the USA Duathlon National Championships in Tucson, AZ, came to a close this morning after posting a new personal best: finishing 6th place in the men’s 25-29, and 27th overall. Breaking the top 30 was one of my goals I had set for myself going into this race.

The race went out a lot faster than last year which was fine by me, but even I was shocked at how fast we went out. As the race started, I was more prepared than last year but definitely lacking on hill training, especially on the run as I have been living in Salina, KS, where conditions are a bit flatter. My race splits were R16:54, T:47, B55:50, T:44, R18:56, Total=1:33.09. This was nearly five minutes faster than last year which was almost completely due to the bike split. To thank for my bike split, I have my amazing new Specialized Shiv bicycle and training. I was extremely excited to see an improved split, as I have cut back on the run training and maintained where I was, while “Attacking My Weaknesses” in the bike. Despite the lack of hill training in the serious heat, my nutritional needs were met by the great products of Honey Stinger as well as my TYR Carbon Kit that helped me beat the heat. The hills were a little easier wearing the fast Brooks T7 racers which have always been my favorite racing flats.

The day before the race I was not so sure how things would go on the bike when I was relaxing in the hotel and a loud shot went off in the room. The tube in my front tire blew from the pressure, causing me to have to change it, but that is much better than during the race. All in all, I am very excited and looking forward to making my 2012 triathlon debut at the KC 5i50 race and seeing if my swim and bike continue to improve as I attack my weaknesses and become a better all-around triathlete.

I want to say thank you to my amazing parents who drove me down there, my coach Jim Hallberg, and my many friends sending their prayers.

2 Weeks

Less than 2 weeks until my first test of 2012. The USA Duathlon National Championships will be held April 28th in Tuscon, Arizona. Yesterday was my last hard long run before the race, and I knew it would be an interesting one with tornado sirens keeping me up most of the night and 35mph winds still roaring as I took off for 11 miles. The 11 finished with a strong head wind but still under 6:20 pace, and I am feeling very confident. Tomorrow morning I will take to the roads for a 2 hour morning ride as I ease into my taper. Looking forward, I am really excited to race and feeling confident in my training. The only element I am concerned about at this point is dealing with the heat of Arizona on the black asphalt. I have equipped myself with the fastest bike on the market, the most comfortable racing flats, and of course a new pair of Oakleys. My training, gear, and faith are as strong as they have ever been, and I am counting the minutes until I leave for Arizona. The past few months I have stuck with my motto and attacked bike and run workouts, as well as spending more time reading my Bible, and looking into fueling myself for races more adequately with the help of my newest sponsor Honey Stinger. I pray that everything comes together for a fantastic race, but the journey to where I am currently is where the memories and the smiles come from regardless of the outcome on the 28th. I appreciate everyone's support, and I will do all I can to represent my friends, family, and sponsors with pride. Good Luck to everyone else racing this spring.



PS, Go out and buy the latest USA TRIATHLON Magazine and on page 30 there is a nice picture of me racing.