My USA Duathlon National Championship

As I drove home to Simla, CO, from my training home in Colorado Springs, my nerves began to grow with each mile.  Was my bike packed safely?  Was the workout on Tuesday too intense for my lack of elevation acclimation?  The questions kept growing, as did the black clouds overhead.  As I started to look around more, the storm chasers were driving crazy and were all over the place.  They made me feel more uneasy about the storm that was brewing.  It wasn't long and my parents were ready to drive me to DIA, but as the time came, so did the hail, the wind, and the funnel clouds.  My nerves quickly shifted from my race to wondering if my parents' home would be standing when we returned.  Luckily, the storm went past with just small hail damage, and we were able to make it to the airport with funnel clouds to the southwest but not on our ranch.

Exiting the plane and having English as the language of choice, I knew I could get a taxi and things were going to be less complicated here than in Mexico.  The following day I checked out some of the course on my bike and felt very relaxed and prepared.

On race morning, my wake-up call rang, and the fear of being late rang through my mind, but after hanging up the phone, I saw I was just fine.  I'm not sure what it is about hotel phones, but they have the most obnoxious ring.  Anyway, as I went to shower, my mind read through the quote I had picked for this race.  "What would you attempt today if you knew you could not fail?"  I knew that this was not my typical triathlon, but instead the USA Duathlon Championships.  I was confident that I could go with the leaders from the beginning, unlike with a swim start in a triathlon.  I would not fail regardless of the pace; I would go with them.

The race began with a blistering sub 5 minute pace for the leaders with me coming across at 5 flat.  After 2.5 miles, the top 5 settled down, and I cruised into transition at 15:52 for the 5k.  With hills, wind, and several 180 degree turns, I felt great.  We all quickly grabbed our bikes and were out to attack this 3 loop course that started with a brutal hill at the beginning of each loop.  I knew that the Duathlon distances favored the cyclist, and it wouldn't be too long before I would be getting passed.  However, after 2 loops there hadn't been but a few pass me.  I got to the last lap and decided that no matter what, no one would pass me.  I held true to that promise and clocked my best bike split at 57:47.  It was now time to run, but sadly I had no one around me and went out too slow, running 6 flat for my first mile.  When I saw this, I freaked and took off to run under 5:20 the next two miles and finished feeling very good with a time of 1:32:05.

Looking back, I am very pleased with my 11th place finish, knowing there was only one man in my age group who could beat me at this distance.  I had a great mindset coming in and felt confident I had prepared well. There was, however, a question a friend asked me after the race which was how much motivation came from my father and his recent cancer surgery.  The mindset one carries into any race can make more of a difference than any amount of training.  While I have used happiness, anger, and even fear to drive me in different races, if I could choose I would rather be relaxed and confident than overwhelmed with any emotion.  I knew just the word cancer sparks fear into my mind.  While my dad has successfully undergone surgery and is doing great, the thought of losing him would be an emotion that I may not be able to control.  This I knew, and this is why I did my very best to focus on my training, my faith, and the confidence that comes from being prepared.  After the race, I said my prayers, thanking God for His blessings on my race and my father's recent surgery.

My Monterrey 70.3

I have always lived a life of organization.  Everything needs to be organized, categorized, alphabetized and so on.  So when it comes to training, I like to do the same.  I set out the best training plan that I can fit into my life that my body can handle and start rolling.  Monterrey 70.3 was the earliest I had ever competed in a triathlon; so, this was a bit of an experiment.  After coming back from injury, I felt extremely fit, and I believe it showed in many areas of my race.  When I arrived in Mexico, I had a stressful first evening trying to get a taxi and get to the hotel as I speak zero Spanish.  After finally making it to the hotel quite late, I realized that not only had my bag been open when it came out on the carousel but that my cell phone charger and Ipad charger were both gone. 

After a night of sleep, I headed to the swim start area to take a swim and get used to the water and canal that I would be swimming in.  I was able to get in a smooth but very cold dip in the water.  Then, I picked up my packet and headed on a journey to find a cell phone charger.  Luckily at a local outdoor mall I was able to find what I needed and with pointing and hand gestures I had a new cell phone charger.  My bad luck was now behind me and I was ready to go to the hotel and relax all afternoon. 

When I arrived back in my hotel room, the maid had cleaned my room and nicely put my swim cap, timing chip, and free bag on the bed.  However, something was missing.  IT WAS MY BIB NUMBERS for the bike, helmet, and run number.  She must have thrown the white envelope away.  I ripped the room apart looking and hoping to find it, but with no luck.  Instead of relaxing for the afternoon, I traveled the mile walk through town to the bike area to try and get new numbers or come up with a plan.  Sadly all I got from the race was that I could not race without a number, but I could check back at 5 p.m. with the director for other options.  By the time I got back to the hotel it was time for final prep of the bike and to head back to the check in with my bike.  The race director said I could make my own numbers or not race.  This is not what I had wanted, as I am the OCD organized type, and this unorganized screw up was really stressing me out.  So, with my dad's suggestion I found an Office Max and bought shipping labels.  I turned my dinner and evening into an art project as I fashioned new bike, helmet, and bib numbers with a black Sharpie and a pocket knife. 

Finally, the race was here, I had prepared as best as I could, and it was time to go.  Or was it?  The past few years I have been blessed to be able to compete as an elite/pro triathlete.  This is highly beneficial because the elites go off and leave me in the water giving me plenty of space and clear line to swim.  This time, however, I was racing as an age group athlete, and my wave took off over an hour after the professionals.   So, when I finally did start, the canal was full of athletes that I would spend the next 1.2 miles trying to swim over and around.  When I finally exited the water, the rain began to fall.  The elites had nearly finished a bike lap by then with their earlier start, but unfortunately I would be biking the full 56.2 miles in a downpour of rain. 

Despite the rain, I managed my fastest bike split on a 70.3 even with a rough back cramp the last 16 miles.  What gives me even more confidence for future races is the fact that I had to walk my bike up a hill on both laps due to the pouring rain on slick cobble stones that prevented people from biking up.  As I took off on the run, I knew to go out conservative, but cool weather mixed with moisture was like a dream come true.  I flew through the first few miles picking off hundreds of age groupers who I had been catching all day.  There was only one problem.  I was starving.  I had been hungry since 35 miles into the bike.  Looking back, I should have taken on more fuel, but with the cooler temperature I felt good, so I hadn’t eaten my last two gels on the bike.  By mile 8, I felt dizzy and sick.  I knew I had to walk and start eating at every aid station or this trip wouldn’t even produce a finishing time.  So, for four miles I jogged very slowly and walked every aid station eating oranges, gels and drinking Gatorade.  Finally, midway through mile 11, I felt a little better and put a last decent surge in to finish at 4 hours and 55 min.  This was a solid 25 min slower than I had hoped for, but when I consider the 20-25 min slower than projected run, a crowded swim course, and walking on the bike portion, I have to be happy with my effort. 

This was not my fastest race, but it was a successful one due to the fact that I finished. What I can take from this race is a greater sense of responsibility for organization.  While I thought I had it all figured out, life threw me a curve ball, and now I will be more prepared in the future.  Nearly five hours of competing with no one to talk to, and not even a single fan to say "Good Job" in English; perhaps they were cheering in Spanish, but needless to say it was a lonely day if I wouldn’t have had my faith.  The constant conversation in prayer with Jesus pushes me, reassures me when I want to quit, and helps me to overcome obstacles I never thought possible.  I owe a special thank you to my mom who spent tons of time on the phone and researching this race trying to use her Spanish and travel background to help me in every way possible.  With all the stresses of this trip she did a fantastic job of keeping me calm and helping me through.  My dad I also need to thank as it was his idea to use office labels to make my creative numbers, and without that I would have wasted a trip.  I am blessed to have such a strong relationship with my Savior and with my amazing parents that he gave me.  

Leading into Monterrey 70.3

In just a couple days I will be at another starting line anticipating the gun.  After racing so many times for many years, I rarely feel the nervous, exciting feeling where you might just vomit, and in all
honesty I kind of miss experiencing that.  I have not raced since the Chile Pepper XC festival in September where my feet gave out.  Now, with rest and three months of training, I am hoping that I stacked the deck in my favor.

When it comes to racing, you can stack the deck in your favor.  This doesn't promise a perfect race, but I'd rather be as prepared as possible and fail knowing I left it all out there than half ass it and get destroyed by the competition.

Sleep.. a plan I stick to is when I figure out what time I'm waking up on race day and count back 8-9 hours, and that is my bedtime for a week leading into the race.  This allows my body to develop a sleep rhythm.  Lack of consistent sleep is an overlooked ingredient to success.

The A race, coming from the man who loves to race, race, race.  I know that I do much better when I pick out important races aka "A" race.  By training for one specific race, I hope that I haven't peaked early or over exerted myself on a "B" or lower race.  Getting in a couple easy races that are spread out to test fitness wouldn't have been a bad idea for most, but with my nagging injuries I knew to steer clear of too many races.

I have never been as diligent in eating healthy as I should.  I did make one huge advance in racing nutrition by finiding the perfect gel for me which happens to be the Honey Stinger fruit punch gel.  Hopefully this will keep me firing with high energy throughout the race and avoiding the bonk.

One last ingredient to my success will and always has been my faith.  It's that trust in God that I am using the gifts He has blessed me with that allows a true sense of fulfillment.  It doesn't matter if I'm injured or healthy, racing well or poorly.  It's the attitude in which I conduct myself that matters.  Each day that God blesses me with, I will be joyful and make the most of it.

So I am rested, minus a little plantar problems, I would say I am healthy.  My all around fitness and anaerobic capacity is very high and my faith is at an all time high.  So, I chose the cards in my hand, now I just have to wait until Sunday to see what the dealer has in store.  Ironman Monterrey 70.3 here I come ready to finish fast in my new lime green Brooks T7's!

A Test Is A Chance To Grow

The sweat forms on your brow, anxiety sets in as the professor hands out the test.  You have spent weeks in the classroom listening, nodding as it all seemed to make sense.  But now you are being tested, and your true knowledge is about to be revealed. 

For years you have gone to church with Mom and Dad, said amen’s, and sang songs praising God.  Will you be the only one who wants to keep your faith in college, will it be as easy as confessing your faith in a pew surrounded by fellow believers, or will it be harder?  The real world is harsh and your faith will be tested.  This is what your pastor has been preaching about all your life, it is time to test your faith.     

Months and even years can go by of running mile after mile, day after day.  For most athletes, conference is the biggest meet of the year, the chance to qualify to extend the season and show their hard work has been worth it.  Any runner can brag about splits in workouts, but it's what happens in the race that counts. All those miles come down to just one race.

The professor does not see a test as punishment, but instead a reward for growth, proof that the students are learning and ready for bigger things.

As much as a pastor enjoys being with his congregation, he will truly smile to see them out in the world spreading the good news in the midst of adversity. 

A coach knows that it is in the race that his runners will either succeed and reach their goals, or if not, that they will learn from falling short. 

1 Peter 1: 6-7

6 In all this you greatly rejoice,though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 

It's easy to brag about how smart we are, but until we are tested we really do not know our potential.  If at the first chance of temptation you cave to peer pressure, how strong is your faith?  One can lead every workout, but until the athlete leads his team in a race, what has he accomplished?  The journey will not always be easy, but it's not supposed to be easy.  Throughout the Bible, God tests his followers again and again.  Before moving forward one must first be tested and pass.  Stop looking for cheat sheets, short cuts, other Christians to lead you, or excuses for a bad race.  When you fail, you will grow and be more prepared to take the test again, and when you succeed the hard work and failures will be worth it.  

My Maple Leaf

As I pulled into Baldwin City many years ago, I had many things rolling through my mind.  What will Coach Kindler think of me?  Does he see me as a serious candidate for the graduate assistant position, or will he see me as an overly confident college runner?  When I arrived at his office and sat down, we talked for a while about training ideas, my goals, my faith, and simply joked about running.  After the meeting and seeing campus along with many athletes, I knew that the position was exactly what I was looking for, an opportunity to get my foot in the door with coaching while getting my master’s degree.

A few years later I once again was nervous making the journey to Baldwin City.  The Maple Leaf Invitational has special meaning to me.  It is a course I coached a conference championship team on, a course I painted a few too many times, rolling hills that I ran way too many times, and a place of memory.  The memories of Coach Kindler, the man who opened the door for me as a coach, have flooded my mind since his passing and even more so with a trip back to Baker. 

I knew the day would be hard emotionally, but what I wasn’t expecting to see was a full grown deer darting out in front of the team van causing us to hit the deer.  The fear of a car accident while driving your team is one of the greatest fears a coach can have, and living it was not fun.  Luckily, we were able to pull over, and no one was injured or even too shaken up from the accident.  I put as many of the runners in the second van to get them to the meet, and the rest of us waited patiently for the police and a replacement van to be sent by Kansas Wesleyan University.  It wasn’t long, and we were on our way; this took away the hour or so of time that I would have had to get my team ready, but also the time for me to get emotional seeing the Kindler family and countless athletes who came back to race for the alumni team.

When we finally arrived at the meet, there were but a few minutes until the start of the first race.  I said a quick prayer with my ladies’ team and watched them take off in the race, hoping they had properly warmed up.  I, on the other hand, was racing in the men’s race for the Baker Alumni team, a race I had planned to win in honor of Coach Kindler and all he had done for me.  I normally don’t race in meets in which my team at Kansas Wesleyan is racing, but I wanted to toe the line with past athletes and show my support.  Being part of the alumni team was very exciting for me, sharing the starting box and the excitement before the gun is a feeling that I had almost forgotten but truly enjoyed.  With no warm up I contemplated not even racing, but being part of the alumni team kept the drive high even if I knew my results might not be up to par.  I knew that Coach Kindler was watching and would want me to race regardless of the warm up and to do my best.  So, race I did and still managed a close 3^rd place finish with 10 college teams racing. I was happy with the result.

Emotionally it was hard to coach and to race on that day because of the dramatic impact Coach Kindler had made on me.  I learned so much from him and owe him a lot because he really opened so many doors for me in the coaching world.  He was a great coach, one I learned a great deal from and will miss.  The awards on his walls speak of his amazing coaching success, but what many don’t know is what an impact he had on his runners and the people around him with their faith.  Zach invited me to his men’s group and was always working to be a strong Christian husband, father, coach, and friend.  Getting up at 5 a.m. to make the men’s group was not easy, but he challenged me, and I knew I would really grow from this opportunity.  After seeing such a great turn out and being reminded of all he did for his athletes, it made me think of my relationship with my athletes.  

     

I recently read a quote by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban who said, “Work like there is someone working 24 hours a day to take it away from you.”  As I let this quote sink in, I had many thoughts rolling through my head as I really enjoyed the quote.  While working for Coach Kindler, I learned to work 24 hours a day.  Many times I felt as though he was pushing me too hard, having me do too much for an assistant coach and getting way too little sleep.  Little did I know he was simply preparing me to be a head coach; he knew my potential and pushed me, so he was preparing me to win.  After leaving Baker, it took me two years of recruiting to build a solid program and to win my first title at KWU, also being named the KCAC Women’s Cross Country coach of the year very quickly.  Whether it is my coaching, running, or my faith, I am constantly on the move and always trying to improve.  There might not be someone working 24 hours to take what I have, beat me at what I do, but there will always be evil at work trying to pull me off track.  That is why focusing on one’s faith 24 hours a day is so important.  Your competitors may rest, but the devil won’t. 

Someday I hope to have hundreds of athletes who have great memories of me, athletes who I helped to come closer to Christ and to hit their potential both academically and athletically.  Coach Zach Kindler may not have had the longest of journeys here on earth, but he sure had an important one.  He was truly a mentor and friend to me, and I miss him.  I will remember him, and honor him in my faith, my coaching, and my running, and hopefully I will make an impact as great as he has made on so many individuals.     

I owe a special thank you to those who reached out to me, giving me a shoulder to lean on when I needed it.  I did my best to be a strong leader for my past and present athletes, but even the strongest of Christian men need the support of friends.  God provided so many wonderful people to be there for me and support me.

The most important things in life are not things.

 Before 5:30 a.m. I was on my way to the 5i50 Boulder Peak Triathlon at Boulder Reservoir.  On the morning of a race, I am always filled with all sorts of emotions, so I was doing my best to stay relaxed listening to some music on the radio when the morning host brought up a quote that I had heard many years ago.  It stuck with me this morning.  “The most important things in life are not things.” 

As I looked around at the amazing bikes, the expensive aerodynamic helmets, and all the other gadgets and equipment that make triathlon so exciting, I couldn’t help but think about that quote.  I walked to the body marking line and noticed an older gentleman getting marked whose age looked more like a race number than an age, and that someone is someone who makes triathlons great.  It's not the bikes or wetsuits; it’s the people.  There are very few sports where the elite athletes compete side by side with the age group athletes, and that is something important, as it is a family event.  The idea of triathlon is to push one's physical, emotional, mental, and perhaps spiritual limits to the test.  Each one of those characteristics I tested today, which I take pride in.  Not the things used in a triathlon, but instead the concept of triathlon is what keeps bringing me back. 

If you are unfamiliar with my racing tactics, I like to start each triathlon by digging myself a huge hole in the swim portion which gives everyone a head start.  It happens every time, despite my fluctuation in swim training, so I am starting to think that this may just be the way it is.  After getting to the beach and making it to my bike, I couldn’t wait to get started.  Midway through the bike portion of the race, I came across my longtime friend Jim Halberg who was yelling at me to get in a bigger gear and get rolling.  This little push reminded me to have courage and push my limits which I did en route to my fastest bike split average ever at Boulder.  Off the bike, I had exciting feelings flying through me.  As I took off up the first hill, I thought once again, "This high, this excitement is what triathlon is."  The run is always fun for me because I get to fly by those larger swimmers or the cyclists who can hammer it while biking.  Passing them right and left, even seeing some walking really helps build my confidence as I go.  The dirt trails of the course do not bode well for fast times, but compared to my competition, I flew as I clocked the 4^th fastest run. 

When the race was over there is a sense of achievement.  It's not a finisher medal that gives value to the race; it’s the feeling of doing something with your day that most could not do in their life.  I ended up finishing 14^th in the Men's Elite division which should qualify me for the Hy-Vee 5i50 US Championship.  Depending on my team's schedule this fall will determine if I can race, but it is still a nice accomplishment after such a dreadful swim. 

I understand many who read this blog are not triathletes, or even runners, but I would encourage you to slow things down.  Many of you are athletes still in college who I coach or know.  I am not telling you not to focus on getting that diploma.  Graduating is very important, but look around at what really matters.  Fill your life with people who want to enrich your life, and do your best to do the same for others.  This may involve sacrificing some of the “things” that we pursue, but look to bring value to your life in whatever direction you may be heading, and there will be a sense of satisfaction that will last longer and bring more happiness than anything else ever can.        

July 13^th 2014 (1500swim, 27mile Bike, 10K Run) Boulder Peak

2:19:58. (Swim 28:50, T1 1:58, Bike 1:10.28, T2 :59, Run 37:41) 14^th Elite

Summer Round Up 12K

Yesterday I raced the Summer Round Up 12K in Bear Creek Park in Colorado Springs.  This was not my typical triathlon race or even a fast road race, but a very hard single track trail race with difficult hills and terrain.  After the race, I was not happy at all with my performance.  I placed 6^th and had pretty much fallen apart for miles 5-6.  Seeing other friends do so well while I was struggling was not easy to accept, and on top of the race, I have just been drained emotionally lately.  Later on in the day after spending some much needed time at home on Bailey Ranch, I realized I was being too hard on myself.

Just the other day I saw a video of a friend’s child who took their first step.  To me the baby stumbled to the ground and really didn’t walk at all, but I suppose from a parent’s standpoint this was a huge step, regardless of how small it may seem to outsiders.  This got me thinking about how hard I have been on myself.  Whatever happened to the days when we celebrated small victories?  In any great story, the final product of success is not achieved without many small steps.  Instead of beating myself up for losing in a trail race to some of the top runners in Colorado and also a few Africans, I should be celebrating that I won my age group and that I ran a competitive trail race while I have not been training for such a race at all.  Instead of looking for how I have come up short, I need to be looking for how I succeeded.  Is this not how God looks at us?  We fall short nonstop by our standards, but as long as we accept our failures and have goals and continue to better ourselves, God looks at us like a parent watching their child take their first step.  He celebrates our small steps because he knows what we are capable of.  If we would do the same with ourselves and the people around us, just think of how much better we would be.  Yesterday’s race may not have been graceful like a baby’s first steps, but I had the courage to race, the courage to try as a child does.  In life if there is something you want to accomplish, a place you want to be, or a person you want to be with, you must have the courage to try.  You might fall after one step, but you will be closer after that fall than you were before.  After several falls, you will eventually get the goal, to the place you want to be, or with the person you want to be with.  Failure is somewhat an endearing quality when it is partnered with passion and courage.  Relish the small steps that bring you closer to the end goal of your dreams. 

The race yesterday was well organized and a lot of fun.  I was able to see many friends and to compete in my favorite city with Pikes Peak in the back ground.  It may not have been the perfect race, but it was a success.