Austin 70.3

Well what can I say when a day starts out this beautiful then it is hard not to be excited to race!













We were then treated to a very cool military paratrooper flying out of the sky with a huge Texas style American flag while the National Anthem played.













Time to get ready.






Well the swim went well, thanks to my awesome Xterra Wetsuit I was able to post the fastest overall amateur swim time of 24:15 over the 1.2 miles swim and only beat in the water by one pro. Although it was not an easy task swimming through 300+ people from the previous waves.













The bike was a scenic trip through the rolling farmlands of Texas, reminding me of riding back home in Indiana. I passed all of the amateurs by mile 10 of the bike and then spent the next 46 miles riding solo. Although it was kind of nice riding with just me and the open road. Here I am coming into T2 after the 56 mile cycling jaunt.













I am surprised I was able find my run shoes in the mass chaos known as a triathlon transition. Check out the clip below of all the bikes in T2 after the race.


The run was a two lap course with some more rolling terrain. Thanks to my off-road Xterra training it came much easier to me then I think the others there. Unfortunately, the fall weather in Colorado leading up to the race was only in the 50-60's. That being said the 86+ degree weather combined with the beaming sun led me to a very hot second lap of the run.



Even though the second half of the run got the best of me I was able to hold on to 2nd in my 18-24 age group and 29th overall including pros and amateurs in the race. I also posted my fastest time in the 70.3 distance which was pleasing considering this course was hillier and tougher than some of the races I have done in the past.


After the race it was time to celebrate Texas style. Liz and I stopped my the famous Salt Lick restaurant to get some real BBQ. Below Liz is indulging in her awesome brisket sandwich.



















Of course the meal wouldn't be the same without getting some dessert. We then headed over to the famous Round Rock Donuts. I of course could not resist from getting the Texas size large donut they had to offer. It was delicious and I can't believe I ate it all. We also could not decide on what flavors of donuts to get so we of course got 4 kinds to take back to the hotel for breakfast the next morning.




























To shake off the week's worth of calories we decided to head to the downtown Lance Armstrong owned bike shop knows as Mellow Johnny's. What a cool place, it was like a bicycle museum, famous bikes from the past including Lance's winning tour bikes. There was plenty of team RadioShack, Livestrong, and Mellow Johnny's bike products to go around. We snapped a couple pictures of Lance's cancer awareness Team Unity Trek bikes that he raced in the Tour de France this year. Don't worry Liz was happy too being at the bike shop because there is a built in coffee shop know as Juan Pelota Cafe.




























Well after all of the fun it was time to head back home to Colorado. We snapped this cool picture of the downtown Austin skyline on our way to the airport.

BRECK EPIC?

I have found a new goal for 2011. This year my big step in racing was taking on Leadville 100 MTB race. Which was an awesome experience. However, I have always wanted to do a stage race and now that we have one in Colorado I feel I should give it a try. So for 2011 I have decided to race Breck Epic. What is this you ask? It is a 6 day MTB Stage Race that will take place in August of 2011. It all takes place in Breckenridge and the surrounding trails of Summit County. It will consist of riding all above 9000 feet, totaling 250 miles and 40,000 feet of climbing! Here is the kicker though it is not cheap, around $1200 So if any of you know someone that would be interested in sponsoring me for this race or helping out with entry fee it would be greatly appreciated. My goal of the race will be to wear a helmet cam to take videos and pictures of each stage, as well as right an in depth blog each night following the stage. So whoever helps me out would get recognition via the blog, facebook, and twitter. Hope to make this a reality, so pass it along to anyone you know.

Here is the website to learn about this awesome race as well as some pictures from there website from last years race. Looks pretty awesome doesn't it?

http://breckepic.com/index.html

Xterra USA Championships - Ogden, Utah

Well the race started off with an early wake up in Ogden, UT. It was still dark when we made the drive up the Canyon to Pineview Reservoir, but for some reason I was not nervous, I was excited to finally race. We go to Transition 1 at about 6am and I immediately found the primo bike spot and left my trusty steed on the race. From there we made the 15 minute drive up to Snowbasin Resort to setup my run stuff in transition 2. Then back down to the Reservoir to get ready for race start. I setup transition, listened to some tunes in the car, ate a pumpkin-chocolate chip muffin, and I was ready to rock. I got my wetsuit on and headed down to the swim start to get in a little warm-up in Pineview to get used to the refreshing 66 degree water. I found fellow friend and pro athlete, Branden Rakita; we chatted a bit about the start and picked out the best beach spot for the quickest line before the first buoy. We then waited patiently, no count down, just the sound of a cannon to start off the race. Boom, off we go and next thing I know it we are blazing next to the boat dock, mass start of 300+ racers on our way to 2010 XTERRA USA Championships.

I quickly set the tempo and found myself squinting in the sun looking for the first buoy. I remembered that there was a boat parked behind it so I quickly found the shortest line and made my way into first position. I was kind of shocked that I was leading but I was feeling good and I figured when you are in the lead you can follow the kayak to the next buoy. So I turned the screws a little hard to set the pace harder for the others behind me. About 300 meters to go Seth Wealing and Branden Rakita were on my heels, I figured I led this whole way they are not getting away that easy. So I punched it to shore and came out first out of the water that was a good feeling. The funniest thing though was hearing all of the spectators say, “Who is that?” as they were expecting a big name pro to lead the pack.

Now it is time for the bike and 4000+ feet of climbing up and past Snowbasin resort. quickly found my groove and made my way up Wheeler Canyon I was passed by about 6 of the top pros but it was cool to watch them go flying by like a freight train. About 25 minutes in I was caught by one other amateur and I tried to go with him but my legs could not respond. I stayed in my little world and kept him in site as I could see him about 1 minute ahead going up the steep fire roads at Snowbasin Resort.

From there I really warmed up and ripped through the single-track. The bike course was fun but about 16 miles of climbing and then 2 miles of descending down to T2. When I hit transition I was videotaped by XTERRA TV and they followed me all the way out to start the run, so that was a pretty cool feeling. I started the run in about 11 position and 2^nd overall amateur.










I found a good groove but really played it conservative as last year I blew up on the run at about mile 3. I was passed by a couple more pros and one other amateur who was unstoppable at this point; I stayed to my pace though and kept it steady. My legs were hurting on the downhill but I ended up staying where I was and finished strong, and most importantly I did not blow up. I came across the line in just over 2 hours and 47 minutes finishing 18^th overall, 3^rd overall amateur, and 20-24 age group XTERRA National Champion. Needless to say I was pleased with result and I raced hard, most importantly I had fun and improved drastically over last year. We had a great time in Ogden, UT and Snowbasin Resort and I cannot wait to go back next year.














Here are a few post race shots: