The family and I drove out to Texarkana, TX for the 4 States Triathlon. They call it the 4 States Triathlon because it is held in the top east corner of the Texas/Arkansas border, and since Oklahoma and Louisiana are close enough ( we drive far in the South) you get our version of the 4 corners!

This race is always well run, they give prize money every year, and it was also the SouthMidWest Triathlon Sprint Championship! I decided to give it a go. With it being a championship race and prize money, you never know who shows up for a race like this, so I was prepared just to go hard and see what happens.

Swim was good and I came out of the water in 3^rd without having to push to hard with my Blueseventy Helix wetsuit. On a side note, I like non wetsuit swims because being a good swimmer I have more of an advantage, but at the same time swimming 1:10 100’s without kicking isn’t to bad either! I caught the 1-2^nd place athletes in transition and was off on the bike.

An athlete and myself cranked up the pace and we established a gap quickly on the flat and smooth course. It always helps having somebody close in a sprint to help in keeping the pace up when it starts to hurt. We got back to transition together and covered the 13 miles in 30.31 on a course that had 2 u-turns! That is about all I had speed wise, and was happy.

I knew the athlete with me is a better runner than I, but right from the start I was able to run with him. That was until he decided to discharge his breakfast a couple of times, and then just took off after about a mile. I was running hard, and with about .5 miles to go, I was being chased down. I tried to sprint, but these old legs don’t go like they used to and got out leaned at the line! I had a good run, but will never match guys running in the 16’s for 3 miles.

My redemption for the day, besides winning $150 bucks, was during awards when I brought my 5 year old to the podium. The 1^st and 2^nd place guys were 21 and 17, closer to my daughter age than mine!

Oh well, at least I represented the 35-39 age range!

-          Avery Visser

Avery is a 15-year-old intelligent, responsible, and talented young woman.  Last month, we raced together in a little local race called The Rookie.  The name of the race may lull you into a false sense of what’s really going to happen as there are always some speedy locals out for the sub-one-hour & over-LT effort.  Three Austin-area short-course pros showed up, so that left me and the girl who is young enough to be my child to battle it out for 4^th.  Yeah, Avery took me with apparent ease.  It was wonderful.

-          Desiree’s marathon

Desiree Ficker went to the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston in April.  Autumn and I cheered her on from our seats at my laptop.  We were SO inspired.  Des could have shown up, run a PR, and gone home.  Instead, she went for it.  She put herself at risk and ran with the top group for more than 2/3 of the race.  Wow.  Autumn wants to say that Desiree’s dog, Pandora, is cute and energetic – good perspective. www.desireeficker.com

-          Jen and Ally

Speaking of speed, my friends Jen and Ally have been whooping it up this spring.  When people say, “wow, you’re fast on the bike [for your age, gender, experience]”, these 2 keep my head fitting through the door (yeah, I know I’m not that fast).  Seriously, Ally (at 30 years old) has an enormous, powerful, engine – she is responsible for getting her team’s sprinter(s) 300meters from the line.   Jen (at 40 years old) is one of the best sprinters in the world (yes, world) and just took 4^th at the infamous “Philly” race – she is responsible for getting on the podium.  Ally races for Cheerwine; Jen races for our sister Advil-Chapstick (also a TIMEX-sponsored team).

Here we are (Ally, Jen, Jen’s girls Elle and Henna, Autumn and I)

-          Autumn Amanda Fiocca’s contribution

Thinking about inspiration, I have to hand it to my own child.  Yes, I am so severely biased; however, indulge me for a few moments.

Autumn is the queen of “Reuse” and “Recycle” (struggles with “Reduce” like any other 8-year old who wants webkins, Wii, and a new Trek road bike).  We haven’t used plastic shopping bags in over 2 years; we use bio-degradable pet waste bags; Autumn plants and cultivates her garden (local farming, good for critters, oxygen for Earth); we have an elaborate recycling station in our garage (thanks to Ecology Action http://www.ecology-action.org/index); we’re trying to figure out composting for our household – more on that some other time.

So, it didn’t surprise me when she decided to donate her hair.  10 inches of beautiful hair will go to make a wig for a child suffering from hair loss – read more:  .  http://www.locksoflove.org/

Thanks to David Prasifka at Capelli in Austin, Texas  http://capellisalon.biz/ for the great new do!

When my buddy Ryan called me in April saying that he would be racing Ironman Kansas 70.3 and “strongly encouraged me to join him” I was unsure if I would be able to go.  However, when the guy who convinced you to do your first triathlon, who you haven’t seen in over a year, calls you and tells you to race…you better go race.  So that is exactly what I did.  I was also looking forward to racing some of “the big boys” after a disappointing race at Ironman California 70.3 earlier in the year.

I got to Lawrence Kansas on Friday and was greeted by what seemed like an army of volunteers (really just a big family) to pick me up at the airport and take me to my home stay as well as registration.  They also took me out to dinner on Friday night with Jo Lawn, her husband Armando, Lindsey Corbin and Paul Ambrose.  They were certainly VERY hospitable, which really allowed me to focus on my race and I am very grateful to them all.
 

It was great to see my friend Ryan and my dad came out to watch the race as well, an unexpected surprise, but it was great to see him and (appropriately) spend father’s day with him.  At the pro meeting we found out the water temp was 75 degrees, so there would be no wetsuits, which mean that I would be at a disadvantage not being the strongest swimmer. I went through the usual pre-race routine and got ready the race.  Race morning nothing too exciting to report.  I got my stuff set up and jumped in the water for a warm up. 

The Swim: 33:30, 20^th place

What a horrific swim…not because of anyone’s fault but my own!  I missed the first, and second and third swim group.  Not to make excuses but I don’t have much experience with beach starts or with the frenzy and pace of the start of a pro race.  I began hard and thought I had found “the group” and began to settle into my rhythm, when I looked up and there was a 5M gap, I swam hard to try to close it but they were gone I was left to swim 1.1 miles on my own, which is exactly what I did.  I came out the water and there were not too many pro bikes left on the racks…the thought of droping out did cross my mind for a nanosecond.

The Bike: 2:16, 14^th place

Rolling out of T1 I knew I had work to do, so I put my head down and rode at my goal power.  Having a PowerTap is really critical to my race as it helps to push me when I am all alone and helps to hold me back when the competition gets the better of me.  The first 15 minutes of the bike my legs were screaming at me and I was afraid that racing Mooseman a week earlier had taken too much out of me, however, I was able to find my rhythm and ride.  As usual I was all alone for about 90% of the bike ride, the good part is that 10% of the time I was passing people.  The hilly and windy course made for some challenges, however, I was loving it and felt great all day and even better toward the end of the bike.  I had ridden myself into 14^th place.

The Run: 1:20, 10^th place

I wanted to run myself into the top 10 and thought it might be possible if I was smart.  I ticked off the first few miles at a great pace, then the heat and dirt roads began getting to me and my pace slowed a little, but I kept telling myself that anything can happened and push through.  At one of the short out and backs I saw Timex teammate Andrew Hodges and knew that he would catch me, but I kept my pace and was pleased to hold him off until about mile 6.  I thought that if someone was going to pass me “at least it is a great guy and teammate.”  I pushed through the second loop and saw a few other Timex athletes and by buddy Ryan.  As I approached the finish chute I heard the announcer say “rounding out the top 10…”  I wasn’t exactly sure what place I was in, but was very happy to hear that I met my goal!! J

All in all a great race and I got to see a bunch of Timex teammates, a friend from med school who first got me into this crazy sport and my dad!!  The post race festivities were cut a little short due to some thunder and lightning but it certainly worth the trip to Kansas.

http://www.ironmankansas.com/results/08PrelimOverall.html

For more info go to http://www.alexmmtri.com/
 

I returned to Bristol, NH for the third time on June 7^th to race the third annual Mooseman ½ Iron triathlon.  Keith Jordan and the folks at Endorfun extended a generous invitation for me to return as the defending champion form 2007.  

There was an Olympic distance race on Saturday so Ashley and I arrived Friday night to enjoy Saturday’s festivities as well.  However, before I get to the race I need to share a little experience that my home stay host provided.  A common friend of mine put me in contact with Jim as he is a triathlete and lives less than 10 minutes from the race site.  He provided an amazing pasta dinner Friday night for Ashley and I, as well as a few other triathletes racing.  During diner the topic some how arose that Jim built a cannon…that’s right a homemade cannon.  After quite a few questions clarifying this “cannon,” as well as a few stories involving the police and fire department investigating an “explosion” the first time that he set the cannon off.  After all this we needed a demonstration which Jim was happy to provide…all I can say it wow!  The noise was amazingly loud and the 3-4 feet of flames that shot out of the cannon were incredible. 

On to the race!  Returning as the defending champion added a little more pressure, but it was the kind of pressure that I love.  There was also a small prize purse this year which I knew might bring a little more competition.  Also I had not raced since Ironman 70.3 California at the end of March, so I was excited to see where my fitness was after some solid training.  Race morning was my normal routine, except I made a major mistake!!  I left my nutrition in the refrigerator at Jim’s house, of course I didn’t realize this until I got to the race site.  Ashley saved me by going back and getting it for me, which meant waiting in long lines of traffic.  Thank you Ashley!

The Swim: 25:55, 5^th position

The water temp was only slightly above 60 degrees and it made for a chilly start. However, my Blue Seventy Helix felt great and not only kept me warm it also helped me to catch a good draft group and come out of the water in a great position.

The Bike: 2:19, fastest split of the day

After passing a few people in T1 I set out on the bike in 3^rd place 2:30 back from the leader.  The New Hampshire roads had taken quite a beating after the winter and the pavement was pretty rough in some spots.  The course also has several rollers and a few short steep climbs that required patience in order to be able to run well.  My goal was to hold a steady power throughout the ride and be patient.  After seeing a few cyclists on the first loop I began the second loop still in 3^rd position 2:30 behind the leader…I wasn’t gaining any ground, but I wasn’t loosing any either.  As the race progressed the day began getting hotter and hotter (eventually hitting about 90 degrees) and I was working pretty hard to keep a consistent pace/power, but my patience began paying dividends.  As the second loop continued people would shout my position and the gap up to the leader, “3^rd place 2:15 back”…”1:50”…”1:30”…”1:10”ect.  I began catching glimpses of the 2 riders ahead on the long straight stretches.  The three of us rolled into transition together.

The Run:  1:19, First Overall

The two other guys had very fast transitions and left transition about 10-15 seconds ahead of me.  The first mile they set the pace pretty fast and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to keep this pace.  It usually takes me ½ -1 mile to settle in and find a good rhythm and as a result I let the two guys open up their lead a little.  However after about 1.5 miles I moved into second place, giving my friend Charles a little encouragement as I went.   At that point I found a steady pace and caught up to the leader at about mi 2.5.  We ran together for a few miles at a hard pace.  I noticed that I had a little more power up the hills than he did and as a result I used a hill to surge ahead and didn’t look back.  At the half way point at ~6.5 miles I had a 30 second lead.  I kept the pace steady until the last turn around at about mi 10 where I had a ~1min lead and knowing that I had to race Kansas 70.3 the following weekend I cruised in the last 3 miles enjoying the experience…after all racing hurts, but I love it, but that’s why I work so hard the other 355 days of the year.

I had a great day at Mooseman and I was able to see a lot of the New England area triathletes who I will not see together for awhile since I was moving to North Carolina.  I also later found out that the reason the 2 guys with me in T2 had such fast transitions is that they did not put on socks, a decision they regretted.  I, by the way, always wear socks in anything over a 10k.

Mooseman ½ Iron Race Resutls

For more info go to www.alexmmtri.com

This morning I did the Mt. Evans Ascent which is a running race to the summit of Mt. Evans here in Colorado.  We started at a place called Echo Lake, elevation 10,600 ft., and ran up a paved road which climbs just about 4,000 feet covering 14.5 miles.  I was a little worried about the timing of this race as I did the Kansas 70.3 ½ Ironman only 6 days earlier, but I have always wanted to do this challenge.  Race morning was beautiful with just a few clouds in the sky. 

I rigged up the full Timex Bodylink (HR and GPS unit) as I was curious to see what the profile would look like when I got home.  Here I included a screen shot of the elevation and my heart rate.  Once again, the Timex Bodylink did a superb job of giving me information about my race which I can use to help my future training.

I started the race feeling very good and kept a steady rhythm.  A few people passed me and I passed a few as well.  At mile 9 my good friend Andrew Adamowski and I were running together and chatted a little bit.  By mile 11, he had pulled away and I was once again running alone.  At 2 miles to go, or around 13,500 ft., I was starting to get a little dizzy from the lack of oxygen, but I could see the finish only a few switchbacks away.  I ended up placing 8^th overall in 1:59.12.  It was a great run and very challenging!  Check out some pictures below including some mountain goats who greeted all the finishers!

Thanks for reading,

Tim