July 26 was my first actual triathlon event since moving to Colorado. It was the State Games of the West, in Colorado Springs. This being a sprint race (750m swim, 13mile bike, 5k run), I was utilizing it for some speed training getting ready for the 5430 half-iron coming up in 2 weeks. The shorter races aren’t exactly my forte, and I think it is because I actually have to spend some time warming up!!! I wasn’t expecting to have much turn-over speed but I ended up surprising myself a bit, especially in the run. I was able to get myself on the podium, 3rd overall, narrowly missing 2nd by 2 seconds in a 2-up sprint to the finish, getting edged out by ITU racer Haven Barnes.

 Swim:  The swim was on the long side for a sprint race, but I was happy to see that. My wave was the last wave, resulting in at least an additional 100m having to weave through a ton of people. Aside from that, I just didn’t seem to have much kick, as I struggled to stay on the leaders feet. With having to weave through the traffic and sight the bouys I felt like I spent have the swim with my head out of the water. Coming out of the water I was about 1minute down on the leaders, which is an unusual position for me.

 Bike:  The bike was a 4-loop affair, very nice because it was completely closed to traffic and great for spectating, but with the down side being that I again would be weaving in and out of a ton of people. The course was pretty quick with 2- tough little climbs per lap. I didn’t really know where I was positioned throughout the bike ride with the waves all mixing together and I was unable to know where the 3-4 people that came out of the water in-front of me were at. But I actually felt really good and just hammered, leaving everything out there knowing the run would be pretty short. I ended up passing 2 of the 3 leaders putting me into 2nd place off the bike. After the race I found out I had the fastest bike split of the day (by over 1 minute), 24.5mph.

Run:  Onto the run in 2nd position, about 15 seconds down on the leader. I tried to mark him initially, but he was absolutely flying, and I put my focus to staying just at red-line, and holding onto my 2nd place, knowing that there were 2 other people quick on my heels. I held this spot the first 2 miles, but with a couple turn-arounds on the course I could see third place closing in. It was ITU racer Haven Barnes (http://www.havenbarnes.com/). Knowing that he was a short-course racer, I knew it would be tough to stick with him. We ran shoulder to shoulder for the last mile, and I knew I had to do anything to prevent a sprint, so I threw down an attack with 500m to go, and did actually get a 5m gap. This I held very shortly though and Haven countered with a good kick at 100m, and was able to hold it at the line. Despite being on the short end of this battle, it was great fun, and a good confidence booster knowing I could hold some speed with some quick guys. Run time:15:53 for 5k.

OVERALL WINNERSPlace Name                    Age City/state            Total      Swim    Trans1 Bike    Trans2 Run     Penalty No.   Cat
===== ======================= === ===================== ========== ======= ====== ======= ====== ======= ======= ===== ===
    1 James Bales              29 Usaf Academy CO       1:03:01.10   11:46   1:16   34:07   0:42   15:09           310 MI 
    2 Haven Barnes             32 Manitou Springs CO    1:03:50.00   11:42   1:18   34:47   0:32   15:31           302 PR 
    3 Brian Schaning           26 Manitou Springs CO    1:03:52.40   12:52   1:18   32:59   0:50   15:53           287 AG 

    1 James Bales              29 Usaf Academy CO       1:03:01.10   11:46   1:16   34:07   0:42   15:09           310 MI     2 Haven Barnes             32 Manitou Springs CO    1:03:50.00   11:42   1:18   34:47   0:32   15:31           302 PR     3 Brian Schaning           26 Manitou Springs CO    1:03:52.40   12:52   1:18   32:59   0:50   15:53           287 AG 

Recently I decided to shake up my training a little, so a few weeks ago some friends of mine and I hiked up Mt. Princeton, a 14,197 ft peak outside of Buena Vista, CO.  Hiking 14ers is one of the things I really enjoy doing here in Colorado because of the challenge it offers me and how accessible the hikes are from our house. 

However, this particular trip was like no other.  We chose to take the “less traveled” route and the reason why it’s less traveled is because it’s classified as a Class 3 route meaning scrambling on loose rock.  After camping the night before, Mark and Steph (friends of mine from college) and Kent (a friend of Marks) started at 5:30AM and after 5 hours of climbing, we made it to the Class 3 section at about 13,200 feet. 

Every step was challenging as you just don’t know which rocks are loose and which are not.  The wrong step could mean a very bad day.  We worked as a team and got through each section successfully with a few minor scares.  These first two pictures are of Steph and I traversing up to a snow patch debating how to proceed.  We are pretty small in the pictures if that gives you and idea of the size of the rock face.  This was the toughest part of the day.

We made it to the summit at around 12:30PM and took an easier way down to the car. It was such a great time, but not for anybody scared of heights as these pictures show.  We had a great time and for Kent, who just turned 65, said it was one of the best hikes of his life.  It’s always great to try something new and challenging!

In summary Ironman Lake Placid 2008 was a memorable day.  It was very, very wet…in fact in retrospect I should have just wore my wetsuit the entire race.  With 3 inches of rain over 14 hours my times were slower than I wanted, but given the circumstances I’ll take it.  I finished 8^th and on the podium in my first Ironman as a professional, all in all a very satisfying feelingl.

Swim: 57:46, 91^st overall

I’m still not sure what happened here.  I swam really hard for the first 5-10minutes and then tried to settle but I was never able to find a steady rhythm.  I think I probably pushed a little too hard at the beginning.  I found a good draft group toward the end of the first loop but then lost it shortly into the second lap as they surged and I couldn’t stay on their feet.

T1: 3:33

Those of you have been to IMLP know that T1 can be a bit of a haul.  After a disappointing swim where I was already pretty tired in combination with completely rain soaked carpeting and grass I didn’t try to go too fast and focused on moving thru smoothly and steadily.

Bike: 5:08:52, 14^th overall

This course is unforgiving for those who over pace themselves on the bike, especially the first lap.  As a result I pushed a little for the first 15min to find my rhythm and after that I settled into what felt like a pretty relaxed effort.  I just kept my cadence up and power steady regardless of terrain.  There were several people who passed me, especially up the hills, however, my mantra on race day is “the race begins at noon.”  That is, for the first five hours of the race it is just a steady up tempo training day for me, then at noon if there is anyone around, then I can start racing and that’s just what I did.  I saw several of those same guys who I re-passed on the second lap of the bike or the run.  Additionally making this course more interesting and challenging the roads were completely drenched and there were rivers running down the road in some sections.  I played it a little conservatively on the corners and the down hills as I knew losing a few seconds to minutes was preferable to crashing.  My Trek performed perfectly and certainly helped me to maintain an upright position throughout the ride. The day was beginning to grind on me around mile 100 as I began the climb back up to town from Wilmington and found a little trouble concentrating and keeping my power steady.  All in all I was pretty happy with my bike split and my power, although not super human it was respectable at 250w, along with a VI of 1.03, which for that course is very satisfying. 
T2: 1:19

Fastest of the day…this is my 3^rd Ironman in a row where I had the fastest T1 overall (including Kona last year)…so it’s fun to see how fast I can get thru! Again, not a sprint just a steady, smooth, relaxed process. J

Run: 3:01:36, 5^th overall

I felt ok for the first few miles and then I began to settle into a rhythm and got going after mile 4 or so.  I knew that there was still plenty of racing ahead and beginning the run in 18^th position I was confident that I would be able to make up spots.  At the special needs station at mile 13 I couldn’t get my bottle and lost most of my intended calories for the second half of the run…crap!  I stayed calm and instead of my usual race day nutrition, I just drank and ate as many carbs as I could at the aid stations.  Then the run began to get interesting.  At about mile 16 or so a spotter told me I was in 10^th position, at that point I wasn’t really sure how many guys I had passed.  I thought to myself, “dig deep,” as this was really my goal in the run portion.  I wanted to leave everything I had out on the race course, I didn’t want to walk away with any regrets wondering what if I had pushed harder, like I often do.  At mile 22 my arms and hands began to tingle and turn numb.  At mile 23 I was informed that I was 40 seconds behind fellow Timex Team member Dave Hardju (a former Ironman Champion) and I was trying as hard as I could to run him down.  The last hill climbing back into town nearly destroyed me, but I kept pushing and the last mile my feet were turning numb as well.  I crossed the finished line and collapsed, something I have never done before.  According to my Kurt Perham, my coach, I looked like death…well let me tell you, I felt like it also.  After a little while in the medical tent I felt better and then I took the greatest hot shower I think I have ever experienced.
Honestly I have mixed reactions on the day.  Having finished on the podium in my first Ironman as a professional as well as obtaining a spot for Kona I am ecstatic!  However, my swim was very disappointing…3 minutes slower than last year, that one I cannot blame on the weather! J  Also I know that I can run faster as well.  So I walk away with feelings of pride and satisfaction as well as a little disappointment and feelings of missed opportunity.  At this point in my career I know that the big improvements are very few and far between, therefore I need to focus on the little victories.  After placid I am taking a “mid-season break” both mentally and physically for about a week to 10 days.  Then I will be ready to hit the last several months of the season with renewed motivation and my sites set on the Big Island in October.

Lastly, a big thank you to all the folks who braved the rain, rain and more rain to cheer us on all day.  In particular my coach Kurt Perham, who gave me splits all day, as well as worked the phones with my wife, giving her updates and words of reassurance all day.

Normally I like to include pictures of the day, but due to the rain and soggy illegible race numbers there were almost none taken!!  However, this one at the finish line helps to summarize how I felt at the end of the run.

 Lake Placid 2008 Results

 Train hard, rest harder.  www.alexmmtri.com

Wanted to throw in a little story  about my little ( not so little anymore ) girl Eva. She entered a kids triathlon this weekend, and with the pressure of dad reminding her that she has never lost a triathlon (she had the fastest Ironkids time in the nation last year for 7 year olds) for 2 years straight, she was ready to tow the line and race! 

Following in the footsteps of Sharpless and Kim Hager’s daughter, Eva swims competitively for C.O.P.S. and puts in 6 days a week training, at 7, so the swim was a breeze and she past about 7 people in the pool with a 2:00/100m avg. 

She them mounted her bike, after a loooooong transition (hasn’t learned how to put shoes on with wet feet yet) and put in a conservative 14.5 mph on the bike. 

After a very quick transition, and unlike her father who can’t run to save his life, she ran the mile in 7:05! Not only did she blow by every competitor out there, but it also humbled me who barely ran 7’s in an Olympic tri a week earlier! 

She won the 7-8 girls and boys division, and finished 6th overall and 1st overall female! 

It was great to see her and all the other kids out there learning the sport we all on Timex love so much! 

Check the blog in 2016 and I am sure you will have plenty to read from Eva.