The Clearwater 70.3 was my last race of the season. Given that I struggled through so many injuries this year I was ready to take some much needed rest. I fully tapered for Clearwater and laid off all long runs as well as speed work on my feet in an effort to save my running legs for the race. Knowing I had one last strong race in me, I was excited to see what I could do with these brittle bones.

Thursday and Friday turned out to be extremely windy on Clearwater Beach. Gavin and I strolled along the beach to get in a short practice swim Friday morning. The waves were high but we had a great time swimming in them, looking forward to the advantage strong swimmers would have on race day with such windy conditions. After walking around the expo and going through the athlete check in we heard the news; the race director decided to move the swim to bay side due to the high winds.  Disappointed, yes, but there’s no use dwelling on it.

Friday morning after setting up transition we walked over to the bay where the swim was scheduled to start. Due to the small swim entrance they changed the age group swim to a time trial start, another disappointment. A time trial start would disable me from racing the other women in my age group. It was now a race against the clock.

 I lined up and squeezed my way into the 2^nd position in my wave. 25 minutes before my scheduled wave start I was jumping off the portable dock into the water literally over swimmers who were easing their way in from the 40-45 male age groups.

The swim out to the bay was directly facing east, therefore right into the rising sun. The first half I could not see a thing, I tried to follow those in front of me hoping they were swimming straight. I found another female in a red cap; we swam together for a few hundred yards. Realizing there were no longer many around us I looked up only to find we were swimming toward the inside of the buoys, if we continued in that direction we would be cutting off the last turn buoy. As I looked around an Australian guy called to me, “This way mate” so I followed him noticing that the other red-capped girl continued swimming the wrong way. As I swam by the last turn buoy I was thrilled to start swimming west and away from the sun. I could finally see, now I could concentrate on swimming and getting a head start on the bike. I sighted off the Pirate Ship at the swim finish and tried to beat those around me to the narrow exit. The narrow ramp out of the water cost me a few seconds while waiting for others to enter. I even gave the girl in front of me having trouble climbing the ramp a little boost.

Swim Time 26.39

The run into transition was slightly longer due to swimming in the bay; it also included no showers to run through. The salt water was staying on us for the duration of the race. I ran by the wetsuit strippers, grabbed by bag, and headed to the changing tent. I was in and out in only seconds heading out on the bike.

Due to the flat fast course in Clearwater the bike tends to form groups of riders “helping each other”. This year because of the quicker time trial start, the packs of riders was even greater. I tried to the best of my ability to avoid the packs but certainly got caught in a few.

Some highlights to note from the bike;

* #193 decided to push me by touching my behind while passing him

* Very small guy trying to ride me off the road numerous times while playing cat and mouse

* 2 different guys receiving red cards for drafting off of me

Bike Time: 2:14.34

My legs were feeling great throughout the bike leg; the wind was working with me. Now I was ready to run. I flew through transition 2 and was out on the run course. The good news was there was no pain in my shins or feet from injuries. Once I felt that I knew it was going to be a good day. I was also prepared this year for the 4 Causeway Bridge climbs.  I sailed through the first loop of the run seeing a few familiar faces on the course. At this point is where I realized that I hadn’t seen a single female from my age group, meaning I had a great chance to place in the top 5. I ran harder on the 2^nd loop of the run and kept pace with a few guys around me.

I was surprised that I didn’t feeling more fatigued so pushed even harder deciding to leave it all out on the course. Coming into the finish was an amazing feeling knowing I improved my time from last year by 20 minutes. Ending the season with a bang.

Run Time: 1:33.35

Total Time: 4:19.01 PR!

This was good enough for 2^nd place for 25-29 women and 4^th overall amateur woman.

After the race the Timex team celebrated together

(Hodges not sure where you are during this picture)

Well, like finishing 4th when there are 3 Kona slots up for grabs, I finished 6th with 5 seats open for Boulder City Council.  This was my first foray into the world of politics, and I finished less than 1% out of the money - just 600 votes short out of over 74,000!  Not bad for a newbie.

The 6-month long journey/adventure was an incredible learning experience.  I am now fully engaged in so many varied issues that I absolutely consider the experience a great success.  Without a doubt, I plan on staying quite involved in Boulder matters, and I have already been asked to be on the Boulder Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors.

But, as far as racing goes, the campaign definitely made it as challenging as any time in my 29 years of being competitive.  There were functions virtually everyday; and, mentally, you just have to be “on” at all times.  I was scheduled to race Ironman Arizona last weekend.  While my wattage on my bike, speed on the track, and 100 times in the pool were all equal to or better than last year’s IMAZ, the long stuff was virtually impossible to get in.  Instead of 3-4 six hour rides, and doing 20+ 800’s on the track each Sunday, I got in just one 5+ hour ride, and Sundays meant 15 X 800.  So, I was not nearly as confident with my training.

Election Day was November 3.  At 5 AM on November 4, Jodee and I took off on a much needed getaway to Mexico.  I was looking forward to letting my mind clear a bit, and get in some good training.  And, lo & behold, what appears but the “Puerto Vallarta Marathon.”  Called a marathon, it’s actually a half, and I learned about it right after a 3 hour mountain bike ride … happening 2 days later.

Naturally, I do it.  Over 1,300 people and $250,000 pesos prize money.  Kenyan runners went 1-10; and, my 1:33:01 landed me 4th in the 50+ group … but, like my election campaign, just short … prize money for 50+ went 3 deep!  About 2/3 through the race (there were no mile or kilometer markers - none!), I felt a small tear or pull in my upper left quad.  Yep - couldn’t run for a few days after; and, between the injury, my sub-standard training, and my mind racing all over the place, I decided to postpone IMAZ to next year (it was a Community Fund spot).

This is me coming toward the finish … lots of spectators.

So, a less than stellar tri season.  Several solid running races (halfs and full marathons).  And a political experience well worth the time and energy.  Next up: a few winter duathlons, a marathon in January somewhere (probably Phoenix or Miami); and, hopefully, Team Timex Camp in February!

Tired of people commenting on how skinny you are? Are nicknames like Skeletor and Bones starting to get under your skin? Then this is the blog post for you.

Take it from a pro; I’ve been known to pack on the pounds in the winter. At Team Camp in April, I was flirting with obesity, carrying 180lbs on my 6′2″ frame. Come October, I weighed in at Kona at a skin and bones 163lbs.

So if you are looking to pack on some blubber this winter, follow these simple eating rules, and you’ll show the haters who’s boss.

1.  Eat round foods.

Round foods you say? Maybe this needs some clarification for the geometrically challenged. Case number 1:
You  might think this apple is a round food, but alas! you are wrong. This is a spherical food - To be avoided at all cost.

These are examples of round foods:

Simple as that! Moving on….

2. Go to the Drive through

This one doesn’t need explanation. That simple window is the portal to obesity. Just think back to how you felt the last time you woofed down something you ordered at the drive through….I think you get the point.

3. Cheese

4. “It comes in a can, but Isn’t a fruit or vegetable”

No, this isn’t a 20 questions clue, its another nutritional rule for the winter months [Cheese from a can is the holy grail of rules #3 and 4].

Ahhh competitive eating.  It’s a fun thing to watch, but sometimes even more fun to participate in.  Since Ironman Florida, I’ve had a few unhealthy “celebration meals”, but yesterday I took on a new challenge, eating 3 Chipotle burritos, with the basic ingredients, as fast as I could.  It was interesting to say the least.

 The 1st annual Chipotle Burrito Challenge was conducted by a group of Ultrarunners here in Colorado called Team CRUD.  Scott Jaime, a friend of mine on the team invited me to take part and I could not refuse!  We met at the Chipotle in Castle Rock, CO after a 15 mile/2 hour trail run to build up some hunger (2 weeks after an Ironman made this tough but doable). There were 7 contestants,  (and a ton of spectators) and each guy looked like he could really put down some food.  After a quick announcement to the customers and a rule overview, the referee yelled “GO” and we were off!  I finished my first one in a little over 1:30, cruised through the second one by 4:30 and was closing in neck and neck with one other guy on burrito #3. 

weighing in

finishing burrito #2!

I “sprinted” to the line and finished in 7:02 to take the title!  It was very close at the end, but I managed to pull through.  I won a gift card to REI, a free burrito, chips and salsa, and a t-shirt.  As you can see by the picture, it was a little under 3 pounds of food.  I have attached a short video here that my wife took in the closing minutes of the contest. Burning calories is fun, but eating them is even better!

Tim

After my race in Clearwater and subsequent race report, I’ve received a lot of comments congratulating me on my great time even if I was a bit disappointed with my race. I really appreciate the support and positive spin on the outcome. I’m a (generally) optimistic person so I too like to look at the bright side of situations. However, I also like to be realistic in performance evaluations and sometimes the result of the evaluation is independent of the absolute time.

More often than not, finishing time can be used as a metric of success in a triathlon. Whether it is time (running), length (long jump), or height (pole vault), many individual sports provide quantitative results at the end of competitions and I believe this is one of the reasons triathlons and running races are so popular. Because each individual is given a quantified measure of her performance independent of all other competitors, she can set a goal and achieve it. She would consider this a successful performance regardless of what anyone else does.

This is a direct dichotomy, however, to team sports in which success is binary, a team either wins or loses. “Keeping it close” might help make teammates feel better about themselves but ultimately, in the words of Herm Edwards, “We play to WIN the GAME!” A loss is a loss and a win is a win.

Similarly, my goal in Clearwater was not based on a time independent of other competitors but on a place and was therefore inherently relative to other competitors. In that respect, then, the race was not successful, as I didn’t meet my goal. Absolute time wasn’t really an issue. Rather relative time, the minute lost in the water, was the main culprit for the lack of success. In this race it was imperative for me to be out of the water and on to the bike with the group. Admittedly the margin for error was (relatively) small but that is part of the risk associated with racing competitively. As my graduate school adviser, Rob Kelly, used to say, “If it was easy, everyone would do it.” I knew going into the race that I would have to have a good swim to give myself a chance for a good finish, so when I didn’t, I was disappointed and am still not pleased with the outcome of the race.

With all that having been said, this does not mean I never strive to achieve a time goal. For example, one day I plan on running a marathon and when I do so I’ll likely want to do a “big city” marathon and have a time goal in mind. If I meet that time, I’ll be pleased, regardless of how many people beat me. Additionally, it is great when someone determines a time goal for a triathlon, does a long training block, and meets or exceeds it.

While I’m focusing on racing triathlons professionally, however, the metric upon which success is determined is a bit different and by “falling back” on a fast time I would just be cheating myself.

For more, please visit http://ajhodges.blogspot.com