I headed to Florida for my season opener.  I was excited to do St. Anthony’s as it is a race I have wanted to do for several years now.  I traveled with my Assistant, athlete, and sister, Thia to this race as she has become a great travel partner for such events.

When we arrived, we had just barely enough time to get from Tampa Airport to Vinoy Park for packet pick up before 7pm.  After parking and walking around for awhile… we couldn’t find where we needed to go!  Pressed for time, we stopped a gentleman who was stacking water cups for the race and he said… “I’ll take ya over on the golf cart!”  Well, I couldn’t have been more flattered as time was drawing near that 7pm mark.  We hopped on and were escorted to the expo.  After I had finished getting my packet and goodies.. I thought, “How are we going to get all the way back to our car?!”  Right then, I saw our chauffeur waiting for us. =)  I thought, Geez! I should get to know this kind man.  We hopped back on the cart and I asked him his name.  He answered “Phil”.  I said “Philip Lahaye?”  and he replied, “yes”.  I thought to myself.. OH MY GOSH! The race director of St. Anthony’s Triathlon just took time out of his busy day to drive ME around in his golf cart.  I was so impressed with this and decided this is an early season race I will do again, and again.

Race day was fun and eventful as they delayed the swim half way through the waves due to the water conditions.  Fortunately it didn’t affect my wave and with some hard work in the water, I made it through the crazy surf.  The winds continued to be relentless on the bike tossing many of the athletes off their bikes, but I was very pleased that the Colorado Winds had prepared me well for such a ride.  As I hopped off my bike for the run, my hammy was VERY fatigued after my first 40k Bike Race Effort since my injury last July and I just muscled through the run.. Man! That 10k seemed long!  I was excited to finish my first race of the season and am looking forward to continued strength and improvement with my run throughout the season.

After getting all our gear and bike checked in to TriBike Transport, we began walking back to the parking garage to drive back to the hotel.  This sounded like a great plan until the first, second, and third garaged we went to; could not find our car!  After walking around for over an hour.. we were gettin desperate!  We were so tired and hot and could hardly think straight and honestly… just wanted to CRY!  I thought to call up my good friend and Rockstar Kerry Sullivan who had raced to see if he was still in the area.  At this point, I would have paid ANYONE to drive me around to find my car so I didn’t have to walk anymore.  Kerry answered and once he heard of our situation… he said “Don’t you worry!  I’ll come search you out!” and that is exactly what he did.  Now if you are wondering if this is THE KERRY SULLIVAN… it is.  He is a dear friend of mine who had a great race that day despite having to ditch his wetsuit seconds before the swim due to a broken zipper.  He had a fantastic run and ran down most of the field!..  Yes, we located the car and were finally able to get back to a hot shower and some food.  That will NEVER happen again…

A great time, fun people, good event and yummy food.  Race season has begun! Enjoy your training =) www.tristafrancis.com

It’s been a couple of days and I’ve finally had some time to reflect on my race down in Tampa/St. Pete.  Of course I am talking about the St. Anthony’s Triathlon.  I was signed up do compete in this race last year but some pesky blood clots in my lungs kind of got in the way.  This year I’ve been relatively healthy.  Allergies have reared their ugly head in the past several weeks and have caused some erratic training.  Three (3) words…I HATE POLLEN.  I was actually hoping to get away from the yellow shroud down in Tampa/St. Pete but no such luck.  Seems the cold winter weather has brought the pollen to Florida as well.  Anyway, enough about pollen.  Back to the race.

I traveled down to Tampa with a friend of mine named Richard Baker.  Richard’s son lives down in Tampa and would be staying with him for the weekend.  I was camping out in a local Hampton Inn for the duration of the trip.  Both Richard and I were a good distance away from the race site.  This meant one (1) thing.  It would be an early morning on Sunday to get to the race.  Now, with Richard seeing his son this lead to some “unusual” pre race situations.  Truth be told I took part in the highly successful “Ian Ray” pre race strategy.  What might this entail you ask?  Well, it involves a bar, beer and a good time.  Friday night Richard, Ryan (Richard’s son), Stephanie (Ryan’s wife) and I went to the World of Beer.  What a cool place.  Here’s a quick picture of only part of the establishment.

Now, I initially set myself a three (3) beer minimum.  But, in the spirit of my buddy Ian Ray, I moved past that with ease.  About eight (8) beers later I was tired, buzzed and it was time to go home.  I at least wanted to be in bed before midnight.  I accomplished my goal.  Thankfully.  Richard and Ryan went back, dropped Stephanie off and went back to the World of Beer.  Several hours (and beers) later they made it home.  I believe Richard slept with a pizza that night as he woke up the next morning with a peperoni in his bed.  Weird huh?

The next day was spent doing some last minute workouts that Coach Chris had recommended I do.  Thirty minutes on the bike and ten minutes running and I was ready to race.  The rest of the day was spent relaxing, recovering and hydrating.  We did have to drive down to the race site to drop our bikes off.  I guess when you have almost 4,000 people doing a race it’s a necessity.  This was done with relative ease.  At the expo I saw several Timex team mates.  Tristan and Daniel were both wearing garments of the Timex Mafia and were very easy to spot.  I chatted with both of them for a while and then headed for “home”.  That night Stephanie cooked Richard, Ryan and I a pretty stellar “pre-race” meal of chicken and pasta.  It really hit the spot.  Thanks Stephanie.

Race morning came much too soon.  I was up at 4:00 and in the shower.  I was driving so I had to leave the hotel at 4:30 to head over and pick up Richard.  So, I had him loaded up and in the “non” Green vehicle (read Suburban) and was heading South towards St. Pete.  I was smart (well, maybe lucky) and actually paid for parking the night before.  This allowed me to park very, very close to the race site.  Probably the best $20.00 I’ve ever spent.  Once we got to the race site I got body marked, into transition, set up, hit the Porta Potty and was at Spa Beach in a matter of about thirty (30) minutes.  Perfect timing if I do say so myself.  I was actually able to relax and do some stretching before my wave would take off.

At 7:00 all of the Elite Age Group Wave toed the line for the start of the swim.  The ocean looked a bit rough and I liked it.  Not huge waves but some serious “washing machine” waves that I knew would cause some people some discomfort.  The horn sounded and off I went.  The temp of the ocean this morning was around 75 degrees so I had the Aqua Sphere Icon on and ready to rumble.  Funny thing though, during the first 400 meters of the swim start I was getting pummeled.  In the past (in my youth) I was able to get the “hole shot” and get out in front without anybody even getting the opportunity to lay a finger on me.  Well, now that I am in my “older years” I don’t have that “top end speed” anymore.  So, I took my lumps and then started to pick people off as the swim progressed.  By the time we hit the first buoy I was in fourth or fifth place.  The waves were very interesting.  Once you turned left at the first buoy you felt like you were getting a ride on some waves.  This only lasted for about a second or two and then you’d be in the trough of the wave and it felt like you were going backwards.  This continued for about 700 meters.  Then there was one more left turn before you started to head for T1.  It was at this time that the swim became the toughest.  I am a “right hand side” breather when it comes to swimming.  Well, not this day.  With the waves coming from that direction I quickly switched over to a “left hand side” breather.  This probably stopped me from drinking a couple of gallons of sea water.  It was also at this point where I found myself in second place (about 10 seconds down from the lead Elite swimmer.  Time to get to work.

I headed into T1 after an 18:52 swim.  Not too bad considering the conditions.  Got to my rack, got the Icon wetsuit off quickly, donned the shades and my Rudy Project Wing Span helmet and then proceeded to head out of transition.  Only problem was I was heading in the wrong direction.  Yep, I went the complete wrong way!  The officials started yelling at me to turn around and run towards the other exit of the transition area.  What a waste.  I was pissed.  At this point one other person had caught me and now I was in third place heading out on the bike.

Out on the bike I quickly got into my shoes (after the cobblestone road) and started to get into a groove.  I picked off the two (2) individuals in front of me by the second turn around.  Now I was on my own.  The winds were fairly strong heading South.  I was grinding and only going 22 mph.  It was tough going and I was trying to stay as aero as possible.  The new Orbea Ordu was getting it’s first test during a race and I have to say it passed with flying colors.  The bike is a bullet.  I love everything about it.  Not only did the bike work well but the Dura Ace wheels and Shimano Di2 shifting worked like a dream.  I can’t wait to get out there and put this bike through it’s paces some more.

The one thing about the St. Anthony’s bike course is it has a lot of turns.  Over sixty (60) if I’m not mistaken.  So, it’s really hard to settle into any kind of rhythm.  Once you do get going there’s a turn that’s going to make you “check up” and take the corner safely.  But, there was one section of the bike during the race where you finally had a tail wind and could really put the hammer down.  I think during this section I probably averaged about 31 mph.  All I could hear was my tires rolling on the asphalt.  It was awesome.  So, back to the race, here I was getting ready to finish the bike when another “rookie” mistake was made.  Normally I have my feet out of my bike shoes well in advance of the dismount line.  Well, this time I didn’t.  As a matter of fact the dismount line caught me by total surprise.  I had to stop on a dime, unclip my shoes and then run (with my bike shoes on) into T2.  I couldn’t believe I did that.  I guess there is a reason why you should practice transitions!

After racking the bike, donning the shoes, race belt and race hat I am off on the run course.  I am first out on the run course in the Elite Age Group Wave.  I pretty much knew it probably wasn’t going to be for long.  Now, while I have done a lot of running over the winter I haven’t really worked a whole lot on top end speed.  Sure, I’ve done a couple of mile repeats and tempo efforts here and there but nothing that it going to get me to run sub 6:00 miles.  Trust me, I tried.  Just not in the cards.   So, at around mile one (1) of the run I was passed by two (2) individuals.  It wasn’t like they went flying past me but it was enough to where I couldn’t hang on.  Again, trust me, I tried.  I won’t bore you with all the details of my slow run.  Suffice it to say three (3) other people passed me in the run.  I tried to stay with them but to no avail (trust me, I tried).  I can tell you one thing for certain.  None of these guys who were passing me had racing kits that looked as good as mine.  See what I mean.

So, I finished the race in 6th place.  2:01:30 was my finishing time.  That’s an 18:52 swim, 1:46 T1 (yeah, I know that’s pathetic), 1:00:39 bike, 1:19 T2 (again, pathetic) and 38:56 run.  This is what racing for over two (2) hours looks like when you finish!  At least I am still standing up.

All in all I would say that I am encouraged with my race results.  I told Chris Thomas that St. Anthony’s wasn’t an “A” race and pretty much only rested a couple of days before the race.  My swim is right where I want it to be, my bike will get better as I ride it more and my run will come around.  I am really looking forward to what the season might bring.

What’s up next?  My good friend and buddy Ian Ray and I will be tacking DeSoto Triple T come the end of May.  For those of you who have done this race you know what kind of PAIN we are both in for.  I look forward to it.  I’ve done the race six (6) times and I still have nightmares about that last run on Sunday.  This should be a great lead into the Timex Camp in Boulder the following week. I am also looking very much forward to that time as well.  Can’t wait to see some familiar faces while sharing the pool, road and trails.  The very next weekend is Kansas 70.3.  This will be an “A” race for me and my one and only shot and qualifying for Clearwater 70.3.  I know that I’ll be more than ready for that race with all this training behind me.

So, that’s it.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  I hope you’ve enjoyed my long (and probably boring) St. Anthony’s race report.

Until next time!  Train safe, Train smart and Race fast!

Bruce TWSS Gennari

After 20 months hiatus, I ventured back into the world of triathlons this past weekend at the Ironman Texas 70.3 race in Galveston. I was excited, anxious, and even a little lost without establishing the usual outcome goals. Instead, this race was about team, friendships, and the joy of just being physically able to do this sport. Ok, that, and ONE specific race goal: do not blow up on the course!

It is amazing what one forgets when they do not practice. It is one thing to instruct or tell others what needs to be done, but to actually put it into play for oneself is not always as easy as it sounds. I felt out of sync for this race…would I know how to pace, would I mess up in transition, would I forget to do something…were just some of the thoughts running through my mind. Thankfully I had many friends and their families there to provide moral support and encouragement. It certainly felt a little different being on the other side of the game in this situation (meaning being a racer and not a spectator), but there was comfort in knowing that I would have the opportunity to see many of them out on the race course with a 4 loop run course.

Race morning arrived after a surprisingly restful night of sleep. However, my roommate and I spent a little too much time gabbing race morning and were alerted to the time when we received a phone call from another friend wondering where we were…WHOA…a quick adrenaline rush meant a quick little jog over to transition with 15 minutes to spare. Certainly not what the ‘old’ Kim would have done on race morning. With little time to dwell in transition, I got my transition set up and headed down to the swim start to wait for my race start.

As it was finally time for W35-39 to get into the water, the wind had picked up and by the time I hit the water, we were greeted with white caps. Even though I am not a real strong swimmer, I was not bothered too much by the rough water, as after surviving the swim at the 2006 Ironman Florida, I at least have the confidence of knowing that I can get through a choppy swim. With the swim finished, I was one step closer to completing the race with my biggest hurdle of the day…the bike.

I have a love/hate relationship with the bike. I love my actual bike. It is the cars and road hazards that come with biking that I do not like. For the most part I stayed positive and in the moment while on the bike. When my thoughts drifted I found myself reminded by the chime of my Blazeman bracelet of just how wonderful it is to be back racing. That, and the frequent cheering of friends and teammates along the bike course kept me on the right path. My bike fit on my new Orbea Ordu is exceptionally comfortable. It was only within the past two weeks that I have been able to go onto the aerobars and thankfully, I was able to do so for much of the bike course. This certainly proved to be a successful milestone for me. However, I have a lot more miles to put on that bike to get back into bike shape!

With the bike leg complete I had one more discipline to go and again the question lingered-how do I pace this thing again? It didn’t take too long and thankfully I settled into a pattern. The run course (surprise surprise) was my favorite!! There was a steady stream of people cheering on the runners and with the course being 4 loops, there was always somebody ahead to chase. The course was one that really made it easy for me to stay focused-always trying to run the tangent, plan the path for the aid stations, and time any ‘surges’ so they coincided with the Team Strive (family & friends) cheering sections. LOL.

Crossing the finish line was the destination I was seeking that morning and it sure felt great to get there. Having teammates and friends out on the course with me helped the miles pass by and made for a much more enjoyable experience. The 2010 Tri season has just begun!

USA Triathlon, the governing body for triathlon sports in the United States, has provided a $1,000 grant to fund a pilot program for a high school triathlon team in the Fort Collins area. The Northern Colorado High School Triathlon Team is a 6 week pilot program open to all area high school students, regardless of experience or ability to pay. The program is the first of its kind in the United States.

The program will be run by Wendy Mader of t2coaching, amateur champion in the 2008 Kona Ironman World Championships. “Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States,” said Mader. “It is a lifetime sport that will allow athletes to compete at all ages, and at different distances,” she said.

The program kicks off during the first week of April, and continues with three workouts a week, including biking, swimming and running, and finishes with the Fort Collins Sprint Triathlon to be held at Edora Park on May 16^th.

“The goal of the team is to give local high school athletes the opportunity to compete in a multisport program that stresses conditioning, achieving personal goals and competing in a Sprint triathlon,” says Mader, who is also the swim coach for boys and girls swimming at Rocky Mountain High School. The May Triathlon, sponsored by the Fort  Collins Club consists of a 450 yard swim, a 13 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile (5 K) run.

In its third week of training 8 of 17 Northern Colorado High School triathletes competed in their first triathlon Sunday April 25th. 15 minute swim, 15 minute bike, 15 minute run. Thanks to everyone that participated and all volunteers. Next up for the kids is the Fort Collins Sprint Triathlon May 16th followed by the Pelican Fest Sprint Triathlon May 29th. I hope to compete soon.

http://athletes.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=346287&lis=0&kntae346287=BA8188569FC5430BA6B22E70838F9B03&supId=289661731

Thanks for taking the time to read,

Dennis Meeker

Team Timex