2012 started with some fun (as usual) down at the Snake Gap MTB TT in Dalton, GA. Two of my buddies, Craig Evans and Matt Schupp, and I headed down the day before to do a little spin at Raccoon Mountain along the way.

Trying to look cool at the overlook on Raccoon Mountain the day before the Snake Gap

Because this was the first race of the year, and quite early in the season, all of us were a little nervous about our fitness. We knew it was going to hurt and we were going to suffer, but at least we would all be hurting together.

Getting ready to throw down at the Snake Gap MTB TT

It was a free-for-all time trial start, which meant that whenever you got to the start line, that’s when you started. Craig and I left 10 seconds apart and I soft pedaled to wait up for him so we could ride together. We then proceed to crush it. Check out the data that I collected on my Timex GPS Global Trainer.

Data from my Timex GPS Global Trainer via Training Peaks

I was stoked and quite pleasantly surprised to feel very strong right from the start. Craig and I rode together until the last few miles, where I turned the throttle and put 1:40 into him to pick up the win in 2:48:55. Not a bad way to start the year!

And they're off!

As the ball dropped and we all rang in 2012 last week, I couldn’t help to think about what this year will bring. My body has been feeling pretty good since my last triathlon in November, so I was excited to race my 1st race of the year.

The Swift Skedaddle is a difficult, hilly, but scenic 5K snowshoe race in Silverthorne, CO that I’ve raced the last few years. This year I toed the line for the first time armed with my Timex Run Trainer at 8,721 ft. (Yes, the watch displays altitude). Everything was going well until I saw my Heart Rate at 180 mid way up the first hill! It was me and one other runner until the last 1/2 mile when I pulled away for the win in 35 minutes.  A nice touch was winning 10 Chipotle Burritos, 10 orders of chips & salsa, and yes, 10 drinks!

This was the "culvert" we had to crawl through just before the finish.

The highlight of the day by far was when a 9 year old boy came up to me after the race and said:

“Hey, you’re Tim Hola right? You came and talked to our school last summer and I’m a big fan. I did my first Iron Kids race last year and I won! Thank You!”

I just about melted.  I felt so happy that not only did he remember me, but I inspired him to race in a triathlon and to keep fit.  That’s what it’s all about.  It’s a moment that will never be forgotten.

Train safe,

Tim

After an extremely rough couple of years, I have a lot of really exciting things to look forward to in 2012! My number one goal for the entire season is the stay healthy and major injury free for 12 consecutive months. Although that might seem easy on paper, I haven’t even come close since December 2008.

I’ll spare you the details, but I had a phenomenal chat with coach Neal Henderson yesterday and we have a concrete plan that should have me rockin’ and rollin’ for cyclocross season this upcoming fall. For the first quarter, I’ll just build back into shape on my own doing minimal exercise and strength training – it will be treated like any normal off season. In the second quarter I will buckle down and become more structured with specific power work and higher intensity training. By the third quarter, I will be racing the Winter Park MTB series that will help build my base and lung capacity. And fourth quarter will be my peaking season to kick ass and take names in Cyclocross. As always, I will be racing the entire RMEC off-road moto series and misc road and MTB races in Colorado, but those will all be for fun and practice as CX is the number one focus this year.

Here’s to an awesome 2012 Timex, I cannot wait!

Happy New Year everyone!
It is my pleasure to announce the 2012 Timex Multisport Team roster. Before I do, I would like to thank everyone who took interest and applied to the team. We had a record number of applications and by far the strongest field of applicants in team history.

Now, without further adieu, the 2012 Timex Multisport Team:

Pro Women
Christine Anderson
Erin Kummer
Jackie Arendt
Laura Tingle
Marie Danais
Tamara Kozulina
Kelly Fillnow
Lauren Goss
Christie Sym

Pro Men
Andrew Hodges
Dave Harju
Keegan Williams
Kyle Marcotte
Mac Brown
Toby Radcliffe
Viktor Zyemtsev
Will Kelsay
Nicholas Thompson
Anton Blokhin

AG Women
Ani De Leon Brown
Cassie Maximenko
Cindi Bannink
Hannah Freeman
Juli Fiocca
Shannon Coates
Trista Francis
Wendy Mader
Susanne Davis
Meredith Dolhare
Jennifer Pinto
Melissa Brand

AG Men
AC Morgan
Barry Siff
Bo Parrish
Brian Boyle
Brian Schaning
Bruce Gennari
Chris Thomas
Daniel Brienza
Dave Orlowski
Dennis Meeker
DJ Snyder
Luis Alvarez
Mark Vermeersch
Roger Thompson
Stu Fitch
Tim Hola
Trevor Heller
Ben Greenfield
Dave Erickson

We are very excited to get the 2012 season underway. Congrats to all who were selected.
Happy training!

Great end to a FAST 2011 season….beat my 2010 New Year’s resolution  5k by over 90 seconds!! Yeehaw! Very happy with that since I have not been running about 6 miles a week since my Run Rabbit Run Ultra the past 90 days.  Solid baseline now to start training. Thank you for all your support Timex and Powerbar.  I am looking forward to representing the 2012 Team Timex family.