Here are a couple of pictures of the Timex Ford Edge in Nashville, TN (a.k.a. Music City USA).  This was before the Music City Triathlon.  Believe it or not, the Music City Triathlon is one of the oldest triathlons in the country.  Back in the day guys like Mark Allen, Dave Scott and Brad Beven used to come and compete in it.  I’ll post more on the race in a later post.

One week prior to Eagleman 70.3 I was out on my last long ride when the unthinkable happened.  Remember what I said about luck. Well, I didn’t have any on this day.  I was attempting to get to my son’s ballgame at 9:30 and riding on roads that I hardly ride on.  On a down hill section of the road I hit the deck at approximately 34.1 mph.  How do I know this?  I downloaded the ride later on in the day and could see EXACTLY where I went down.  I could also see the deceleration of my body after I hit the asphalt.  Honestly, I don’t remember any of the accident.  One minute I was riding and the next I was being helped by complete strangers asking me if I was OK.  Well, I was alive, so yes, I was OK.  If there’s a poster boy for why you should wear a helmet when riding I am him.  There’s no doubt that my helmet saved my life.  The rest of the carnage can be described like this:

Broken nose with three (stitches) on the bridge of my nose.  Four (4) stitches on my shoulder-blade/back where  a hole had been torn (where you could actually see my bone) by my sliding.  Road rash on both knee caps, right forearm, left elbow and right and left side/butt cheek.  Yep, I was a mess.  Being the stubborn guy that I am I tried to ride my bike home.  One legged mind you as my right pedal hit the ground so hard that I bent it.  I didn’t get very far as my vision started to get blurry almost to the point that I couldn’t see.  I thought this would be a good time to call my wife and have her take me to the ER.  Three (3) hours later I was out and all bandaged up.  I was a mess but I was alive.

Eagleman 70.3 was the following Sunday and I didn’t know if I would be able to race.  The ER doc didn’t even want me on my bike the entire week.  Afraid I would rip out the stitches I guess.  I wanted to see if I would be able to race so I covered up all my wounds with water-proof bandages and jumped in the pool, rode my trainer and ran on my treadmill.  Things weren’t falling off of me and the pain was manageable so I made the decision on Wednesday that I would go ahead and fly up to Cambridge, toe the line and see what happens.  Doing the race probably wasn’t one of the smartest decisions I’ve made.

I had some friends of mine set up a home stay in Cambridge.  Blane and Jeannie Weitzel took me in and treated me like royalty. I had a room and a bathroom all to myself the entire time I was up there.  They were awesome!  Not only did they house me but they also fed me as well. Not a small feat by any stretch of the imagination.  Plus, where they were located was less than 1.5 miles from the race.  I could have walked to the race if necessary.  I also got to hang out with the Cambridge MultiSport (CMS) team for the weekend and that was also a lot of fun.  They took me in and made me an honorary member for the weekend.  This was awesome as they had a tent close to the starting line of the race.  Speaking of the race, here’s a brief synopsis of how it unfolded:

Swim hurt, bike hurt and the run hurt. Here’s a couple of pictures of the carnage that was Eagleman 70.3:

Swim was decent.  27 minutes and some change.  Don’t know if it was long or if we were swimming into some currents going out but that’s a bit slow for a 1.2 mile swim.  The Orca Speed Suit felt amazing.  I know that wasn’t the problem.  My right shoulder was hurting with every stroke I took.  I actually had to bilateral breath just to take some pressure off of it by breathing to my right side.  An MRI will be performed soon to see if any structural damage happened when I hit the deck.

The bike for the first 30 miles were into some headwinds.  Nothing too crazy but just enough that you could feel you were working.  I believe I bike around 2:19 and some change.  The road rash on my left elbow was a serious reminder of what happened the week before.  As luck (or no luck) would have it the elbow road rash lined up perfectly with my pad and rubbed the entire ride.  Fun, fun, fun!

Lastly, the run.  Uggggg…the run.  By the time I got out on the run it was HOT!  I didn’t start the race until 8:06.  As a matter of fact Andrew Hodges was already done with his race and I hadn’t even started the run yet.  Again, fun, fun, fun!  The road rash on my knee caps starting hurting me about four (4) miles into the run.  That with the heat and humidity made the run a not so enjoyable time for me.  I was passed by two (2) of my 45-49 year old competitors in the last couple of miles, thus, I thought, ending my chance at a Kona slot.  That wouldn’t be the case as I would later find out.  Anyway, I finished the race in 4:30:  .

So, here’s the story on the Kona slot. Evidently you had to have either $650.00 in cash or a check to take your slot. I had neither.  It’s 2011 and I was under the impression that I would be able to use a debit card to pay for any slots (Kona or Las Vegas) that were  earned.  Boy was I wrong.  Lesson learned.  What did happen (while I was back at the house packing) was that the Kona slot rolled down to me. I wasn’t there to get it and somebody else took it.  End of story, cut and dry.  Easy come, easy go.  I wouldn’t have had the money to pay for it anyway. I did, however, get lucky and nabbed a Las Vegas slot. I had the great fortune of having a friend front me with $325.00.  So, Vegas it is!  Kona can wait.  I’ll get there one of these years.  I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with my Timex Teammates in Las Vegas. It’s not Kona but it’ll do.  Considering all I’ve been through over the past two (2) weeks.  I’ll bet on Vegas every single time.  Also, remember, WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS….STAYS IN VEGAS!

Tuscaloosa – Birmingham Tornado

Team – Magic is the company that puts on this race.  Team – Magic is a company stationed out of Birmingham, Alabama that puts on numerous races throughout the Southeast.  Mad props to them and all of the volunteers on this day.  I can’t begin to tell you how well run this race was.  How was the race itself?  For me it went pretty well.

The swim started in the Cumberland River.  Because of the current and many other factors the race was a time trial start with people going off at three (3) second intervals.  The issue with the first leg of the swim was that it was upstream.  I felt like I was in Tuscaloosa all over again.  For those of you who don’t know, at last years USAT National Championships in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Army Corp of Engineers opened up the dams right before the start of the race.  Once you got into the water it felt like you were swimming in an Endless Pool.  Well, the same thing happened on Sunday again.  Only this time it was just the river itself causing the damage.  Needless to say my swim wasn’t as fast as I would have liked it to be.  I was gapped by two (2) people in front of me and ended up third out of the water.  This was very foreign to me as I am always one of the stronger swimmers in the field.  I was very much relieved when I found out that both people that beat me were also ex-swimmers.

So, out on the bike I started the attempt to real in the two (2) in front of me.  I did manage to catch one (1) of the persons who beat me out of the water.  The other guy, Craig Evans, was hammering up the road and my chances of catching him on the bike were slim and none (and slim just left).  So, I did what I could to stay in contact with him.  This was achieved by just looking for the motorcycle that was traveling with him during the entire bike ride.  The one thing I did notice on the bike was how the heat and humidity were increasing exponentially.  I was having a hard time just keeping my sweaty hands on my aerobars.  It was really starting to heat up!  Coming back into T2 I was riding on an exceptionally sketchy patch of road and almost crashed because my hands were jarred off my bars.  That gave my heart a bit of a jump!

Back into T2 I racked my Orbea Ordu, threw on my racing flats and headed out onto what I knew was going to be a miserable run.  Miserable in the fact that it was now 94 degrees with 80 percent humidity.  I believe the “heat index” at this time was well over 100 degrees.  I thought to myself that “strong and steady” was the “order for the day”.  So, I set off with a goal to run as hard as I could and still cross the finish line without having to cross the line “Julie Moss” style.  Thankfully there were people on the course who were giving me splits in regards to how far behind I was.  Starting out the run (running up and over a pretty steep bridge, uggg) I heard that I was 1 minute and 30 seconds back of the leader.  Now, as all of you know, running isn’t exactly my “thing”.  I thought that there was no way I could make up that amount of time in 6.2 miles.  Again, strong and steady was all I was thinking in this heat.  I was also making sure that going through aid stations that I was getting in enough fluids to keep myself hydrated and cool.  One cup to drink and one cup over the head for 6.2 miles.  Well, I am happy to tell you that my “strong and steady” race tactic worked.  At mile four (4) I saw my friend Craig running up a hill directly in front of me.  He wasn’t looking too well.  All that was left for me to do now was time my pass and then put up a “mentally crushing”  surge that would give him the idea that I was not going to be caught.  Unfortunately for me, the surge had to be done on a pretty steep hill.  So, I did what I had to do.  Up the hill I went.  Way, way, way outside of my comfort zone.  Thankfully the surge worked.  I was able to recover at the top of the hill and subsequent downhill afterwards.  I was now recovered enough to counter any attacks that came from behind.  Thankfully none came and I was able to cross the finish line first and without keeling over.

Now that the race was over it was time to get cooled down.  It took four (4) water bottles poured directly over my head before I started to feel any relief.  I am here to tell you that it was hot, hot, hot!  Anybody finishing this race today deserved a pat on the back.

Afterwards I was interviewed by an individual with The Tennessean named Mike Organ.  This is the article that showed up in The Tennessean today:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100726/SPORTS11/7260334/2215/SPORTS/Brentwood+s+Gennari+wins+Music+City+Triathlon

The best part about the race was what happened afterwards.  Evidently 1995 Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George was at the race.  Yes, that Eddie George from THE Ohio State University.  The same Eddie George that is a Tennessee Titan legend!  Eddie was there to support a friend of his who was participating in the Sprint race.  Now, I am not sure if it was a friend of his or his wife.  Like I said, the heat was making easy things (like remembering names) very, very hard.  Anyway, this individual that Eddie was supporting had a rough time in the swim.  Eddie asked if I would talk to her about what she could do to ease her anxiety about the swim.  So I did.  I gave her some very informative information on what she could do to help herself in this area.  The one thing that I told her is that “doing” the activity was going to make her feel more secure about it the next time.  I told her that gaining confidence in swimming in open water was only going to come by her practicing in open water.  I also told her that I too struggle with open water swimming.  Yep, I don’t know if any of you know this but over the past couple of years I have almost developed a phobia about open water swimming.  I am fine when I am in a wetsuit but when I am not in one things tend to “go South” for me mentally.  I battle my own demons when performing in open water without a wetsuit.  I think that just by talking about it openly I help myself.  So there, now you all know.

Anyway, she was very appreciative with the time that I spent with her.  Eddie was also very appreciative as well.  It was a good day.  Anyway, I can sum up my thrill of the day with the following two (2) pictures.  Yeah, that’s me on the right!

Looking at the picture on the right tells me that I need to start doing more sit-ups!  Maybe gain a pound or two (2) as well.

I hope things are going well for the rest of you this summer.  And for those of you who are planning on doing Clearwater, please let me know.  I’d like to coordinate staying in the same place we did last year.  Just shoot me an email if you’re interested.

Bruce TWSS Gennari

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

I also bet you thought that I’d be writing about some triathlon race that I’ve currently completed.  Nope, races this year have been few and far between because of the whole blood clot issue.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve raced a couple of times this year.  Race results were solid but nothing to write home about.  I am looking forward to Clearwater 70.3.  I have two (2) solid months to get ready for it and believe that I’ll be ready to “Rock and Roll” when the time comes.

This particular post is to talk about my newest toy.  No, it’s not as exciting as Roger’s Trek bike reviews.  Awesome job on those Rog!  And don’t get me wrong, I love my Trek 9.9 SSL!  I think it’s by far the fastest TT rig in the market today.  If I had a nickel for each time somebody said NICE BIKE to me during a ride or at a race I’d be a rich man today.  So, way to go Trek.  Nope, this post is about a piece of equipment that I try to use at least once a day.  It’s an important part of my training schedule.  This is what I am talking about:

Yep, it’s our brand new hot tub.  Nothing feels better after a days training session than jumping in this bad boy for about 15 – 20 minutes.  I am talking 51 jets and six (6) seats of “full on” recovery.  Plus, there’s a small water fall that adds some “coolness” to the tub.  At night you can turn on several different lights (my kids love this feature) that add to the allure of the tub.  The colors are blue, red, green, yellow, purple, orange, white and then there’s the “toggle” between all the colors feature.  It’s pretty awesome.

Anytime you’re in the Nashville area just give me a ring.  We can do some serious working out and then some serious relaxing afterwards.

I hope everyone is doing well this season.  Based on all of the post I am reading TEAM TIMEX is kicking butt and taking names this season.  Looking forward to Clearwater (and potentially Augusta 70.3) in the near future.  I promise my next post will be triathlon training/racing related.

Hope to see some of you soon!

At this point I am so tired I can’t even see straight.  All I want to do is get some sleep.  I got my gear ready for the following morning, went for a quick bike and run and then ate dinner with the “gang”.  Yep, Sonny’s all you can eat BBQ.  I am really picky for pre – race meals as you can see.  Got back to the condo, got the kids to bed and then went to sleep myself.  It was 10:00 and I feel asleep at 10:00 plus two (2) seconds.  I don’t even remember falling asleep.
5:00 the following morning the alarm goes off.  I sit up and have no idea where I am.  It was quite freaky.  I finally got my bearings and it dawned on me, HOLY CRAP!  I’ve got a race to do this morning.  And not just any race, a half Ironman.  This was going to be interesting.  I could have slept for ten (10) more hours.  So, after gathering up all my gear and eating I was out the door, heading down towards transition.  Actually I had to be driven down to transition as it was over five (5) miles away. 
Once into Transition I got all my gear set up and headed for the beach.  Looking at the surf I knew that a lot of people were going to have a rough time.  The professionals had already taken off and were already half way through the swim.  I was in the 11^th wave.  I had a little time to mull over how I was going to race this day.  I came to the conclusion that I was going to just do my best with what I had on this day.  That’s about all anybody can do on any race day I thought to myself. 
Once my toes where in the water and listening for the horn I switched to race mode.  Horn sounded and I was off.  The surf was rather big about ten (10) yards out.  I dolphin-dived under a couple good size waves and was swimming.  About fifteen (15) more yards out you hit a sandbar.  More waves and more dolphin-diving.  After that things were a bit better.  The ocean was very choppy and sighting was difficult.  Add to that the outbound site buoys were green (yeah, who make that decision) and you kind of get the picture of a very zig-zaggy swim.  I was all over the place.  I finally got a bead on the turn-around buoy and headed straight for it.  I was passing people left and right.  Once I got to the turn-around buoy I knew things would get better.  I was finally able to get into a groove with my stroke.  I altered it a bit as I took shorter strokes but really concentrated on stretching my arms out once they were underwater.  This worked very well and before I knew it I hit the shore.  Took a glance at my watch and say 23:44.  Not too shabby I thought.
Running to T1 I took off my Blue Seventy Wetsuit (http://www.blueseventy.com/) and ran as fast as I could.  Now, I could sit here and “gush” over the Blue Seventy Helix but I’d just be preaching to the choir.  It’s the best wetsuit I’ve used (and I’ve used a lot in my day) BAR NONE.  Dean Jackson and the boys have really done themselves proud.  I can’t wait to get to use the speed suit!  Here’s a pic of me heading towards T1:

Into T1, off with the wetsuit and on with the bike shoes, helmet and sunglasses.  Wasn’t’ the fastest transition but it’ll do.  I have been accused in the past of having a “tea party” in transition.  Well, this time was no exception.
Out on the road you could immediately tell that the wind was up.  Heading North you would have a tail wind.  Heading back South, well, that was a different story.  I got into a fairly good groove right from the get go.  No issues with lack of sleep.  This was a good sign.  I was experiencing some soreness in and around my knees but I figured that would go away once I got “warmed up” on the bike. 
I was passing a lot of people at this point and giving encouragement to all the people that I knew.  It’s amazing how many people you know out there on the road.  I was cruising on the Front Beach roads and really having a good time.  The Trek 9.5 (http://www.trekbikes.com/) was cutting through the wind like nobody’s business.  I had also chosen not to ride a disc wheel this day because of the strong winds.  I rode an Aeolus 6.5 (http://www.bontrager.com/) in the back and an Aeolus 5.0 in the front.  The front was a loaner from my local bike shop as the 6.5 I got had some issues with the carbon bulging out when a pumped up wheel was on it.  As of today I’ve got the wheel back and am ready to put it through its paces.  Pic of me on the road.

Anyway, out on the road things were shaping up quite well.  Then it happened.  I was on Highway 388 and heading towards the turn-around point on the race.  I was passing people pretty regularly and not having any issues.  We’ll I was about to.  About 600 meters from the turnaround I came up on a group of people who were riding in the middle of the road.  Evidently the right hand of the road was very, very rough and they were trying to avoid it.  I would have avoided it as well.  Anyway, I came up on this “pack” of riders pretty quickly and moved over to the left to pass.  Evidently I scared the crap out of the first rider I passed.  He yelled WHOA and then proceeded to turn right into me.  Ok, survival mode started kicking in.  I leaned right back into him and pushed him back where he came from.  I could feel his front wheel basically running down the length of my bike.  I was leaning hard right for all I was worth.  Once his front wheel came off my back wheel I heard that most gosh awful sound.  It was him going down.  I felt awful.  I stood up and soft pedaled to make sure that he was OK.  I couldn’t stop as people were coming up behind me.  I told myself I would hit the turn-around and catch him going back the other way.  Of course he wasn’t there when I went back.  I also got some “colorful” comments from one woman when I came around the turn-around.  I think her comments were “You should be disqualified you Son of a Bitch, I saw what you did”.   Hey, I was passing where I was supposed to, on the left; you were riding in the middle of the road.  What was I supposed to do? 
Now, like Earl, I do believe in Karma.  After the race I was talking to Charlie Crawford who was the Head Referee for the race.  Well, it seems that the guy I tangled with was a “bandit” racer.  So, not only is not going to get his injuries covered by USAT but he is going to get suspended for a year from racing and the guy who gave him his number is going to get suspended as well.  Karma, don’t mess with it.
Well, the rest of the bike was “kind of” uneventful.  There was another wreck that I was around but certainly didn’t cause.  I just heard it.  It was awful.  I turned around and looked and saw three (3) people on the deck.  Not good.  Again I pulled up to make sure everybody was OK.  Once I saw that they were, off I went.  The rest of the bike was mostly in a pretty stiff head wind.  Time to really get aero and see what I can do.
I had a solid ride back into town.  I ended up catching and passing a good friend of mine, Brett Reagan.  Brett is an excellent cyclist and would go on to post the 4^th fastest bike split of the day.  He and I headed into T2 together.  Bike time was 2:14 and change.
T2 was, once again, slow.  For runs over 10k I pull socks on.  What can I say?   I am a bleeder.  Plus, it was really warming up and I didn’t want to have to deal with blisters.  I pulled on my Zoot shoes (http://www.zootsports.com/) and headed out.  Now, I could sit here and give you all the details of the run but that would be pretty boring.  I think this race report is long enough.  Let’s just suffice it to say that it was SLOW.  I really struggled with the heat.  I think by the time we hit St. Thomas Park the temps were in the mid 80’s.  Couple that with some fairly humid air and you have the makings of a melt down.  All I know was that the last four (4) miles seemed to take forever.  That finish line couldn’t get there fast enough.  Here’s me dying in out on the run course.
 

Yeah, it was that hot out there!
Well, thankfully the finish line finally came into sight.  I had very little left in the tank.  I crossed the finish line and stopped the clock at 4:18:37.  Not exactly my best effort but certainly not my worst.  I’ll take it considering the “out of sorts” week leading up to the race.  

1 MIKE NEILL              	36 VICTORIA BC             	4:06:38

2 ZACH RUBLE              	26 MONROEVILEE IN          	4:07:32

3 DANIEL MOSS             	27 SIMPSONVILLE SC        	4:11:10

4 NICHOLAS VANDAM         	21 WEST POINT NY           	4:15:47

5 BRUCE GENNARI           	42 BRENTWOOD TN            	4:18:37

6 JOHN ROBERTSON          	34 HOUSTON TX              	4:19:47

7 ANDRES MUNERA           	37 TAMPA FL                	4:19:59

8 NICHOLAS STERGHOS       	21 WEST POINT NY           	4:21:41

9 PETER KOTLAND           	36 MOORE SC                	4:22:30

10 JASON WILLCOX           	38 ALBANY GA               	4:26:36

 The first three (3) guys were professionals.  Mike Neill has won this race several times.  He’s a great guy and a fierce competitor. Evidently he and Zach were running stride-for-stride on the run.  Mike put it into overdrive with 1.5 miles to go and took the win. 
So, that’s pretty much how things went.  I have that “happy” but not “satisfied” feeling about the race.  I always ponder “what could have been”.  I know I shouldn’t but that’s just how I am “wired”.  But, I can honestly answer with an emphatic YES to the question; did you give the most you had on this day?
Next up for me is the DeSoto Triple T in Portsmouth, Ohio.  I’ll try to be a bit timelier on the race report.  Until then, I hope you all Train smart, Train safe and Race fast!
 

The race in Tuscaloosa was part of an entire race experience in Tuscaloosa called Tri-Palooza.  Along with the Men’s and Women’s Olympic Trials race there was a 21-12 race (draft legal) and a Citizen’s race that made up this racing weekend.  Since I am a mere citizen I took part in the Tuscaloosa Triathlon.  For me the race could should have been called Hack-aPalooza as I’ve been dealing with some kind of funk for several weeks now.  I basically can’t stop coughing and it only gets worse when I do any kind of exercise.  It’s almost like I exercise induced asthma.   But, there’s a drainage issue going on here like nobody’s business which leads me to believe that it’s more of a lingering cold than anything else.  I’m going to the doctor tomorrow to get it all straightened out.  Anyway, enough about my sob story.

Saturday my family and I woke up early and drove from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa.  We got there just in time for the USAT Collegiate Championship race.  I knew Andrew was racing and wanted to show my support.  Andrew was in the 1^st wave and gave those young college guys a run for their money.  Andrew was about 6^th out of the water and then got into a good pack of guys during the bike.  Off the bike Andrew was down about 2:24 and things were looking pretty good.  Knowing how well Andrew can run I thought he might be able to catch some of the guys in front of him.  This is exactly what he did.  Andrew ended up 3^rd overall and did Team Timex proud.

After the Collegiate race the family and I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed back down towards the race site to watch the women vie for the next US Olympic slot.  The race was awesome to watch and the crowds were amazing.  Four women broke away from the start and really put some time into the chasers.  You just knew that one of these four women would end up winning the Olympic slot.  The four women were Sara McClarty, Sarah Haskins, Sarah Groff and Julie Ertel.  These four women put about a minute coming into T2 on all the other chasers and never looked back.  Surprisingly (to me) Julie Ertel came out of that pack of four women to take the seconds slot to Beijing.

Before the men’s race it was decided by our four year old (Noah) that he in no way, shape, form or fashion would be hanging around for the race.  So, my wife and Noah headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap.  My other son, Ian, and I hung around and watched the entire men’s race.  In the men’s race Andy Potts immediately tried to steal the Olympic slot on the swim.  I think Andy thought that he could swim and bike away from everybody in the race.  He almost did just that.  Mr. Potts put almost 40 seconds on his closest chaser coming out of the water.  Then two things happened that doomed Andy’s effort.  A really nice head wind showed up on the bike course and Hunter Kemper, Matt Reed and Brian Fleishman all worked together on the bike.  Andy really had no choice but to sit up and wait for them.  The men’s race would come down to the run.  Well, at least that is what it looked like.  At the end of the last lap Matt Reed put in a huge surge and gapped the three other races by about 22 seconds.  That would be the move of the day.  Matt was able to keep that advantage throughout the four lap run course and sew up the Olympic spot to Beijing.

I have to tell you, it was great day to watch racing.  Not exactly the best thing to do knowing that I was racing the next day but, hey, how often to you get to watch Triathlon Olympic Trials in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (where I went to college)?  So, after watching the races my son and I had to hoof it all the way back to the hotel ourselves.  Yeah, I was pretty dang tired once we made it back.  After some dinner and some relaxing time I thought for sure I’d have a good sleep that night.  Nope, no dice.  I ended up coughing most of the night and getting almost no sleep at all.  What’s a guy to do?

The following morning the alarm clock went off at 5:00 and I was wishing I could sleep for eight more hours.  Anybody else ever feel like this?  I packed up all my gear, pumped up my tires and then headed out the door.  It took me less than ten minutes to bike from the hotel to the race site.  Once at the race site I grabbed my timing chip, got body marked and then set up my spot in Transition.  I was still wondering how this day would go.  Once I was settled I went off and started to warm up.  I felt OK but was still having some issues with coughing and exercising.  Once I got back to the Transition area I did some last second preparations and headed down to the swim start.  It then dawned on me that I hadn’t even worn my new Blue Seventy (http://www.blueseventy.com/) wetsuit.  As a matter of fact the tag was still on it when I brought it out to put it on.  Well, I am here to tell you that the wetsuit worked flawlessly.  As a matter of fact I am quite impressed with it.  You can tell the mark of a good wetsuit when you don’t realize that you’re actually wearing it.  I didn’t feel like I was wearing a wetsuit.  That was the good news.  The bad news was that I was coughing while I was swimming.  I don’t know if any of you have ever tried to do this but it is actually quite difficult.  I think I swallowed a good bit of the Black Warrior River during my swim.  Even with the water intake I did break away from a fairly solid field of racers in the event.  I was first out of the water and into T1.

Transitions in the past have normally been a huge pain point for me for this time I was in and out in no time.  I was still hacking up a storm but at least I was hacking in the lead.  I jumped on my new Trek Equinox TTX 9.5 (http://www.trekbikes.com/) and away I went.  The legs felt pretty good.  Not great but good.  I knew at this point that the race was going to be a “gut check” effort.  This basically means that I’ll go as hard as I can for as long as I can.  If I blow, well, then I blow.  Out on the bike course I was moving along fairly well (well, at least that is what I thought) until Professional Triathlete Kirk Nelson (http://www.trikirk.com/) came flying by me at Mach 2.   Man was he moving.  I didn’t even have a counter move for him as he went by.  I basically stayed within my racing “zone” and paid attention to my race instead of his.  Nobody else passed me on the bike except for Kirk heading into T2 so I felt that I had had a fairly solid bike.  Here’s a pic of me hammering (well, I thought I was hammering) the bike on Jack  Warner Parkway:

 Coming into T2 I was solidly in 2^nd place.  Off with the Rudy Project Helmet (http://www.rudyprojectusa.com/) and on with the new Zoot racing flats (thanks Ben).  It was here where I noticed that I still couldn’t feel my feet.  Evidently the water was a lot colder than I thought.
The run was an out-and-back two loop run course.  At this point in the race I just wanted to have a steady but solid run.  The crowds during this race were pretty awesome.  I was getting all kinds of support from a lot of the college kids that were also there yelling for their team mates.  If I had a nickel for each and every time somebody yelled GO TIMEX I’d be a rich man.  OK, well, maybe not rich, but I certainly would have been able to buy one gallon of gas!
So, how did I finish up?   Well, I ran fairly well and finished up second overall to Kirk Nelson.  I saw Kirk out on the run course and the guy runs like a Gazelle.  He’s super smooth.  Some of the guys behind me were reeling me in and I could see them coming.  Thankfully I had a big enough lead and was able to fend them off before crossing the finish line. 

And speaking of the finish line I have to give huge props to Tim Yount of USAT who was giving me all kinds of compliments and kudos for my years and years of racing triathlon.  Tim and I go way back and he’s definitely one of the good guys at USA Triathlon.  If you ever get the chance to participate in ITU World Championships and Tim’s there make sure you introduce yourself.  Tim is certainly a guy that you’ll want to know.
All in all, considering the circumstances, I’d say that I had a fairly solid day. 

Here are the overall top five finishers in the race with all of their splits:

You can certainly see that Kirk gave me a pretty good beat down.  I don’t think I could run a 15:58 5k in a straight running race.  Kirk did it while he was eating a slab of Dreamland ribs.  Yep, that’s how fast and graceful he runs.
And speaking of Dreamland Ribs, no trip to Tuscaloosa would be complete without going there.  And that’s exactly what we did.  The family and I took the short ride out to Dreamland and chowed down on some of the best BBQ ribs that you’ll ever eat.  The place is actually, well, a hole in the wall.  I think it’s held together with duct tape.  There’s a sign over the door that says NO FARTING.  I think you get the picture of what this place looks like.  But I have to tell you, the food is awesome.  I could have just sat there and ate Wonder bread dipped in Dreamland sauce and been happy!  But, I was there to eat some ribs and eat ribs I did.  If you’re ever looking to get some good ribs Dreamland will deliver.  Here’s their website; http://www.dreamlandbbq.com/.  Trust me, it’ll be worth your while.
After filling up with ribs it was time for our venture back to Nashville.  So, we loaded up the family wagon and headed north.  I felt pretty good about the weekend.  I got to see some quality racing, good friends and gotten to eat some Dreamland ribs.  What more could a person ask for?   Well, I guess he could ask for some good health.  All in good time I suppose.

Ft. Yargo next!