The inaugural 2008 70.3 Rhode Island race was quite an experience. The day prior to the race was a bit hectic with the logistics of registering in Providence, then traveling out to Naragansett to drop off our bikes. We had every intention of checking out the run and bike courses, however we ran a bit short on time and had to skip the preview. Team Timex had a big contigent at the race, which was a nice bonus: Richie Cunningham, Erin Kummer, Emily Herndon, Ian Ray, Oakes Ames, myself and Keith Meyer. Tristan had driven the team truck out for the race and was extremely helpful and supportive, as always.
Race morning:
Looking out onto the early morning surf, it felt like it was going to be a nice day. There was a little bit of wind that was blowing up some chop on the water, but nothing too extreme. The pros were starting at 6am and my wave was scheduled to go off at 6:40. The swim starts were going off on time and were extremely well organized. With a loud bang, my wave was off right on que and I attempted my dolphin dives into the water from our beach start. I had planned on attempting to swim close to a friend of mine, but not all plans are executed. A fellow competitor had gotten in between us and by the time I had managed to get open water, I had lost about 10 meters. I tried to bridge the gap, but I just wasn’t strong enough to do it. I realized that I had someone swimming to my left that was basically swimming the same speed, so I slowed and hopped on his feet. This was the first race that I have been aware enough during the swim to grab some good feet to follow. It turned out to be a very good decision, as the athlete had a big kick and created a good area to swim in. I was able to save a lot of energy and as we came into the other age groups, he navigated well thru the masses. I only got kicked in the face once and it wasn’t anything serious. I was nearing the end of the swim and I thouight I might be able to ride a wave in for the last stretch, but I was not quite able to time it well enough. I hit the timing mat in 28:05, a new PR along with a very enjoyable swim.
Onto the bike: I felt great. This would be the first half IM that I would be racing with my Timex heart rate monitor and Cyclops Power meter. I usually only race with the heart monitor for the full IM distance and I had just started using the power meter over the past month. My coach, Paul Regensberg, and I have been tweaking my ranges in order to triangulate between perceived effort, power, and heart rate. This really helped to hold me back for the first twelve miles of the bike, as I really wanted to go, but realized I was a bit too bulled up and dialed it down a bit. This reduced effort at the beginning really allowed me to stay much more consistent thruought the bike. In addition, with the constant data feedback, I was able to push harder thru moments when I started to lose focus and drop a bit. I was also able to concentrate on taking my nutrition properly on the bike as I felt much better and more aware of what I needed to do. The bike was going very well, then at about mile 45, we made a left turn and I eased up while making the corner. All of a sudden both of my hamstrings started to lock up on me. I did not have any salt tablets with me, but I made sure to down a bunch of my powerade. In addition, I dropped down in my gears and pedalled with a higher cadence for a little bit. Luckily, the combination worked and I was able to get back into the aerobars and grind out the end of the bike. At mile 51, the bike course enters urban Providence and the race becomes more of a road biking effort then time trial. It’s unique and really the only way they can get the athletes into downtown. I really enjoyed the bike section and thought it was a very fair course. As I was finishing the bike, I tried to kick out my legs a bit, in hope that my hamstrings would not lock up on me. Fortunately they did not and I crossed the timing mat with a 2:15:02 bike time.
T2 was very easy and the volunteers were great. I hit the run and tried to settle in. My heart rate seemed to still be in my cycling zone, even though my perceived effort seemed higher. I decided to focus on my perceived effort at this stage since the run was just beginning and I knew there would be some hard patches to come. A little before the .5 mile mark, the run came to its first climb and this is where I wished I had previewed the course. It was a pretty severe incline that sloped up, paused, then climbed again. I put my head down and knew I would need something left for the 2nd loop. The remainder of the 1st loop was relatively flat and rolling with the exception of the return down the big hill, which was a real quad burner. I focused on keeping a consistent effort and loop 1 went pretty well. As I approached the big hill for the 2nd time, I started to cramp a bit again. I had been taking gatorade and water at every aid station, but I needed some salt. I grabbed a banana at the aid station with a cup of water and preceded to try something new during the race. I have never had a banana while racing before and usually only have liquid calories during the run as my stomach is easily distressed. Well, shortly after taking the banana, I started to have GI issues. I tried to focus on my form and keep my mind off of the discomfort in my lower abdomin region. Fortunately, the distress passed and the potassium from the banana was enough to subside the leg cramps. I was over the hill for the second climb and realized that I needed to hold it together for the remainder of the run. I wasn’t quite sure where I stood in the amateur race due to the split wave start and two loop run, but I knew there were some fast competitors racing. At mile 10, I grabbed my first coke of the day, as I was starting to feel the fatigue set in and I hoped that the caffeine would give me a boost. It did, but it came with a bit more GI distress. I focused on my form again and it worked well enough to distract my thoughts. The last two miles were tough and I was definetely feeling tired. Every athlete has different motivating thoughts when things get tough during a race. I always think about my family and the sacrifices they make, so that I’m able to pursue my passion. Those thoughts help to keep things in perspective and enable me to just be happy to be out on the course.
The crowd was amazing over the last half mile of the run. The finish area was extremely cool as we ran up close to the steps of the capital. I crossed the line in 4:08:33. I ended up 1st amateur and got my first top 10 overall finish in 8th place. Thanks for reading, hopefully it wasn’t to long.

We arrived in Tampa late Friday night. It was a combo weekend. My wife joined me on the trip, which was a great opportunity to catch up on life, as sometimes it’s hard to even have a full conversation with three very energetic little boys running around our house. The other half of the combo was the famous St Anthony’s triathlon, which was celebrating it’s 25th year. This would be my first time racing in St Petersberg and I was really looking forward to it.
Saturday morning we headed over to the expo. I was totally blown away by the amount of vendors and the organization at the expo. It was a very enjoyable experience. I made my way over to see Team Timex’s former manager, Ben, at the Zoot tent. Tristan had set the Timex truck up right across from Ben’s tent, so it was a perfect location to get a look at the best athletic watches and the best running shoes in the market. There was a lot of activity around both areas as athletes and spectators were very interested in the newest technology. Tristan did a fantastic job managing duel roles of watch salesperson and team manager. He had everything running smoothly for myself, Richie Cunningham, and Ian Ray in our race preparation.
Sunday: race morning
We woke up to a beautiful morning. The male pro wave went off @ 6.45am and then waves were sent off continuously thru 9am, as there were 4,000 competitors participating. It was a beach start into a pretty choppy bay. My wave was the 2nd M35-39, which was the 9th wave of the morning. The horn went off and I found myself running into the water and attempting to dolphin dive for a bit (note to self, please practice beach start dolphin dives). I was not exactly graceful while attempting this and I managed to get quite a bit of water into one of my lenses. Oh well, we were swimming into the sun anyways and I couldn’t really see anything, so what’s wrong with a little salt water in the eyes. After going a little anaerobic at the start, I settled in and tried to keep a good strong stroke, which worked until we got out towards the first turn. It was really rolling out there and I think I swallowed about half the ocean in one gulp, ugh. I was very grateful for my Blue Seventy wetsuit as it gives me a huge amount of confidence, not only in clear calm waters, but the rough conditions we were experiencing on Sunday. Everyone was in the same conditions, so all you can do is put your head down and really focus on being as long as possible in the water, which is a little difficult for me with my vertical challenge, but I tried anyway. The remainder of the swim was pretty uneventful and I exited the swim in 23.17.
Ah, the bike. I love my Trek TTX and I was really looking forward to seeing how it would go on the flat, fast bike course. I felt really strong at the beginning of the bike and I wanted to try to get thru the previous waves, so I could get some open road. There are something like 30 turns on the bike course and I knew the sooner I could get out of the congestion the better off I would be, as I’m not a very technical rider. I prefer to put my head down and grind it out. About halfway thru the bike, I had managed to get some clear road and I focused on staying consistent and fueling. I’ve been talking with my coach about proper fueling while racing and I’ve come to realize that I just do not get enough calories in. So I decided to try some calories on the bike. I ended up taking 2 powergels mixed down with water for the duration of the bike and I felt much stronger coming off into T2. I ended the bike split @ 59.14.
Onto the run and I realized I needed to run a sub 35 to go under 2hrs. I wasn’t sure I had that in me, but I figured I give it a go. My perceived effort was there and I swear I felt like I was running fast enough, but the splits were telling me a different story,
1m 5.37
2m 5.58
3m 5.52
4m 5.50
5m 5.52
6m 5.37
.2m 1.12
Which put me @ 2.01.19 overall, 1st M35-39. I gave everything I had on the day and I have no regrets. This race was a phenomenal experience and I will definetely be back.

Wow, this Timex team is phenomenal. Here’s my race report. Hopefully it’s not too long.

I felt pretty relaxed race morning. I was more curious than anything else to see how my off season training was going to translate into my first race of the year. Coming out of the northeast winter I had not done any open water swims and three outdoor rides so far this year. However, I’ve had my most productive winter training to date.
I was in the 3rd M35-39 wave, which was the tenth wave of the day. Due to the narrow start area, athletes were not permitted to do swim warmups. The amateur waves were allowed to enter the water 3 minutes before the start. I hit the water and tried to stick my face in and I had a hard time catching my breath. You never really get used to sticking your face into 60 degree water. I took a few strokes and tried again and I slowly adjusted to the temperature. I positioned myself near the front and tried to stay relaxed and get ready for the horn. A few moments later we were off and any anxiety quickly faded away. I settled in and tried to find my rhythm. I had a good swim focus block of training in February and I really felt stronger and more confident coming into the race (relatively speaking as I do not come from a swim background). I swam within myself and felt very comfortable during the swim. However, one of my biggest weaknesses while swimming in open water is gauging my effort (it’s an obvious statement but something I need to learn to do better). The swim itself was pretty uneventful and a good warmup for the effort to come.
I made it thru the 1st transition with a steady flow and out onto the bike course. The first 40k went by really quickly and felt really good. However, then the hills and wind hit and my first taste of lactic acid buildup in my quads for the year and oh yeah a heart rate probably pretty close to 200. Oh boy, I didn’t remember the course being that challenging while riding it on my trusty computrainer during one of my numerous indoor riding sessions (I have definetely got my money’s worth out of my trainer, I ride it almost to a fault). While negotiating the hills, I tried to stay as even as possible, but I started to develop some tightness in my lower back and I found that when I did hit the flats, I needed to stand up and stretch my back quite frequently. This is a little annoying but not anything serious. My caloric intake was better then previous races as I got 3 powergels and 1.5 bottles of endurance fluids in during the duration of the bike. The end of the bike into transition is unique as they have you ride your bike all the way to the back of the bike racks before dismounting.
Once I figured out where to hand off my bike I was into transition and shortly onto the run. My legs felt great and I focused in on finding my rhythm. I tried to stay within myself as I did not want to come blasting onto the run only to crash and burn later. Another thought that kept creaping into my head was that it would be a long run and even though I felt really good at the start, I would go thru some lows as well and I wanted to have something left when that happened, in order to hopefully stay as consistent as possible. I believe I was able to hold, roughly 6.05 pace for the first half of the run, but as I came thru the first 10k, I felt my effort becoming more strained. Cola, chased by a shot of water, became my fluid of choice over the remainder of the run. The simple sugars had an immediate impact and I was able to stop any bleeding around 6.20sh pace. I think about my 3 boys a lot while racing and while going thru tough sections of a race, I draw a lot of energy from those thoughts and the sacrifices my family makes in order for me to continue my little addiction. Another source of positive energy that I tap into during races is the phenomenal support from my teammates and team management. The Timex multisport team has been an absolute privelege and pleasure to be a part of and I am truly lucky to be part of such a great group of people. I’m really looking forward to the 2008 racing season.
Results: 4:25:31 8th AM/2nd AG

I went into this year’s race in my best shape. I had raced a lot this year, but had held off on consistent tempo training until the weeks prior to this race as I wanted to peak late in the season. A lot of the racing that I had done this year was at the olympic distance, which is a weaker distance for me, but I wanted to work on my swim and shorter distance speed in hope that it would help my half ironman racing.

Race morning was beautiful, in the mid 50’s as we were mulling around transition. The sky looked clear and the wind seemed to have quieted down from the previous day’s strong gusts. As I awaited my swim wave start, I felt excited for the race to start. I had done a much higher frequency swim training (without the volume) and I did not have the anxiety level I usually do prior to a swim start. Once the horn went off for my wave (5th wave on the day) I settled in and found a good pace heading out to the turnaround buoys.
Once we hit the turnaround, the sun was right in our eyes and it made for a tough swim back to shore as sighting was extremely hard. However, after a bit of zig-zagging my way into shore, I exited with a 28:31 swim, a new PR by over a minute.

I quickly made my way thru transition and onto the bike. I was excited to get on the bilke and really get the race going. I settled into a comfortably hard pace as I didn’t want to come out of the gates too hard and blow-up, but at the same time I wanted to try to make my way towards the front of the amateur race and get clean road. I felt fantastic on the bike and settled into a good cadence for the start. I was carrying 2 gatorade endurance bottles and 1 flask of 3 powergels mixed with a little bit of water. I was caught off guard by how few aid stations there were on the bike and by mile 30 (2nd aid
station) I really wanted and needed some water, so I could take my gels down and let my stomach process appropriately. However, as I came into the aid station the rider in front of me managed to knock 10 bottles in a row out of the volunteers hands without grasping one of them, which left me completely empty handed. I was a bit distraught, but that’s racing, so I put my down and knew I still had 1 gatorade endurance bottle left.

By this point of the bike, I had managed to get thru the majority of my 2 age group waves and up towards the front. This was pretty cool, because now I was riding all by myself with the next rider about a half mile ahead. I was able to really focus on my own race and not get caught up in the pacing of others as they surge past to stay legal, only to slow as they do get in front. At about mile 40 (I think) we made a right hand turn right into a good headwind. Doug, team timex’s master mechanic, had helped me set up my spedometer the day before the race, but I had ingeniously switched my monitor over to kilometers per hour rather then miles (oh well not a big deal). As I hit the wind my pace
went from 45 kph down to 37. I put my head down and tried to stay aero and consistent. The wind was hard but nothing like the winds in Kona. It was a little tough because by that point in the race my lower back was a bit fatigued and I needed to stand up a few times to stretch it out. Finally at mile 48 I spotted another aid station. Now I was by myself and grabbed the first water bottle they offered. I took down a bit of gel and washed it down with the water, phew. I felt good and headed in towards T2. As I came over the bridge about a half mile from transition, my friend Chris yelled that I was 11th in my age group. I still wasn’t exactly sure what that meant as I had gone off in the 2nd 35-39 swim wave, 5 minutes behind the 1st.

I came into T2 and the volunteers grabbed my Trek TTX bike (love that thing). I headed for the changing tent and quickly thru my racing flats on. I cramped a little bit in my calves and hamstrings as I was trying to put my shoes on, but it was not anything severe and I thought once I got moving it would go away. I was stiff as I headed out on the run, so I tried to settle into a comfortable pace. My plan was to run comfortably hard for the first 10 miles, then see what I had left. I passed my friend Chris again a little after the 1st mile marker and he said I was in 6th place. I must have passed a few in transition and at the
beginning of the run. I was starting to feel really good at this point and I picked up the pace a little bit. I was able to hold around 6 minute pace for the first 7 miles, which enabled me to pass another 4 guys in my age group. I was feeling pretty strong at this point as I had just gone past my family and a few friends. So I had a big adrenaline lift from seeing everyone. Then a guy in my age group went by me at least 15-20 seconds faster pacing than I was at the time. Then a guy in the 40-44 age group went by me. It’s a very funny thing, no matter how good your feeling, when you start to get passed, it
really does draw mental energy out of you. I tried to get myself back together and dig a bit deeper, but I was starting to go thru a little down patch as well. At the next aid station, I grabbed a cola (sugar) and itbrought me back up a bit. My pace had slowed to 6:20s. I hit the bridge andthe 11 mile mark as a younger athlete ran up along side of me and mentionedthat I should start tucking in behind other runners to shield myself from the wind. He was definetely right, I had been flaking out and running out in the open, which was wasting energy. I thought to myslef, that’s a great recommendation and I tucked in behind him as he was running a little quicker at the time. It worked out well and paced my over the bridge. Once I got to the top of the bridge, I knew I only had about 1.5 miles to go, so I started to pick up my pace. I finally looked at my watch as I ran past the 12 mile marker and it read 3:59sh. My soft time goal coming into the race was to go
under 4:10, so I picked up my pace a bit more as I thought sub 4:05 might be possible. That time wasn’t quite attainable but I finished running hard and completely thrilled.

Total time: 4:05:05
Swim: 28:31. // Bike: 2:11:06 // Run: 1:21:26
M35-39 3rd place, 13th Amateur
I’d like to thank my family and friends for all the support during the year and on race day.  I would also like to thank Team Timex and sponsors for the fantastic support all year long. It’s a true privelege to be part of such a great team. 

Race morning, a balmy 65 degrees with overcast skies and a bit of wind, gotta love San Fran.  The pre-race announcement from the race director was that even though the water was a bit rough, we would have favorable currents, sweet (need all the swim help I can get).  I jump in the water and am thrilled not to have anyone land on me from behind (one of my biggest fears jumping off the boat with 1,800 others).  The swim is pretty status quo with a foot to the chin and a couple of swimovers.

I get out of the water and start the little over .5 mile run to the bikes.  About halfway there I remember why I had initially wanted to wear sneakers for that part, my feet are killing me, until they go numb.  Oh, the joy of running barefoot.  I get to my bike and I’m pretty excited to try out my new Trek in my first race of the year.  I hop on and it feels great.  I rode my TTX even
though Alcatraz is better suited for road bikes.  I like the way the bike handles and feel that it is light enough for the hills, while being super nice on the flats.  The bike goes well until I get into the park at the halfway point.  At that point of the course the road is very bumpy and all of a sudden
my seat sinks into my frame.  Now this is the second time this has happened to me in a race and you would think that I’d know better, however I guess I was just too cautious when tightening the post as I didn’t want to collapse it in. So, now I look like a circus clown pedaling my bike.  Luckily the remainder of the course is pretty hilly, so I was able to just climb out of my seat.  I’ll chalk it up as another learning experience, luckily not a costly one as it probably would have been much worse if it had happened on one of the steep decents.
I finish up the bike and head out on the run.  Now the weather is perfect for running, overcast and cool.  I really enjoy this run, as you get to cross paths with the pros on their return back on the single track section.  Andy Potts comes flying past first, looking very strong.  The interesting thing
about the first race of the year is that I find it very hard to go into the red zone.  It’s hard to suffer early in the season. However, this is one of the most unique races I’ve ever done and it’s a privilege to be out there.

Results: 3rd 35-39  13th Amateur Overall