This picture says it all doesn't it?

I think it’s good to try something new.  Whether it’s a 5K running race, triathlon, Ironman, or even just a workout, it allows us to learn about ourselves – and ultimately make us a little bit stronger.  A lot of us are experienced athletes, but it’s always good to do something you have never done.  It’s a great way to learn about yourself right?

 Each year I do a few unique workouts that come out of left field to spice up my training.  This year to ring in 2012, my swim workout was simple: swim 12,000 meters freestyle (for 2012) without stopping at all.  And that is exactly what I did. 

When my good friend and 2004 Olympian triathlete Susan Williams heard what I was going to do, she asked if she could join me (most of the time I do these things solo).  Before we knew it, we were both standing at the edge of the 50m University of Denver pool at 6:05AM.  With a few Power Gels and Oatmeal to fuel the day, I started my Timex Race Trainer, we both dove in, and 3 hours and 4 minutes later I was done.  Yes, it was all freestyle – I didn’t even stop to get a drink.  I thought about kicking for a 1000 or doing different strokes, but I really wanted to make it as mentally challenging as I could.   Most of the time I really was trying not to lose count of my laps!  We finished in time that we both could make church with our families – a well planned workout for a Sunday morning.  Afterward I was a little sore in the arms, but mostly hungry!

 Below are some brief stats:

 University of Denver Pool

12,000 meters freestyle

7.4 miles

Approx. 12,480 strokes

239 flip turns

Think about a workout or race you’ve never done before and just do it.  You’ll be happy you did.

 Train safe,

Tim

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

My workout map (via Training Peaks) with the Run Trainer this past Sunday.

Looks like Timex did it again with the release of their newest watch, the Run Trainer.  In the last few weeks, I had the pleasure to use this watch everyday and it’s been great.  Below I listed out some bullets of why I’ve liked it so much (and how it could be that perfect last minute Christmas gift!):

• The first thing that stood out for me about this watch is that it’s easy.  I think people with GPS get overwhelmed – not the case here.  This watch makes GPS easy and useful for the athlete.  The GPS connection was very fast (less than 1 minute out of the box) and the numbers are very easy to read.
• The GPS is powered by SiRFstar IV and has twice the search capacity of version III.
• The screen is very easy to toggle while running.  Just the touch of the Radio button made it able to smoothly go from screen to screen.
• The battery life is approximately 8 hours and seemed to be just the right amount of time for a few runs and using the watch for the next few days with it “powered off”. 
• The size is considerably narrower than other GPS watches which made it easier for me to wear it all day at work.  It didn’t really “scream” GPS on my wrist so it worked well for on the trail and at looked good at work.
• Charging was a snap – just pinch on the charger and the USB is ready to go.  You can charge via AC or through any USB port.
• Downloading to TrainingPeakswas no issue at all.  Just make sure you have the latest version of Timex’s Device Agent and you’ll be good to go.
• One more note about the battery:  if you are worried about the 8 hour battery life – don’t be.  Before you know it you’ll just charge it up after a few uses and you won’t even think about it!

 Hope this helps!  Get this watch while you can and start logging those miles!

 Train Safe,

 Tim

Enjoying the ride on my Orbea at mile 50ish

Last Saturday the final triathlon of the season came and went for me and was over in a blink of an eye.   It was the ITU Long Course Championships in Las Vegas and the last time I was part of TeamUSAwas in 2001 when I did ITU Short Course Worlds in Edmonton Canada, so it was nice to be part of the team again 10 years later.  I have always wanted to do Long Course Worlds, but the race rarely takes place in theUSA.  When I found out it would be in Las Vegas in 2011, I had to give it a shot.  It didn’t hurt that I could drive to the race and that I had my friend Joel Grande (former PowerBar Team Elite head honcho) who lived 1 mile from the finish.

I was definitely excited to be there and could not wait for Saturday to come.  After checking into the race, I met up with my friend from Germany, Clemens Coenen who I met at race in Japan in 2008.  He’s a great pro athlete who was here to go for the win for Germany and was so happy to see him race in theUS.  Soon after that I met up with Tim Yount for our Team USA picture at the lake.  He did a great job of organizing the team for the picture which was comprised of about 300 athletes.  The night was complete with a welcome dinner and the introduction of 28 countries’ athletes.  On Friday, I went for a 30 min. swim in chilly Lake Las Vegas, checked in my bike, and was ready to go.  Soon after that was when I got the call from Nikki telling me that her 93 year old grandpa, Popo, had passed away that day.  It was very tough for me to hear since we were all so close to him.  Needless to say he was all I thought about the rest of my trip.

On race morning, Joel and I arrived and while I was setting up my bike the announcement was made that the swim was cancelled.  This was due to a combination of colder water temperature and cold air temperature.  It was deemed unsafe to ride in such cold air temperatures after the swim so the race turned into a bike/run.  At first I was disappointed, but if it’s for the safety of the athletes than I am all for it. 

We lined up time trial style by BIB # and went off in 5 second intervals.  I was number #263 and by 8:03AM I was on my way!  Since I am not used to beginning the bike leg this way, I defaulted to going really hard right from the start.  I got into a good position in the first 10 min. and was well into my 74 mile ride though the desert in Lake Mead Recreational Area with the temp. at around 46 degrees.  It was one of the most honest, beautiful bike courses I have ridden and enjoyed each and every mile.  It was really great to see so many countries represented as well: Australia,New Zealand,Great Britain,Germany,Italy,Croatia,France, you name it.  It was also a nice topper to see everyone wearing the same style uniform with their names on it and everyone being so proud to represent.  After roughly 6,000 ft. of climbing on the bike course, I finished in 3:27.

Heading out of T2 - 18 miles to go

When I started the run, it was way cooler (as in temperature) than I thought.  I think the high almost reached 60 degrees.  I still took off my arm warmers and gloves, but probably could have kept them on.  Either way, the sun was bright and I was on my way to hopefully capturing a gold medal for Team USA– something I had never done before.  The looped run course was almost exactly the same as Ironman 70.3 Championship race I did in September, only this was 4 loops instead of 3.  I was feeling great right up until the last loop and then I really had to dig deep mentally to hold on to my speed.  A few times I said, “For You Popo” and knew he was watching me.  After all, this was the end of my season and had to give it everything I had.  I was not sure exactly where I was place wise, but knew I had to be in the top 3 in my AG.  I closed out the run in 2:04 and later found out that I had won the Age Group and scored a gold medal for Team USA!!  I was so proud!

Later that evening, I went on stage carrying the American Flag and felt so proud to be called a World Champion.  It was a special day.  A big thanks to Pete Alfino for the great pictures he took of me on the podium.

Top 3 in M35-39: USA, France, USA

After the awards, I got right in the car and made the drive home back to Denver arriving at 11AM the next day, just in time to hit a birthday party with my kids.  The race was fun, but duty calls and us dads have responsibilities!  It was time to be back with the family and I was happy to be home!

Go USA! Thanks for the picture Pete!

Thanks to Timex, Orbea, PowerBar,  Native and Compressport for all the great gear that allowed me to get this special day in the books!  Now it’s a little time off until the next triathlon, Strongman Japan on April 15!

Tim

This is what I call 'the moment"

Never once when I did my first Hawaii Ironman in 1999 did I think that 13 years later I’d be lucky enough to qualify and race here every year since.  But here we are in 2011 and last Saturday I did just that.  It felt great to be on the Big Island and I was extremely lucky to be back again to give this race another shot and improve.  Every year we are dealing with a different body, different feelings, but ultimately as athletes we always want to do better.  We cannot escape age, but as long as our mind is sharp, the possibilities are endless right?

 Speaking of age, I turned 37 the day before the race this year, celebrating yet another Hawaiian birthdaywith my Mom, Dad, Nikki, and our kids.  We got in on Wednesday before the race, did my usual pre-race prep and was happy to relax on my birthday before belting out Ironman #20 on Saturday.  The whole family was here and I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present.  My body was feeling good, and the mind was feeling even better.  I used to get really nervous before this race, but it’s such a long day that I try not to waste any extra energy worrying. I once heard that 80% of the time that we worry, it’s usually for nothing. 

A few minutes before the start..thanks for the picture Tristan!

 On race morning, I saw a few Timex teammates and was thrilled to see all of them racing.  After a warm up run on Kuakini and suiting up in the room, Nikki and I headed down to the start.  We said our goodbye’s by the pier as we always do, and I was on my way.  After getting in the water and doing a short warm up with some strong efforts, I swam over to the Timex crew on the pier like I always do and told them thanks for the support.  The cannon soon went off and we were gone!  I sprinted as hard as I could to get some space, and this time it worked.  After about 300 meters, I was just behind the leaders and was pushing hard.  Just after the turnaround, I tried to catch the lead group of 5-6 swimmers, but I could tell they would exit at around 52-53.  I stuck to my plan and finished in 54:17.

Thanks for the set up Doug!

 After rounding the pier, I got my sweet Orbea Ordu complete with Dura-Ace C75 race wheels and headed out.  The part of the bike course I like the least is the loop in town, but before I knew it we were out on the Queen K and pushing hard to Hawi.  I do not train or race with power so I went purely on feel and loved it.  Personally I know my limits and boundaries very well and in my mind, staring at watts for 5 hours will not make me faster.  I usually break up the race in to separate sections to make it mentally go faster: airport, scenic point, donkey crossing, Waikaloa, Kawaihae, Hawi, and the same all the way back to Kona.  I was probably about 12th or so amateur by the time I hit Hawi, and was feeling good.  I did not pack a special needs bag (I have never used one since doing Ironmans) and headed for home. 

Reaching out to give my son Spencer a high 5 in town.

 Luckily no packs caught me for the ride back, but I did have the pleasure to ride a with teammate Chris Thomas into transition.  13 gels and numerous PowerBars later, I finished in 4:57. 

I got through T2 with no issues and took a little extra time to use the porta potty and douse myself in cold water, an absolute must for this race!  Right away I was feeling good with the running legs going to work.  There is so much stimulation of people for the first 10-11 miles of the run in Kona that it makes it hard for me to focus on my race at times.  But, it is all good and I just felt lucky to be racing here again. 

Feeling good and ready to run!

Chris and I ran together until we left town.  It was one of those extremely rare times where Timex teammates race side by side and I loved the Timex shout outs we got all along Alii Drive.  It certainly was a proud moment for me.  Out of town, I could feel my pace slowing a bit, but just kept to my plan and ate gel after gel – sometimes doing two at once.  There were times where I got nervous before the aid stations because I had a lot to do:  ice in the hat, grab a gel, grab sponges, grab water, grab more water, and even more water.  I saw the leaders coming back on the Queen K and knew I’d be there soon.  After the energy lab turnaround I saw many of my friends and knew I was headed home. 

The glorious Alii drive home stretch. Unforgettable.

Before I knew it I was coming down Palani Road and headed onto Kuakini and made the famous right turn onto Alii Drive – yes, THE best part of the race for everyone.  After taking in approximately 30 PowerBar Gels, 4 PowerBars, and many gallons of Ironman Perform and water,  I entered my “moment” and I closed out the day in 9:10 and was very happy with my time – my 4th fastest in Kona.

Happy to see the family!

 In lieu of cliff jumping this year, my dad and I rented a couple of Harley’s after the race and rode around the island.  It was a great time and was certainly a highlight of the week!  Thank you dad!  It was a lot of fun out there with you!

A Sportster 1200 for me and a Fat Boy for my dad - let's ride!

 Overall it was another unforgettable experience and I feel so lucky to be able to write a race report like this one.  Still a week later, I find it a little hard to decompress from the whole experience.  I have to say thanks to a few of my sponsors for whom I know I could not race here if it weren’t for them:  John O’Malley from John Burns Construction in Frisco, TX – a friend of mine who has believed in me from the beginning and has helped me on my journey to Hawaii since the start.  The whole crew from Timex who not only make some fantastic training products, but the staff who have became good friends of mine over the years. Keith, Herbie, Paul, and Dave - thanks so much!.  Also the stellar group from Team Sports of Tristan, Tom, Grace, and Doug.  And how could I forget my love of PowerBar and the crew that has helped me since I started triathlons in 1995.  Also shout outs to Karen at Tri-Swim, Rudi at Compressport, Jax and Alicia at Native Eyewear, Dave Scott for the stellar training workouts, and Tony at Orbea.

Only one more race to go, the ITU Long Course World Championships in Las Vegas, NV on November 5th!  Never have I raced 3 world championship races in 2 months before!  Here’s to keeping the body healthy and strong!

Aloha,

Tim