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

3rd Overall Pro/Elite

Ever since I started racing triathlons 16 years ago, there has always been one race that I have always wanted to do in the 200+ triathlons I have completed.   I never thought the day would come where I could be so fortunate to race at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon in Malibu, CA but this past weekend was it!  Furthermore, I was so fortunate to not to not only race in both races on Saturday and Sunday, but to do it as part of a work trip with PowerBar and Nestle.  It was the 25^th anniversary year of the race and the venue was nothing short of spectacular!

I stayed with Timex Team Member and newest celebrity resident of Santa Monica, Mark Vermeersch and had a great time.  On Saturday I raced in the pro division for the Olympic Distance race.  It was a point to point ocean swim with a fantastic 25 yd. beach running start, something that I just don’t get to do very often in triathlon races.  When the gun went off, we all sprinted at full tilt to the first buoy, and swam parallel to the beach  -did I mention how great my Orca 3.8 wetsuit is?  Well, it’s a great suit and one of the better ones I have ever used!  I quickly found myself in the first pack and slowly edged up to the front.  There was one other ITU pro there that took the swim lead and I exited 2nd, just about 45 seconds behind him.  The bike was a quick out & back up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and couldn’t have been more scenic!  I had one other person pass me and just kept pushing onto T2.  When you are used to racing ½ ironmans the shorter races go so quick!  I started the 10K run that went right along the beach and felt great considering I raced Ironman Vegas 70.3 6 days earlier.  The legs felt better than I thought and ran a 35:14 to hold onto my place and got 3^rd overall.   It was a great time and I appreciated all the cheers from my friends at K-Swiss, Ben & Matt!

Myself and Ed Helms - The Hangover and The Office

 

Dwight and Roy from The Office

The next day was the “classic” distance race where the fun really began.  There were about 3000 people that raced, local celebrities and all, including several corporate relays.  I was on one of the Male Open Nestle relays where I was the runner and a co-worker swam and my boss did the bike leg.  It was a lot of fun and I got to meet and get some pictures with the crew from the NBC sit-com “The Office”. 

Jay Leno cracking up the crowd at the awards

Sheena Easton sang the national anthem and after the race Jay Leno announced the awards!  During my run, I ran up behind Tiffani Thieseen (you may know her from Saved By  The Bell, Baywatch, Beverly Hills 90210) and chatted with her a little bit and asked her if it was hard to escape the cameras.  It was a race like no other and I felt so lucky to be a part of it.  If you ever want to a race where you get a little brush with fame and love to be by the ocean, this is the one! 

Aloha!

Tim

Trying to pass at mile 8ish. Thanks for the picture Bo Parrish!

I have raced a lot of ½ ironman races in my 16 year career but never a world championship until now.  When I heard this race moved toLas Vegas,NV, I had to come because of the location and it also didn’t hurt that I was able to drive instead of fly.  Any race that you don’t have to fly with your bike always makes it easier.  I was very excited to race as I used it for a final tune up before Kona on October 8.  Furthermore, it made it more exciting to have many of my Timex teammates there plus the incredible support of Keith, Tristan, and Doug!

The day before the race I did a short swim in Lake Las Vegas and a run around the Lowes Hotel.  My body was feeling pretty good since I rested a lot the week prior.  I checked in and hung out with Tristan and Doug at the team truck – always a nice sanctuary at races!  I was loving Doug’s new motorcycle! 

On race day, my mom, dad and I left the Venetian on the strip at 3:30AM and drove to the start.  I could not believe how many people were out on the strip when I was leaving to race.  Most of them were with stumbling down the street, had a drink in their hand or both!  Welcome toLas Vegas, right?

After a warm up, I put on my new Orca Speed Suit – which absolutely rocks by the way -and eased into the water once my wave was called.  I was the 9^th wave and had a fair amount of people ahead of me.  Once the gun went off, I sprinted as hard as I could to the front which is something I always do no matter what the race distance.  I led the wave and exited the water in a little over 26 minutes, not too far off my good buddy/teammate Bruce Genarri’s time of 25 min (BTW -Bruce was first out of the water in the 1997 Hawaii Ironman).   I felt great after the “climb” out of T2 and saw my parents right after I passed the mount line and was on my way into the desert.  Right away the bike course went into Lake Mead National Rec Area – and reminded me a lot of the lava fields inHawaii.  The course was fantastic and the rolling hills suited me pretty well.  I had a couple people pass me but as usual I just did my thing and kept pushing on.  We hit the turnaround at mile 23ish and headed back into town.  Although I never raced in Clearwater, I did notice some drafting, but not nearly the amount of packs that I heard about in Florida.  I rolled into T2 with feeling great and headed out onto the 3 loop run course.

Finishing up the day!

I could probably describe this run course simply as up/down/up/down/up/down.  The good news was that you could find a good rhythm running since the hills were gradual and about a mile long if not shorter.  I could feel that all my hill repeats in training were paying off as I started to pass some of the people that passed me on the bike.  My teammate Chris Thomas pulled up to me at mile 12.5ish and we cruised into the finish together.  Just as I was about 25 meters from the finish, I saw a guy ahead of me with a “36” on his calf.  I tapped into the PowerBar High Intensity Beta Alanine that I have been taking and let it do the rest.  I crossed the line in 4:26.40 and he finished in 4:26.42.  I placed 3^rd in the Age Group and was pleased!

Chris and myself on stage - 2nd and 3rd in the World! Go Team Timex!

Overall it was a good day and I was happy with the effort.  It was fantastic to so Keith, Tristan and Doug at the finish line as well as my parents.  Special thanks to Timex, Orbea, PowerBar, Tri-Swim, and Native for making my 1^st 70.3 World Championships a special one by getting a podium finish.  I’ll be back here again for the ITU Long Distance World Championships on November 5. 

Just a few more weeks until Hawaii, but I am going to squeeze in one more race this weekend for a work trip in Malibu for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on Saturday and then a relay for the classic distance on Sunday with my co-workers!  Should be fun lining up next to all the celebrities.  

 Train safe and have fun!

Tim

The boys just after our pre race pep talk.

Words cannot describe what a proud father I was to see my twin boys finish their first triathlon last weekend.  At age 4, Connor and Spencer had a lot of fun and I am already hearing from them about when they can do another one. 

 It was the day before the Ironman Boulder 70.3 in which I was racing but to be honest, I was way more excited to see my kids race at IronKids.  Setting up their Huffy 16” bikes in the transition area and explaining to them what all their gear was for was certainly the highlight.  

No aerobars yet, but the Huffy's served them well.

The horn went off and they were on their way completing the 25 yd swim in lightning speed.  It was onto their bikes for a very quick .35 mile bike and then off for a speedy 250 yd. run.  Our very own Barry Siff was announcing and he gave them a great shout out at the finish!  They did great and all I kept thinking was how this sport has came full circle for my family.  First my dad teaching me, now I am teaching my kids.  It was very special.  I encourage all of you who have kids try it once, you just never know when they’ll find a new skill!  Besides, it’s better than playing with an iPad right?

Connor running up the beach

 Sunday soon came and now it was my turn.  I really enjoy Boulder 70.3 and I was excited to see how things would go.  Last month, I enlisted the help of an athlete named Dave Scott to assist me in my Hawaii preparation and he gave me some really good specific workouts.  I started in wave 11 and was on my way.  The swim was uneventful other than feeling great in my Orca 3.8  – such a fantastic wetsuit!  As I started the bike, I remained as focused as possible just trying to complete the 2 loop course the best I could. I had one other person in my wave catch me and we rode together into T2.

 The run was quite dramatic.  Myself and one other person ran side my side for virtually the entire time.  I am rarely in that situation, but I liked it.  I just did my thing as I always do and focused on my race and how I was feeling – the rest was out of my control.  My stellar Timex watch was also doing it’s thing, telling me that I was running quite fast.  We were together until the last 100 meters or so into the finish and finished 2^nd by just a couple of seconds.  I was completely spent and dunked my entire head into the ice bucket under the 94 degree heat several times.  My time was 4:10 and I was happy with how things went. Of course, there is always room to improve, but overall it was a good effort. 

 Thanks to Timex (as always), PowerBar, Orca, Orbea, Shimano/Pro and also to Rudi at Compressport for the awesome calf sleeves!  These things felt great  on my calves and I highly recommend people try them out.  Also congrats to my teammates, Christine Anderson and Brian Schaning for fantastic efforts out there as well!!

Train safe and congrats to all the 1^st time 70.3 finishers out there!

Tim

Last weekend I decided to test out a little speed and do a sprint triathlon.  It was up in Steamboat Springs, CO, and the venue couldn’t have been prettier at over 7,000 feet.  It was the first time a triathlon had been held in Steamboat Lake since the 1980’s and the race organizers did a fantastic job.  I was already up there for work so I gave it a go.

I had the family there so that makes races always more fun.  The gun went off and before I knew it the 750 meter swim was over.  I was in the second wave so I had a little fun with it to see if I could catch the first wave.  I felt pretty good on the super hilly 12 mile bike and got into T2 with just 3 guys ahead of me.  The 3.5 mile run was so scenic and I caught all but one other athlete who was 40 seconds ahead.  Luckily the waves were spaced 3 minutes apart so I got the overall win!  It was a good time and felt good to get a little speed work in.  Big thanks to Lance from Without Limits who put on such a fun and well organized race!

Train safe,

Tim