WITH THE BODY ALMOST FULLY RECOVERED FROM THE CRASH AND YOUNG LIFE BEING ONE OF MY FAVORITE RACES, I WAS BEYOND PUMPED FOR THIS RACE. GIVEN ITS LATE SUMMER DATE, ONE IS USUALLY IN PRIME RACING CONDITION FOR THIS RACE. LAST YEAR I THOUGHT I DID PRETTY WELL WITH A 2ND PLACE AG FINISH BUT STILL GOT CRUSHED BY SOME KID NAMED BRANDEN SCHEEL. AT THE TIME I HAD NEVER SEEN THIS KID BEFORE AND WAS LIKE DAMN, THIS KID IS FAST! FAST FORWARD TO THIS YEARS RACE AND BRANDEN IS ONE OF THE BEST TRI FRIENDS I HAVE AND I THINK HE’s EVEN FASTER THAN BEFORE BUT LUCKILY NOT IN THE SAME AGE GROUP ANYMORE!

​I FOUND MYSELF WITHOUT A SHERPA AGAIN BUT WAS TEXTING KIA PRE RACE. I MUST HAVE LOOKED SERIOUS BECAUSE THE RACE PHOTOGRAPHER SNAPPED A PHOTO OF ME TEXTING BEFORE TRANSISTION CLOSED. I MADE THE COMMENT I WAS GOING FULL THROTTLE AND WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO RACING VS JUST COMPLETING THE RACE. I HUNG OUT WITH BRANDEN AND COREY FOR A BIT AND EVENTUALLY FOUND MIKE LOWEEN. ANOTHER TRI BUDDY FROM ALEXANDRIA WHO JUST HAPPENS TO HAVE A REALLY FAST WIFE! BEFORE LONG WE WERE DIVING INTO THE WATER.

WE ALL KNOW THE SWIM IS MY WEAKEST LINK AND I TRIED SO FLIPPIN’ HARD TO PUSH MYSELF THAT DAY. WHILE STILL FAR FROM BEING CONSIDERED FAST, i came out of the water 9th or 10th and was excited to get on the bike. That’s WERE THE FIRST MENTAL SLIP OCCURRED. I WAS ABOUT 500 FEET INTO THE RIDE AND I REALIZED I DIDN'T OPEN MY PACKAGE OF CLIFF BLOCKS. SOMETIMES THESE LITTLE GUYS OPEN SO EASY AND OTHER TIMES THEY HAVE CHILDPROOF PACKAGING. NOT WILLING TO TEST MY LUCK I JUST PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE AND OPENED THEM UP AND CHOMPED ON A BLOCK OR TWO. ONE OF THESE DAYS I’ll get PAST THESE ROOKIE MISTAKES!

​THE BIKE COURSE WAS TWO LAPS WHICH I KIND OF PREFER, GIVES YOU A GOOD FEEL FOR WHERE YOU CAN PUSH YOURSELF. I QUICKLY PASSED THE FEW BIKES THAT ZOOMED PAST ME AS I WAS STOPPED AND KEPT PEDALING MAKING SURE MY LEGS WERE FEELING A SLIGHT BURN. BY THE END OF THE SECOND LAP IT WAS PRETTY LONELY OUT THERE WITH THE FEW GUYS RACING FOR THE WIN A GOOD 10+ MINUTES AHEAD OF ME AND THE REST SOMEWHERE BEHIND ME.

T2 GOT ME OUT ON THE RUN COURSE WHERE I MADE IT ABOUT 2 miles into the run before i met the leader who was running his last mile or so. AFTER SOME PRETTY STINKING SLOW RUNS I HAD TO PUSH MYSELF TODAY AND HAD A GOAL IN MIND FOR MY PACE. I FIGURED ANYTHING SUB 7:30/mi WOULD BE OK. WITH THE RUN COURSE BEING AN OUT AND BACK YOU ALSO GET A FEEL FOR THE COURSE AND KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT THOSE LAST FEW MILES. THIS IS WHERE THE SECOND MENTAL BLUNDER TOOK PLACE. I CAME AROUND A CORNER ON THE RUN ABOUT TO GO THROUGH THE TUNNEL AND COULD SENSE A FELLOW RUNNER. THE MIX OF BEING CAUTIOUS TO THE OBVIOUSLY FASTER ATHLETE, THE COUNTING OF PEOPLE AHEAD OF ME AND BEING DEAD TIRED RESULTED IN THE GREATEST MISTAKE OF THE DAY. YES, THAT FAST ATHLETE WAS BRANDEN AND HE WAS GOING FOR A HIGH FIVE...THIS JERK LEFT HIM HANGING...WOOF. AFTER MAKING THE TURN AND GETTING A SPLASH N GO OF WATER, I MET MIKE ON THE COURSE! STRANGELY ENOUGH IN ALMOST THE EXACT SPOT AS LAST YEAR and MENTALLY WAS HAVING A TOUGH TIME.

JUST LIKE THE BIKE, the final STRETCH OF THE RUN WAS LONELY AND UNEVENTFUL. THERE WAS NOBODY IN SIGHT TO CHASE DOWN AND NOBODY BEHIND ME TO PUSH ME ALONG. AS I MADE THE FINAL TURN INTO THE FINISH I WAS PRETTY SURE THE TIME WAS WRONG AS IT WASN’t really close to last YEARS TIME. WITH ALL THAT FULL THROTTLE TALK I PUSHED MYSELF TOWARDS A TIME THAT WAS 13 MINUTES FASTER THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. ODDLY ENOUGH, MY TIME WAS NOT FAST ENOUGH FOR AN AGE GROUP AWARD. WHAT I DID EARN WAS A TOP 10 overall finiSh and for me, that was far more important!

2:26:13 (1:49/100YD • 22MPH • 7:15/MILe)
​
#JAKESBIKES #TRIBERACING #WATTIEINKHITSQUAD

AFTER LAYING LOW FOR A GOOD TWO WEEKS WITH AN INJURY, IT WAS TIME TO TACKLE ANOTHER 100 MILE RIDE WITH A LITTLE RUN AFTERWARDS. IRONMAN WISCONSIN IS GETTING RIDICULOUSLY CLOSE AND IM A LITTLE FREAKED OUT. FIRST IT WAS THE ILLNESS AND THEN THE CRASH, MY ROAD TO MY 2ND IRONMAN HAS HAD A FEW SPEEDBUMPS ONE COULD SAY. I DON'T PLAN ON USING THIS AS A CRUTCH, I PLAN TO PROVE I CAN STILL TACKLE THIS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT COURSE.

TODAY WAS ALMOST A PICTURE PERFECT DAY TO TRAIN, mid 60'S WITH A FEW PASSING CLOUDS. I TOOK OFF TOWARD FERGUS FALLS LIKE ALWAYS AND MADE IT TO MY PITSTOP LOCATION, CASEYS GENERAL STORE. I HAD AVERAGED 18MPH WHICH I WAS HAPPY WITH AND ENJOYED A SLICE OF PIZZA AND A CHOCOLATE MILK WHICH TASTED EVEN BETTER THAN NORMAL AFTER BIKING FOR 50 MILES. THE STOP WAS SHORT LIVED AND I TOOK OFF TOWARDS ALEX AGAIN. WITH MY INCREDIBLE LUCK, A SLIGHT BREEZE HAD DEVELOPED GIVING ME A HEADWIND GOING HOME, PERFECT!

THE GARMIN DATA SHOWS IT ALL, EVEN WITH THE HEADWIND I MANAGED 18MPH FOR THE CENTURY RIDE. STILL NOT THE FASTEST RIDE BUT I'LL GET THERE ONE OF THESE DAYS. WHEN I GOT HOME, MY QUADS WERE ON FIRE! I dOWNED A PROTEIN BEVERAGE, SOME POWERADE AND TOOK SOME TIME TO CHANGE INTO SOME RUNNING GEAR. NOT A TRUE BRICK BUT IT WORKS.

WHILE 4.75 MILES ISN'T MUCH, ESPECIALLY WHEN I NEED TO DO 26.2 IN MADISON, I MANAGED TO WORK ON SOME OF THAT "DISCOMFORT" TRAINING. THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WILL BE FILLED WITH BUILDING MY RUN MILEAGE AND SWIM DISTANCE WITH SOME STRENGTH TRAINING MIXED IN. MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU MIGHT SEE ME WALKING AROUND IN BUBBLE WRAP JUST TO BE SAFE!

#TRIBERULES #TRIBERACING #WATTIEINKHITSQUAD

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL THURSDAY EVENING WITH STEALTH ON THE MECHANIC STAND. IT WAS TIME FOR THE ZIPPS TO BE INSTALLED FOR SATURDAYS RACE IN FERGUS FALLS. I THREW THE RACE WHEELS ON, ADJUSTED THE BRAKES AND ADJUSTED THE REAR DEraileur. I WAS READY TO TAKE THE ROCKET OUT FOR A QUICK 10 mile FLIGHT.

I MADE MY WAY TO THE CENTRAL LAKES TRAIL AND BIKED A GOOD MILE OUT OF TOWN BEFORE PUTTING THE AFTERBURNERS ON. I BIKES ABOUT AS FAST ANS HARD AS I COULD FOR 5 MILES AND TOOK A SHORT 1 MINUTE BREAK BEFORE HEADING HOME. THE RETURN 5 MILES WENT PRETTY SOLID AND I HIT THE 10 MILE MARK BY THE COWDRY BRIDGE ANS STOPPED MY GARMIN WATCH, 23.1 MPH AVERAGE SPEED! I STILL HAD ABOUT 3 MILES TILL I MADE IT HOME AND WAS COOLING DOWN AND GOING THROUGH THE LOW GEARS TO MAKE SURE THE SHIFTING WAS SILKY. THIS IS WHERE THINGS WENT DOWNHILL.

WITH ABOUT 1/4 MILE LEFT ON THE BIKE TRAIL BEFORE I HIT THE OPEN ROADS I MET A GROUP OF KIDS ON SKATEBOARDS. I NOTICED THEM MOVE OVER A LITTLE BIT AND I MOVED TO THE RIGHT AND SLOWED WAY DOWN AND CAME OUT OF THE AERO POSITION. AT THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND, OUT COMES A SKATEBOARD AND THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER IS THE SOUND OF MY CARBON FRAME CRASHING INTO THE PAVEMENT AND MY BODY SLIDING HEAD FIRST INTO THE WEEDS. I was lYiNG THERE NOT REALLY SURE WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND NO IDEA WHAT MY INJURIES WERE. I SOON FOUND A BLOODY RIGHT HAND, blood runniNg down my left arm and a blooDy hiP. Thankfully, no blood coming from mY head!

AS I PEELED MYSELF OUT OF THE WEEDS, I LOOKED BACK AND FOUND STEALTH. BRAKE AND SHIFT LEVER ALL FUNKY, SEAT AND WATER BOTTLE CAGE SCTRATCHED TO HELL AND THE LEFT CRANK WITH SOME ROAD RASH. I HAD NO IDEA HOW BAD THE BIKE WAS AND WASN't SURE IF MY ARM WAS BROKEN.

THE NEXT 36 HOURS WERE SPENT HAVING GRAVEL REMOVED FROM MY ARM, taking pain pills AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SLEEP. I WAS THE FIRST PERSON THROUGH THE DOOR AT JAKE's BIKES ON FRIDAY AND HAD TO GET MY SHIT TOGETHER FOR MY RACE SATURDAY MORNING. I WASN't EVEN SURE I COULD RACE BUT DECIDED TO MAKE IT A RACE MORNING DECISION. I HAD BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THE HOOT LAKE TRIATHLON ALMOST ALL SUMMER!

LONG STORY SHORT, i ENTERED THE WATER WITH AN ARM BANDAGED FROM MY SHOULDER TO FOREARM AND SWAM WAY TO THE LEFT SIDE TO KEEP ANYONE FROM BUMPING INTO ME. AS I LEFT THE WATER AND PEELED THE WETSUIT OFF, i CAN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN. IT WAS TIME FOR THE BIKE AND I WAS SCARED TO DEATH. I HAD JUST CRASHED, HAD THE BIKE REPAIRED AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME BACK IN THE SADDLE, i DIDN't WANT TO KNOW THE DISCOMFORT LEVEL. MY INJURY WAS LOCATED IN THE EXACT SPOT MY ARM REST ON THE COCKPIT PAD SO I HAD TO ADJUST HOW I RODE STEALTH. I HAD THIS CRAZY STAGGERED ARM POSITION GOING ON.

WHILE I'M NOT THE FASTEST ON THE BIKE, I SLOWLY CHIPPED AWAY AT THE OTHER ATHLETES. I MAYBE PASSED 9 people while being passed by 2, INE OF WHICH WAS JENSEN, A GOOD FRIEND FROM THE FERGUS AREA. WAS GLAD TO SEE HIM OUT THERE COMPETING AS HE's TURNED INTO A BEAST OF A MOUNTAIN BIKER. THE ROLLING HILLS OF FERGUS ALLOWED FOR SOME NICE DECENTS. LIKE 32MPH SPPED DECENTS. TO BE HONEST, I HAD JUST PREVIOUSLY CRASHED 36 hours AGO AND THIS MADE ME ALMOST VOMIT. THAT IN ITSELF WAS A MENTAL WIN FOR THE DAY.

​THE RUN, my favorite part and fOr this day, the least painful! WELL, SORT OF. WHILE THE RUN DIDN'T BRING MUCH PHYSICAL PAIN, iT WAS MORE DISAPPOINTMENT AND EMBARRASSMENT. THERE I WAS ALL BANDAGED UP TRYING TO COMPETE AND KNOWING I SHOULD HAVE HAD A TOP 10 DAY OR AT LEAST A PR WITH ALL THE TRAINING I PUT IN. INSTEAD I WAS THE GUY FULL OF BANDAGES AND BLOODY WOUNDS. I PREFER TO BE KNOWN FOR THE LEVEL I PUSH MYSELF TO OR TO BE SEEN EARNING AGE GROUP AWARDS. HERE AT HOOT, ALL I GOT WAS PEOPLE's sympathy AND LONG LOOKS.

UP NEXT IS MINNEWASKA TRIATHLON THIS SATURDAY. A FUN LOCAL RACE I LIKE TO SUPPORT. THE BODY IS EXHAUSTED FROM TRYING TO HEAL SO WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. AS FOR THE CRASH, let's just say there is an ongoing police investigation taking place right now.

#CRASHINGHURTS #WHATDOESNTKILLYOU #TRIBERACING #WATTIEINKHITSQUAD #JAKESBIKES