SEASON WRAP UP - 2018 PREVIEW

WHILE IT MAY ONLY BE THE FIRST WEEKEND IN DECEMBER AND I HAVE LOTS OF TRAINING AHEAD YET, THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO LOOK BACK ON 2017. IT WAS A ROLLER COASTER YEAR FOR SURE! TERRIBLE PERFORMANCES, CRASHES AND ILLNESS MADE FOR ONE EXCITING YEAR. THE SEASON USUALLY STARTS OFF WITH ROCK N ROLL ARIZONA. ALWAYS A HARD RACE TO STAY FOCUSED ON WITH THE HOLIDAY SEASON AND THE ONLY REAL TRAINING OPTION IS THE TREADMILL. THIS PAST YEARS RACE LEFT ME SITTING IN A MEDICAL TENT AND ALSO THE DARKEST MOMENT OF ANY EVENT I'VE EVEN BEEN IN. THEN CAME ALONG THE DEBACLE WITH BRONCHITIS AND ILLNESS. I TRIED TO KEEP CHUGGING ALONG WITH SMALLER EVENTS LIKE RUN FOR THE LAKES IN BRAINERD AND THE GRANITEMAN RACES BUT JUST WAS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO PERFORMING WELL. THIS BROUGHT ME TO THE INAUGURAL WISCONSIN 70.3 RACE WHICH WAS ALSO A POOR PERFORMANCE. PRETTY FANTASTIC STORY SO FAR RIGHT? WELL TO KEEP YOU FROM ATTENDING THE PITY PARTY, WE GET TO JUMP BACK INTO THE MARATHON WORLD FOR A BIT. GRANDMAS MARATHON, MY FAVORITE RACE OF THE YEAR PROBABLY. SUCH RICH HISTORY AND MEMORIES IN DULUTH MAKE THIS FOR A GREAT WEEKEND. MY TRAINING SUCKED, MY LEGS WERE HEAVY BUT I WAS DETERMINED. I PUSHED MYSELF HARDER THAN I HAVE EVER PUSHED MY BODY. AT AROUND MILE 17 OR 18 I DON'T THINK I EVEN KNEW MY OWN NAME AND THE COURSE WAS BASICALLY A BLUR. AS I CROSSED THAT FINISH LINE IN CANAL PARK I WAS REWARDED WITH A NEW PR OF 3:54 AND THINGS WERE LOOKING ONWARD AND UPWARD.

TRYING TO RIDE THE HIGH FROM GRANDMAS I ADDED A 1ST PLACE AGE GROUP PERFORMANCE AT GRANITEMAN, SOME TOP 5 AND 10 FINISHES OVERALL AND WAS FEELING GOOD FOR THE END GOAL, IRONMAN WISCONSIN. THEN ON THIS ONE BEAUTIFUL EVENING I DECIDED TO TUNE UP STEALTH FOR THE HOOT LAKE TRIATHLON AND CRANK OUT A FAST 10 MILE RIDE ON THE CENTRAL LAKES TRAIL. AS IT TURNED OUT, THIS EVENING LEFT ME A BLOODY MESS, A BROKEN BIKE AND AN ER VISIT. TURNS OUT A CYCLIST IS NO MATCH FOR A GROUP OF SKATEBOARDING KIDS. THE BIKE WAS FIXED, THE ROAD RASH TURNED INTO COOL SCARS AND I KEPT PUSHING ON. EVENTUALLY I WAS BACK ON THE PODIUM AT THE HARVEST DUATHLON HERE IN MY HOMETOWN AND HAD AN AMAZING WEEKEND IN MADISON FINISHING IMWI IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME IMAZ TOOK WHICH WAS A WIN FOR ME CONSIDERING WHAT ALL TOOK PLACE. THIS WAS TO BE THE END OF THE 2017 RACES BUT AFTER COMING BACK FROM KONA AND TAKING IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, THE COMPETITIVE JUICES WERE FLOWING AGAIN. I SIGNED UP FOR ROCK N ROLL ARIZONA AND AM TRAINING MY ASS OFF FOR THAT RACE. A SUB 3:45 RUN IS EXPECTED. AS FOR RACING, I WOKE UP THANKSGIVING MORNING AND LAST SECOND DECIDED TO RACE THE YMCA TURKEY DAY 5K. ONE OF MY BETTER DECISIONS AS I RACED TO A 3RD PLACE OVERALL FINISH AND GOT A NICE BRONZE MEDAL TO ADD TO MY COLLECTION.

2017 TOTALS:

- 44.84 MILES OF SWIMMING
- 1724.15 MILES OF BIKING
- 865.06 MILES OF RUNNING
​

2018 PREVIEW

IF YOU PAID ANY ATTENTION FROM ABOVE, YOU KNOW THAT I AM RACING THE ROCK N ROLL ARIZONA MARATHON. A GREAT COURSE THAT STARTS DOWNTOWN PHOENIX AND TRAVELS THROUGH SCOTTSDALE AND ENDS IN TEMPE. LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS RACE AND TO GET BACK AND SEE MY PEEPS AT TRIBE MULTISPORT. I JUST MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE TRICK UP MY SLEEVE FOR THIS RACE!

FOR THE 2018 SEASON, I HAVE A FEW RESPONSIBILITIES. FIRST OFF, IT WOULDN'T BE THE SAME WITHOUT BEING PART OF TRIBE RACING AGAIN. JUST LOVE THIS CREW FROM WARM AND SUNNY SCOTTSDALE, SOME TRULY GREAT PEOPLE I HAVE GOT TO DEAL WITH AND LOOK FORWARD TO HELPING THEM BUILD UP TRIBE MULTISPORT. SECONDLY, I KNOW THIS CRAZY FAST KID NAMED COREY WHO HOOKED UP WITH WATTIE INK. WHILE I AM NOT AN ELITE LIKE HIM, I STILL GET TO ROCK THE W THIS UPCOMING SEASON AS PART OF THE BABY BROTHER PROGRAM, THE WATTIE INK HIT SQUAD. THIS COMPANY IS ALSO GREAT TO BE PART OF AND THEY REALLY DO MAKE SOME GREAT GEAR. LASTLY FOR THE 2018 SEASON, I WILL BE JOINING THE BASE PERFORMANCE TEAM FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE ONE THING HOLDING ME BACK IS PROPER NUTRITION AND FUELING, I HOPE THIS PARTNERSHIP HELPS ME EXCEL IN 2018.

WHILE NOT OFFICIALLY PARTNERED, I CAN'T LEAVE OUT JAKE'S BIKES HERE AT HOME. JAKE SET ME UP WITH STEALTH AND HAVE TAKEN GREAT CARE OF ALL MY CYCLING NEEDS. THIS GUY ALSO DESERVES A HIGH FIVE. SO, IF YOU NEED A BIKE, OR FITNESS EQUIPMENT OR SOME CYCLING GEAR OR NUTRITION, GO VISIT JAKE!