Keep Moving Forward

Where to start? Let's begin by saying I learned a lot at this race.

Items to note for my next race:
1. My open water swim needs work, specifically the start in a crowd.
2. Pull the leg of my wetsuit over my chip to keep it from getting pulled off.
3. Make sure my chip is still on before leaving the transition area.
4. In the event of a 'mistake' just remember why I am there and what I put in to get there.

I had an awesome time. It's crazy how big this event is. I had some issues with my timing chip, so I only have a few of my splits available and a total time of 2:48:04.

I'll post my race report and some pics soon.

Time: 6:00 am
Water temp: 72
Weather: mid-70's and light rain

Last year I ran the Chicago Triathlon super sprint because at that time my triathlon 'career' was only a few months along. In all actuality my total time swimming was only a few months. I had never ridden a bike for any reason except to ride it and my running had been on hiatus since 97.

The Super Sprint was on Saturday. My good friend Dan was in the Olympic distance race on Sunday so I stayed to cheer him on. I saw some awesome things that day. People of all ages and abilities giving it all they could and I made a promise that day that I would be there in 06. So here I am, 2 days away from a one year project and ready to go.

Race Day Goals:
-good transitions
-relax on the swim and stay efficient
-average 19 mph on the bike
-give it my all in the run and pace under 9 min/miles
-finish under 3 hours
-take it all in and enjoy every second!

I'll be posting via my mobile device over the next few days.

-Keep Moving Forward-

I shifted my exercising lifestyle a little more then a year ago from power lifting to more cardio based activities. I never imagined I would have run a 30 mile trail race or be 1 week out from a olympic distance tri. When I made this switch I wrote down some goals for shorter distance races with no idea that I was going to enjoy the longer races better. There goals have been hanging out there and I could not just let them go. So I ran a 10k as my last hard workout before I taper.
My goal was 48:00 and since I rarely go out and run fast for 6 miles without having rode my bike first, I was not 100% what I was going to be able to do. Well long story short.... I ran a 44:41! Guess all this training is paying off.

For those out there that have multiple blogs like me (this one and my Windows Live Blog) or want to use somthing to post with other then the web page itself, you should check out the Windows Live Writer.  It works with lost of different blog providers and has some nice tools built in like Spell Check and some good formatting tools for fonts, colors, bullets, etc...  Its free and woth a look.   Happy blogging!

With Chicago Triathlon just right around the corner I figured I needed to get some more open water training in. I also figured that I needed to get some time in my wetsuit just in case water temperatures are low enough. It went really well. Its crazy to me how boyant those things make you.

I swam at the lake at my mother-in-law's house. My wife, nephew and a few of the dogs came down to watch and play in the water.

Once I got used to the feeling of the suit and how it "floats" the lower 1/2 of my body I swam for around an hour non-stop.


There was a group of people docked at the nearby beach who talked to my wife about what I was doing and she explained. Once I finished my workout and was coming out of the water they all cheered and wished me good luck. Now, if I could figure out a way to get people to cheer for me after every workout....

The Chicago Triathlon is less than a month away. July flew by with buying/settling into the new house as well as being sick for about a week, so training was a bust. Even with all of that I think I am ready. The swim is my worst event, but hopefully the water temp is below 78 and I can wear my wetsuit. The cutoff to place in Age Groupers is 78 degrees, but you can wear one up to 84 degrees and the penalty is no prizes or awards. Given that it is highly unlikely that I will be even close to the tops in my age division, I may wear it if it is below 84, but that will be a decision I make in the next few weeks based on how my swim workouts go. I am confident on the bike, not fast, but confident. Under the right conditions I can average 20 mph, which would be my goal for the course. The run is where I am the least worried. After running the 30 mile trail run back in April, I know that I can push through just about anything.

This is my first Olympic distance triathlon (swim - 1500m, bike - 26.2, run - 10k) and the main goal is to run a smart race and do my best. My secondary goal is to finish at the 3 hour mark. If I can hit 40 minutes in the swim, 1:20 on the bike that leaves me an hour to get through my 10K. I have to take the transitions into account, but this is completely possible. Keep your fingers crossed!

-Keep Moving Forward