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Ironman Wisconsin Race Report 6th Place - 9:01 1:00 - 4:55 - 2:59 Win, Lose or Draw, nothing sweeter than the finish line. This race is always the highlight of my season and as I progress through the late stages of my Professional racing career, it feels like it means even more when it comes around.  Training had gone very well: I worked hard, but not too hard. I raced well leading in, but didn't race too much. Maybe most importantly, I rested a LOT in the last three weeks before the big day. If there is one thing I have learned, it's that 37 is not the same as 27 or even 32. Recovery is something that seems to be under valued by many high level athletes racing in their late 30's. This year's race seemed to be wide open. A field of good athletes, but no one who would win on a "B" day. Given my experience, my training and health, I felt good about my chances for possibly a win and for sure a podium.  My mojo was high and the suppor

Steelhead 70.3 Race Report 9th Professional - 3:59:42 It's been a while since I have written a race report...and damn it feels good to be back! Injury, illness and life events have all been very frustrating to deal with. Things were up and down and I really wasn't finding enjoyment or success working towards my goals. Additionally, I was too busy to plan my own training properly and I needed to hand off the reigns to someone else. I reached out to Lance Watson  about 5 weeks ago and asked him if he would be interested in working with a vet who wanted to get back on track and stronger than he has been in the past. I have dedicated so many years (almost 2 decades) to racing and coaching, so it goes without saying that it was hard to find someone who I trusted. After a few conversations, I knew he was the coach I needed. The training leading into Steelhead was not perfect... we assessed maybe 7/10...but being at our best was not the goal. Being healthy, establishing

INJURY & RACING UPDATE Injuries are an unfortunate part of sport. You can have a perfect set-up and vision for what the season is going to be like, or how it will go and then the body decides that it isn't on the same page.  That is exactly what happened to me this year. I raced fairly well to start the season and had built some great fitness to start the year off. I PR'd at Ironman Texas, was in a podium position off the bike at Chattanooga 70.3 and was working on my top end through local events, which gave me some time to also focus on coaching and life. All went well until the beginning of July, which is when I felt like something changed in my performance. It seemed to happen almost over night; my position started to feel uncomfortable, power was not transferring to faster speeds and my usual MO of ride away and run to win was not working. It did give me a chance to work on other skills, but something was off with the bike. I put it off that I was sim

Ironman Texas North American Championship 8:28:17 23rd Professional How it looks and feels to persevere through a day of racing by yourself when you are at less than your best and still come away with a new personal best time! This was my first time racing at Ironman Texas. A great venue and nearly perfect conditions greeted us on race morning. 60* air temp, 73* water temp (non wetsuit for Professionals) an d calm winds. A unique aspect of this swim is that the last 1/3 or so is swam up a canal. This gives spectators a front row seat to all the action and the opportunity to follow their athlete! Swim fitness was great coming in to the race but unfortunately I wasn't able to have a good performance in the water. I exited the water 5 minutes back of my usual pack. I was one of the few who was all alone on the bike course. I had to use most of the tricks in my bag to stay focused and engaged. I did a pretty good job and came i

I typically see most athletes doing some sort of benchmark testing within their training, especially when it comes to swimming. However I don't always see those athletes using the result from that test within their training. It can be much more effective and engaging for athletes to actually use their swim test results within their training. Here's how: 1. Go test. Your bench mark testing should be something that is repeatable every block of training. You can do a 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, it really doesn't matter. When you test, make sure you swim smart. A good friend of mine always described any TT effort like this: -25% relaxed but fast, focusing on stroke rate and finding your rhythm -50% focusing on your test effort with good body position and quick turns on the walls -25% lifting the effort building in a bigger kick to finish 2. Using your test pace. Use your pace per 100 as the slowest target pace you are working around within 1 specific workout e

As I reflect on 2017, it's been a very rewarding season. My results were OK, but the real satisfaction came from finding a lot of enjoyment in the process to prepare for events. In my opinion this is probably the most important thing to have when you are seeking a great result. Chasing can be frustrating and a recipe for failure. Letting the results happen is a recipe for success and now that I have that back I should probably race at least another season (19th season)!! My Favorite Race & Picture From 2017 (Puerto Rico 70.3) After the decision to race was made, my coach and I came up with a good plan and got to work with steps 1 and 2 of the process. Step 1 was to rest. What?!?! Yes, REST! The last 2 months have been just that. It's been an excellent balance between just the right amount of training to bring me to a solid level of fitness when the calendar turns and down time; focusing on a few other things such as coaching education, time in the woods, m