Challenge Rimini: Rainy, Hilly, and TOUGH

24 May 2015-

I had originally planned to do 70.3 St. Polten last weekend, but we had a conflict on the calendar with the Rhodes Ball.  I had not been to a proper "ball" before, so thought I would check the race schedule and see what other options I had.  I found Challenge Rimini and thought it was a good choices as it was surrounded by some other big races and thought nothing more of it.

Come to find out Challenge Rimini was also a "big race" and was the European Triathlon Union Mid Distance Championships., yeah talk about a long race name.  I found this out a week or two before the race and at first thought maybe that was just for the Age Groupers, but no, come to find out it was for the pro's as well.

I had a decent travel schedule to Rimini, leaving Oxford early on Friday and getting into Italy by 1pm.  I made it down to Rimini by 3, and the weather was pretty bad.  A storm had rolled in and it rained pretty much the first 24 hours that I was there.  I got in a short shake out run and attended the race briefing.  I do not recall them specifying that it would be completely "ruled" by the ITU rules, but maybe I missed that part.  Then when I was doing some research I noticed a few athletes had National Kits that they were wearing for the race, which I found interesting, since some of them were attached to actual teams and were not wearing their team kits.

Race morning I headed down to the start around 930, yes it was late and the race didn't start until 11.  One of the best parts about this race was the start time!  I went to enter transition area and they had all of the pros off to the side doing bike check and gear check.  Come to find out you were "suppose" to have a national kit, so they took note of me noting have one on, with the proper ITU layout.  They then made you get out your race bib, race chip, and swim cap to ensure you had them.  Pretty annoying, but it is what it is.  After that checkpoint I went to enter transition area and a lady stopped me and started talking in Italian about my bike.  She didn't speak English at all and just pointed out the fact that I didn't have a seat tube, since I ride a beam bike.

I waited around while she was trying to find someone but after a few minutes just left to my transition spot, figured if it was a big enough deal she would come find me, she obviously had my race number and knew where I would be.  Sure enough about 10mins later another official and the same lady showed up.  He explained to her that it wasn't a draft legal race and that the bike was acceptable for the race.  So after an interesting morning dealing with the ITU officials it was onwards to the race.

Swim- 31:44

It was a pretty rough swim and the buoys were really hard to see.  There were only a few "middle" buoys throughout the whole course to sight off of between the turn buoys.  With the rough water and lack of buoys it seemed a lot of people were all over the place and there wasn't really a pack for me to swim with, mostly because they left me in their dust.  I came out of the water and through the bag area of transition, only to find 2 other pro bags there.  That is when I knew I had my work cut out for me…………….

Bike- 2:36:02

I was really happy with how I rode the course.  My power was a few watts lower than where I expected it to be, but the numbers were there.  The roads were pretty wet from the previous days rain, and then about 35mins into the ride it started raining.  The descents were pretty sketchy due to being wet, and even if not wet not sure if I would have went much faster.  I was slowly passing a few guys early on in the bike, but after the half way point I was pretty much on my own till the last 1K of the ride, where I pulled up on a group of 4 guys.  We entered transition area together and then it was onto the run.

Run- 1:19:47

I was pretty frustrated with how my run went in Galveston, I knew I was in better shape than 1:23 there and I just didn't have a good run there.  So leaving T2, I looked around and noticed that other people had not put there helmets back in their bags.  Mine was on top of my bag but not in it.  I knew I probably should have just put it in the bag to avoid any weird ITU rules that were somewhat being enforced at the race.  But I instead took off out of T2 chasing the guys that I came into T2 with.  I set into a good pace and just focused on running really consistent splits.  The course was right along the sea and completely flat out and back 7K  lap.  It was 3 laps and after the completion of lap 1 I noticed my number on the penalty board.  I decided I would take the penalty on the last lap, which would leave only about 200m left to run after serving the penalty.  It ended up only being 30seconds and luckily no one passed me in that time.

Swim- 31:44 / Strava / TrainingPeaks

Bike- 2:36 / Strava / TrainingPeaks

Run- 1:19 / Strava / Trainingpeaks

Total- 4:32:34 / 18th Pro

Overall I was disappointed with how the race as a whole went, more so with my bike and swim.  I knew that the swim conditions did not suit me, but thought I would have still been a little closer to the lead group in terms of time.  Losing 15mins to the lead bike splits was really frustrating, especially since my numbers were very close to what they were in Galveston, and I had one of the faster bike splits on the day.

The good thing is that I ran a solid run, on non tapered legs (I ran 20 miles on Tuesday), and built some confidence in knowing that my run is improving.  The other good thing is, even though the placing and time were not great, I learned a lot from the race and will be back to fight another day.

Thanks again to everyone for their continued support!  You can view all of my sponsors HERE and get special discounts from a few of them as well!

TX70.3 Race Recap

19 May 2015-

Few weeks behind on this one, so my apologies.  I was fortunate enough to be back in the states quite a bit the first part of the year, and that helped keep the training consistent and focused.  I headed to San Diego for January to train under the guidance of my coach Scott DeFilippis.  After 4 solid weeks in California I headed back to the UK for 4 weeks, but was lucky enough to spend 10 of those days in Lanzarote training at Tri Sports Lanzarote  After the time back in the UK, I packed up for a 2 month trip back to the US.  The trip started off with 10 days in Tucson for US Military Endurance Sports Cycling Camp, followed by 15 days in San Diego training under my coach again.  I then left California for Colorado Springs and spent 10 days with Hila and her family, along with getting some solid training in.  After Colorado it was off to Texas, for the Team Red, White, and Blue Triathlon Camp.

Team RWB Triathlon Camp is one of the highlights of my year.  I am part of the team that plans the camp for the athletes and then helps coach alongside Derick Williamson of Durata Training and a few other coaches.  The camp focuses on bringing in 30-40 Veterans and equipping them with everything they need to leave the camp as a triathlete.  If they didn't come with a bike, they leave with a bike, same for everything else, from wetsuits to running shoes.  You can find out more about the camp here: www.rwbtricamp.org.

After the camp I spent the week hanging out in Austin and getting ready for the race.  I stayed with Derick and his wife Kelly, and was lucky enough to get some training in with one of Dericks athletes Chad Holderbaum.  I also did the Austin Pure Quarry Fitness Splash N Dash by Jack & Adams, it was a great time, other than getting beat by Julie Stupp and Michael Lori.  It was a great way to get in a hard open water effort and remember what it feels like to swim "fast and hard".

I headed down to Galveston on Friday and stayed with fellow pros Lauren and Barrett Brandon who I trained with when I lived in Ft Worth.  Always good to catch up with them.  Saturday ended up being an interesting day with a huge storm hitting Galveston.  We procrastinated and avoided the storm as much as we could.  We ended up not riding until close to 6pm, but it all worked out.

Race Day:

Swim- 29:27

I wasn't really sure where I was going to be with the swim, since this was the first "big" pro race.  It ended up being non-wetsuit, which didn't play into my favor.  I got a decent warmup in and found myself lined up next to Lionel Sanders in the second row.  The horn sounded and off we went.  I made it to the first buoy, about 200m out still in the "pack", which in reality was already the second pack.  I hung onto that pack and felt really comfortable through the second buoy.  I fell off of that pack half way through the swim, still not really sure what happened or caused it, but I think I just lost the feet of the person in front of me, and since I was on the back, off I went.  I swam on my own for the second half of the swim and was a bit worried about 200m out from the finish.  A kayaker ended up next to me and I thought I was the last swimmer.  Then a few moments later Lauren came swimming by me, they had started 3 or 4 mins back from us.  I tried to hop on her feet and that lasted all of about 15secs, if that.

Bike- 2:03:59

I came out of T1 and had Reilly Smith just ahead of me.  He out biked me at Galveston last year and took the overall amateur win.  I paced off of him at 12m back for the first 20-30mins.  We started to pass a few people and then I got around him and just focused on the road ahead.  I slowly kept passing guys and just after the turn around I caught the second pack.  I was really surprised to catch them that early, but I had only lost 1 minute to them on the swim, so I guess I shouldn't have been that surprised.  I sat at the tail end of that group for a few minutes before getting frustrated and pulling to the front.  I knew there were guys chasing from behind and I wanted to keep the pace high to prevent them from catching back on and hopefully catching a few more guys up the road.

I ended up staying up front pulling the group along for a majority of the way back.  Rookie mistake on my part, but the bike is my strength and I wanted to push the pace.  We caught a few more guys before T2 and rolled in as a big pack.  I made sure to stay to the front to ensure a clean entry into T2 and not to get tangled up with anyone.

Run- 1:23:14

I came out of T2 in the front of the group and was told we were 2:30 down to 6th place.  There was one guy (David G.) that had a huge lead and then 2nd-6th, then our group of probably 10 guys.  I felt pretty good coming off the bike, ran through the first mile sub 6.  However, the group just went out of T2 flying and I got left behind.  Around mile 1 that group ended up running off course and myself and Barrett Brandon ended up going the right way.  I tried to stay with Barrett but he didn't want to run with me and he left me in his dust as well.  

I just settled into what I thought was a comfortable pace and just kept clicking off the miles.  I started to fade just past half way but tried to just keep getting the calories in and putting one foot in front of another.  There were a few out and back sections so I knew when people were closing in on me, or when I was gaining on people.  There was a guy gaining quickly on me on the last lap, and luckily I was able to push hard to the end and was able to hang onto 10th place.

Swim (1.2 miles)- 29:27

Bike (112 miles)- 2:03:59 (3rd Fastest Bike Split) /Strava / TrainingPeaks File

Run (13.1 miles)- 1:23:14 / Strava

Total-3:59:24 / 10th Pro

Results: http://eu.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/texas/results.aspx#axzz3aX9vGVlf

Overall I am really happy with how the day went.  Realistically I should have been 13th-16th, but hey, I got lucky and I will take it.  I am excited to see how Challenge Rimini Half goes on the 24th of May.  Been putting in a bit of work with my run and swim, so looking forward to see what progress has been made.

Thanks to all of my sponsors and supporters for the support this season.  Without them and the support of my family chasing this dream would not be possible.  You can view all of my sponsors HERE and get special discounts from a few of them as well!

 Focused and chasing

 The new triathlon media coverage, on course interviews!

 Struggling through the final miles of the run course.

 

Thanks to Zo Mendosa for this finishing shot

The 2015 Weapon of Choice: FALCO V Stealth Bomber

24 April 2015-

Build Notes:

Frame- 2015 Falco V w/ USAF Stealth Bomber Custom Paint
BB- Ceramic Speed Prototype BB86 to BB30
Gruppo- Ultegra Electronic 11spd Shifters, Front Derailleur, Seat Tube Battery, Junction Box, and 10spd Rear Derailleur w/ Cearmic Speed Pulleys
Brakes- TRP Front Brake and TriRig OmegaX Rear
Powermeter-SRAM ELSA Quarq 172.5mm 
Bike Computer- GarminEdge 510
RaceWheels- HED JET Disc / JET 9 w/ Continental Attack(R) & 4000SII(F) w/ Vitorria Latex Tubes & Orange Seal
Race Skewers- View Speed Skewers
Training Wheels: HED Ardennes
Saddle- ISM Adamo Attack

Cockpit- TriRig Alpha Bar
Bottle Cages- Arundel Mandible and Elite Cage (turned into flat kit, Inside is small pump, CO2 Adapter, CO2 canister, Valve Extender, quick chain master link, Shimano 5 Port junction box, View Speed tool kit)
Pedals- Shimano Ultegra
Shoes- Specialized S-Works Road Shoes

Why did you take your Pro Card?

21 April 2015-

I figured since I have been asked "Why did you take your Pro Card?" quite a bit over the past few months, I would take the time to expand upon that frequent question. I used to ask professionals the same question when I was an age grouper dreaming of one day racing as a "professional" athlete. I would get various responses from "I want to race the best", "I want to start first and get done early", "I want to save money on entries" to "I want to have a reserved porta potty and avoid the lines".

I have written about this twice before, back in 2011 "Kona Post Race Thoughts" and in 2013 "How I qualified for my Pro Card and Why I Will Still Race as an Age Grouper". Looking back and reading through those posts a lot of the reasons that I wasn't ready to turn pro have been "solved", and it seems that now the time is right.

Timing was one of the biggest reasons that I waited. After qualifying twice in 2013, I did not believe I was ready, which I elaborated on in the above mentioned blog. The timing finally came together, and in my opinion, the stars aligned. I transitioned out of the Air Force in August of 2014 and the transition to start training and racing full time was the best time for me to make the jump to the professional start line. I waited until after Kona as I wanted one last crack on the big island.

When I made the decision to take the jump to be on the start line with the best in the world, the main reason was regrets. I didn't want to look back 5, 10 or 15 years from now and go "Man, I could have raced with the best in the world, but I didn't". I want to look back and go, "I had an amazing opportunity and I gave it everything I had". So that is what I did, I left the Air Force last summer and did not seek another full time job. I did not leave the AF for the simple reason of wanting to race professional, I left the AF because I was waking up every morning not happy with having to put on my uniform and go to work.

If I was happy with my career in the Air Force I could have very easily stayed in and raced professionally, however that was not the case. The Air Force left a very bitter taste in my mouth the last 1.5 years in, but that will have to wait for another blog. I was however very fortunate while I was in the AF and they were very supportive of my triathlon endeavors, and I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for my support network within the service. So for that, I am thankful to the AF.

I now wake up every morning and am happy. I have the amazing support of my wife and family as I take this leap into the pro ranks. If it wasn't for them, I would not be taking this chance, but luckily my support system is amazing. The plan is to give it a go for 2 years and see where things shake out at that point. If I am still progressing upwards and our lives can still support my racing, then I will continue on.

So here we go.............Only time will tell how this goes.

 My first "pro" race was in Lanzarote at the Spanish Long Course National Champs. I hadn't technically taken my elite license from USAT, but the race had an Elite field. Ended up 8th on the day just 3 weeks after Kona.

How to List / Rent a Bike on Spinlister...............

For 2015 I have partnered with Spinlister, the GLOBAL bike share company, here is the press release if you would like to read more about the partnership.  With the amount of bikes we have accumulated as a family and the amount of traveling we do, I found this partnership to be a perfect fit.  We can list our current bikes on Spinlister (you can find our listings HERE) to try and make some extra cash, as well as helping out local and traveling cyclist.  Then when we are traveling we can use Spinlister to find bikes wherever we are in the world.

Luckily for you, I have a PROMO CODE that can save you some money on your first rental.  SAVE $20 using Promo Code: BWTRI.  If you are going to list a bike, please use this Promo Code as well, it helps me out.  Where does the promo code go?  In the mobile app click "Profile" in the bottom right, then click the settings wheel in the top right.  A menu appears and "Promotions" is in there.  If you are using a web browser you can click your name in the top right next to "List a Ride", and a drop down appears with "Promo Codes".

So what is Spinlister? "Spinlister helps active people connect with trusted bike owners around the world."

Watch this short video to find out more:



Some of the most common questions I am asked:

What happens if the bike is damaged?  What happens if the bike is stolen? What happens if the person gets injured?  Simple answer, Before confirming any reservation, the RENTER has to sign the Spinlister Rental Agreement. This agreement offers the lister protection in all of these circumstances, injury, damage, or theft. As the lister, you are never responsible if the renter gets injured while on a ride.  The agreement covers $10,000 in coverage for your bike.

Here is a link to some other FAQ's for listers: https://help.spinlister.com/knowledge_base/topics/what-if-i-can-only-rent-my-bike-out-certain-days and for renters: https://help.spinlister.com/knowledge_base/topics/if-i-am-not-getting-a-response-from-the-lister-what-should-i-do?from_search=true


Can I list other items? Actually, yes Spinlister has more than just bikes.  You can also list Surfboards, Stand Up Paddle Boards, and Skis / Snowboards.  That also means all of those items are out there to rent!

Where can I rent from? There are listings all around the world, so go checkout the mobile app or spinlister.com and find a ride to checkout while you are on the road, or even if you need a bike for a day or two while in town.

If you have any questions about Spinlister feel free to email me at bw_tri@yahoo.com

The Hidden Gem of the Canary Islands

The Hidden Gem of the Canary Islands-

Last year when I was planning to race the Ocean Lava Triathlon on the island of Lanzarote, I found out about a Triathlon Villa.  I was referred to the place by Dan Hawksworth.  It was quite reasonable, around $120USD a night (£78 or £550 a week).  I thought it was just going to be a place to stay for the race and that was going to be the end of it.

Upon arriving at the Villa, I found out it was more than just a place to stay. They provided transport to and from the airport, 3 meals a day, minus 2 nights out for dinner every 7 days.  The 2 nights out were still reasonable at 25-30 Euro a night.  The dinners at the Villa are always great, anything from Paella to a traditional style BBQ with steaks and burgers.  They cater to everyone's eating needs, as you know triathletes can have quite the "dietary" restrictions.  They also provide a fridge stocked with beer and a wine rack filled with wine.  Not to mention, that is included in the price of your stay.
I have not stayed at the "other" resorts on Lanzarote that everyone talks about, so I cannot say whether they include what I have talked about above.  But I can say the real kicker to the Villa is the family like atmosphere.  The owners, along with the 2 employees, treat you like family.  The kitchen and fridge are always open if you get hungry, the beer is always cold, and if you can't find something that you want and absolutely need it, they will track it down on the island for you.

The training is absolutely amazing on the island.  Along with the 25 meter pool on site you can go down to the ocean for open water swimming.  The van normally goes down for open water swims 2-3X a week and the pool is open anytime for swims, although I do not think it is lighted, so daylight swimming only.  The riding is absolutely amazing and is bound to make you strong.  From the long climbs to strong winds you can make it a brutal day around the island.  The climb up Tabyesco is about 1.5 hour ride away and is said to be an hour long.  There are a few shorter climbs within 30mins of riding that range from 5-20mins.  If you want to avoid the climbing and wind for some reason, no worries they have 2 spin bikes onsite along with a trainer (turbo) for use.

The running is amazing as well, you can't really beat it.  A lot of rolling hills with some steady long "false flats".  They have routes right from the house from 5K-17K mapped out, and you can always adventure out on your own.  You can escape to some dirt trails through the fields or run down a few kilometers and run along the ocean.  There are two tracks within close proximity to the Villa, one is at a local school which is a short 20min bike ride and the other is a 15-20min drive in the van in Arrecife.  They seem to make a weekly trip to the track and if you can't make it on that day you can always ride down to either of the tracks.

Wanting to race in Lanzarote rather than train?  Well you won't be disappointed staying at the Villa.  When I was there for Ocean Lava, all of the logistics were taken care of.  They take you down to registration and the race briefing, race morning and post race transport, and then you also have some fans along the race course.  They even have a plan if you want to race on the next island over in Fuerteventura. They will load up the van and take a short 30-40 min ferry trip across and set up lodging for the pre-race nights.

After finding all of this out on my trip back in late October, I knew this was going to be the place to go when needing to escape the winter of Oxford.  So back in December, I knew I was in the UK for all of February and wanted to get away for a bit.  So I booked a stay for 8 more days in Lanzarote, and of course I booked at Tri Sports Lanzarote.

For more information on Tri Sports Lanzarote and how to book, you can visit their website here: www.trisportslanzarote.com .  If you have any questions about the Villa or training on the island feel free to email me at bw_tri@yahoo.com.

 The Pool

 BBQ Area

 The Backyard

 The Amazing Views

2014 Year in Review in Pics and by the #'s

Looking back at 2014, well it sure was a busy year.  To think that all of this happened in a 365 day period is pretty crazy.

- Deployed to Afghanistan (Jan/Feb)
- Traveled to Japan to visit Hila (Feb)
-  Separated from the AF (Jul)
- Traveled to Colorado, Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, Canada, California (Jul/Aug/Sep)
- Had a wedding for our family AKA "Got married again"
- Raced Kona (Oct)
- Moved to the Oxford, England (Oct)

 Training while Deployed to Afghanistan.  This was a joke, although they did make me put on my PT Gear over my cycling kit.

 Traveled to Japan to visit Hila in February and we got dumped on with snow.

 Attended RWB Tri Camp w/ the wife and met this inspirational athlete Rachel and her dog Kalev!

 Finally raced NYC Tri and had the honor of guiding Aaron again.  This was the only time ahead of him, he drug me around the swim and run course.

 

2014 by the Numbers
Swim: 258 miles (415,000 meters) / 134 hours- AVG 9,801 meters/wk (+40km from 2013)

Bike: 6,646 miles / 353 hours- AVG-  134 miles/wk (-1,010mi from 2013)
Run: 1,611 miles / 211 hours- AVG-31.5 miles/wk (+9mi from 2013)

Commuter Miles: 228 miles / 23hrs (Oct 25th - Dec 20th)
Total: 8,743 miles / 721 hours / 13.84hrs/wk
Raced:  1 Sprint Tris, 3 Olympic Tris, 5 70.3's, 1 Long Course Tri, 1 Full IM, 1 Half Marathon, Total=12 races
Amateur Placings: 2 Overall Wins, 4 AG Wins, 6 Top 5's 
69 Days Off of Training, Longest Streak 28 days, and 5 Countries Visited
 

 Pie Chart Breakdown by % of Time

 Swim Chart by Meters / Week

 Bike Chart by Miles / Week

 Run Chart by Miles / Week

 Total Hours by Hours / Week

 Workout History Snapshot from TrainingPeaks

 PMC Chart (Dots = Daily TSS, Dots at bottom = off day)

 Getting married to Hila, again, with all of our family and friends present this time.

 Some R&R up in Tahoe before the final build into Kona.

 Finished off Kona crossing the line with Reilly Smith, who I ran the last 10K with.

And the start to a new beginning, my first pro race in Lanzarote.

Thanks to everyone that has continued to support me over the years.  I am looking forward to this next chapter in my life and it wouldn't be possible without all of my family and friends!