Jace's First Duathlon

Prior to the regular version of the Apple Duathlon, on Friday evening, May 23 they had the Apple Kid Duathlon. We didn't know this was going to happen, but when we picked Jace up from school and headed north to Sartell for the du, his teacher told us that it was the testing day for running the mile. Jace has the fastest 1st grade time as he ran an 8:08--that morning! 8:08 in the mile...?!? There's adults that can't do that. His legs would be tired for a race just hours later, but things like that don't even phase a kid. Anyway, the duathlon distance for 7-10 year olds is 1/4 mi run + 3.5 mi bike + 1/4 mi run. Jace was in the first wave--7-8 year olds. Although Jace is 7, he races as a 8 year old because this is a USAT sanctioned race so ones racing age is what they will be on the last day of the year. Jace loves to run, but I suggested to him that he does blow all his energy during the open run so he can save some for the bike and the final run. Of course, he says "I know, I know. I will..." He actually did hold back. Since its hard for adults to pace themselves and watch other pass them--it must be really hard for a kid! The gun goes off and their little legs start pounding the pavement. Jace completed the first run in 1:39 putting him in 6th. By the time he got out of T1 (transition from run to bike) he was about 10-12 riders back. We watched them spin away--Jace got out of the saddle, as he loves to do, and started breezing passed other kids. About 10 minutes later the first 8 yo rounds the last corner on the bike and is headed into T2. About 2 minutes later three other kids round the corner--Jace is one of them. They enter T2, rack the bikes and head out for the last run. All three are together, but then they spread out a bit. They are huffing and puffing, their legs stomping away. Jace is about 10 seconds behind one boy, putting Jace in 3rd overall. He starts to gain a little ground toward 2nd, but on the finishing stretch there were hundreds of parents and kids screaming and cheering so that gave all the completitors a little more incentive to go faster. Jace crossed the line 3rd overall for 8 year olds. He had the 2nd fastest bike time of the 8 yo's. Among all 7-10 year olds (64 of them) he finished 14th overall! Carin and I were so proud we had to hold back tears.



Apple Kid Results http://sartellapplekids.com/Documents/applekid08b.doc

Apple Duathlon=World Championship Qualifier=Team USA

The Apple Du was May 24, 2008, in windy Sartell, MN. It was one of seven Short Course Duathlon Age Group World Championship Qualifiers. The Apple Duathlon is a 3.1 mi run + 20 mi bike + 3.1 mi run. The top 2 in each age group are invited on to Team USA for the age group World Championships which will take place in Rimini, Italy, on September 27-28, 2008. I placed 1st in my age group!

I really wanted to do well here so I did a little homework. Fortunately, they post a sign-up list prior to the race so I was able to research it over the last couple weeks to see who would be in my age group. Clif Owen, who took 1st in my age group at Oakdale would be there. Since the bike was longer than Oakdale I thought I would be able to overcome his sub-18 minute opening run throughout the bike section. There could be others in our age group that could beat the socks off of us, but I had to work with what I knew. Anyway, Clif ripped up the run and was pretty much out of my site by mile two. His opening run was 1:07 faster, and T1 was 20 sec faster than mine--that put me 1:27 behind him by the time I was on the bike course. My plan going into the race was to try and catch my age group leaders (likely to be C.Owen) by mile 10 on the bike. I caught Clif at about mile 8. Strangely, I caught another guy at about mile 15 who had our age group on his left calf. Could he have started in the wrong wave??? Anyway, by the time I was off the bike I was about 3 minutes up on Clif. He would beat my final run time by 57 sec, but wouldn't catch me on the final run. I took 1st in my age group by about 1:30. Clif took second. We will both receive an invite this week to join Team USA for the World Duathlon Championships in Rimini, Italy in September. Of course, it's an invite--not full financial support.

Anyone have any ideas on how to obtain financial support, grants, or anything like that? I am going to check with my sponsors and the health club I instruct at and see where it gets me. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and would be a great privilege to join Team USA even if for only one event...

GearWest Du

Well, the first race in the Midwest Multisport Series came and went--the GearWest Duathlon. I plan on racing 5 events in the series- two du's and three tri's. My season goal, first season dedicated to tri/duathlon, is to place top 5 in my age group in the year end series standings. It's a big goal, but without goals, it's hard to know what you are trying to accomplish. I started out pretty well with a 1st place age group finish at GW. We started in waves so to know where you are with regard to your place is pretty tough while out on the course. However, if you keep your eye on the people in your wave, which is by age group for the most part, you can have an idea. That doesn't rule out competitors in your age group that chose to start in the 'competitive wave.' Anyway, the race started with a 3.1 mile XC run. The first half mile was on pavement then it went off-road. I led out the run until we hit the trail. I thought I may be going to fast, but when 4 guys passed me I felt a little better about my pace. If I am in front, I'm probably over-working. It was nice to run on trail and in the woods, but it made 3 miles feel like 10.

T1- I flubbed it. Everything was going smooth. I got to my bike, changed shoes, helmet on, bike off the rack. Just before exiting T1, I realize I forgot my gels. With only water on board the bike I needed some cals if I wanted to have a strong 17 mile bike and a solid final run. I put the bike down, ran back to grab the gels, get back to my bike only to see it surrounded in a pool of water--water that dumped out of my aero-drink. It was about half full now, but I had to make it work. T1 took me an embarrassing 1:41. I figure it would have been right around :55 to 1 minute if not for the gel debackle. At about 20 minutes into the bike, I recognized the guy that most likely took the first run. I passed him pretty easily, but then thought "If he's moving this slow, where are the other 4 guys that passed me in the opening run?" I pedaled on. I had a pretty decent ride at 23.7 mph to have the 19th fastest bike split.

T2- it went well and I hit the trail for run 2 which run started at the trail, thus cutting out a half mile of pavement. However, it didn't feel any shorter.

In the end I finished 35th overall, and 1st in my age group (35-39)--this was after they pulled out elite John Shelp who finish 2nd overall.

Split Times: Run 1- 20:46, T1- 1:41, Bike- 43:05, T2- :48, Run 2- 19:21- TOTAL- 1:25:38.

Two other Peace Coffee Racing teammates rocked the course as well. Ann Moyer had the 17th fastest bike split for the ladies at 19.9 mph. She finished 4th in her age group. Joe Moyer finished 39th overall, 11th fastest bike split of the day with an average mph of 24.0. He placed
9th in his age bracket.

e-Gel & e-Fuel

I just put in another order for this stuff. I prefer the gels over the fuel when racing, but like the fuel for longer rides or workouts. If you decide to order, click here then use number 348496 when you sign up. That will get you a discount. If you read this and want a free sample gel, let me know when you see me and if I have one on me, its yours. I should only need to give out 1 or 2--that should about cover everyone that read this blog!!

Best Race Yet, but not my best finish

How can you have your best race, but not your best finish? Well, when you're up against some tough competition, which includes several Elite (Pro) tri- and duathletes, finishing in the top 10 amongst them can give you your best finish, but not your best result.

Today was the Oakdale Spring Classic Duathlon. Its a 3 mile run, 13 mile bike, 3 mile run duathlon. It's not part of either of Minnesota's main multisport series' (MMS or Tri MN), but it is traditionally the first big du in the Twin Cities, helping to kick off the multisport season. In fact, its the 2nd largest duathlon in the state, next to the Iron Girl Du in October. This race draws many competitors from around the state. Todays winner was Dan Cohen (turned pro in 2007); second place went to Brendon O'Flanagan (30th at the du Nat'ls last month, going to Worlds in Italy), and rounding out the top 3 was Anton Pshon (Twin Cities Multisport Elite Team member)--so you can see what the typical age grouper like myself was up against. I don't actually stand at the starting line thinking I'm up against them as in 'in their league. Rather, I look around at all the ultra fit athletes and think, "Which one of you is going to win, and how will my results compare?" Today, however, I think I was competing with many of the events top finishers as I took 9th overall and had the days 4th fastest bike split (3rd place was 1 second faster!). Here's a little summary:

Wave 1 was men 39 and under so the gun goes off and the games begin. Cohen and O'Flanagan are soon out of site--literally, about 3 minutes in and they probably had a minute on most of us chasing them. It's unofficial, but I think I hit mile one at 5:30-5:35. My HR hit 184 at some point in run one, but averaged 176 by the end of my 18:17 first 3 mile run in which I was 22nd overall. (I guess you should know my threshold is around 176-178.) I knew I was going a little hard, but also knew it was a short race and would further test me for upcoming events in the MMS--I pushed on. My T1 wasn't too bad, but I was on the bike within 50 seconds to begin 13 miles of cycling. Right away I caught 3 of the 21 ahead of me. Just a mile to mile and a half into the bike section comes the one main climb of the day. Not a bad or long one, but its one you feel if you go too hard. I dropped to the little ring and spun up the hill. I picked up 3 more riders by the top. The course flattened out, I shifted to the big ring and stayed there. My HR remained in the upper 170's and I wasn't feeling too good. I think I wasn't feeling good because the number was telling me I shouldn't feel good above threshold. I decided to tune out the HR and assess how I really felt. After I thought about it for a few seconds I guess I didn't feel like I was in the high 170's, so I kept the speed up and began picking riders off one by one. In the last mile I shifted to the little ring again and began spinning the legs quick and light, hoping to rest them a bit for the final run. By the end of the bike, I would discover later, that I hit Run 2 right around 4th or 5th overall. T2 went slightly better at 43 seconds. My plan for Run 2 was to go out quick hoping that any pursuers wouldn't see me up ahead, thus not giving them a mouse to chase. I guess quick is not a word to describe my running ability. I managed to catch one runner at about .5 miles into Run 2, then soon after that about 5 caught me. The last of them to catch me was #30. I remember because I stayed right on his heals thinking that If I keep his pace hopefully no one else will catch me. That plan worked, but I was at the edge of collapsing. Seriously, I was gasping loud, it was painful--my whole being was suffering. I looked back and there was someone gaining. I just kept pushing until I could see that the finish line was closer than the chaser. I eased up a bit and watched the #30 get smaller and smaller, but I held off that last potential overtaker. Thanks #30. Total time in was 1:12:04. Beating my time of 1:14:19 in the 2007 Oakdale Du by 2 min 15 seconds.

Results by Overall (332 indiv finishers, 175 were male):
Run 1- 18:17 (22nd), Bike- 33:44 (4th), Run 2- 18:32 (16th): 9th overall finish

Results by Age group male 35-39 (which was the largest age group with 46):
Run 1- 18:17 (5th), Bike- 33:44 (1st), Run 2- 18:32 (3rd): 2nd in age group

Top 10 overall:

1. Dan Cohen 1:05:54
2. Brendon O'Flanagan 1:07:43
3. Anton Pshon 1:07:55
4. Derick Podratz 1:11:01
5. Aaron Koehler 1:11:12
6. Jesse Nelson 1:11:23
7. Clifford Owen 1:11:36
8. David Binsfeld 1:11:46
9. Mario Minelli 1:12:04
10. Mark Evenson 1:12:18

ALL RESULTS: Click this

2008 Racing Schedule

04/19/08 SEMYO 5k
04/27/08 Winter Be Gone Duathlon *
05/2008 TriRochester Spring TT's (first 4 Thursdays in May)
05/10/08 Oakdale Spring Classic Du *
05/18/08 Gearwest Du *
05/24/08 Apple Du *
06/01/08 Pigman Tri -short course- *
06/08/08 Manitou Tri *
06/15/08 Fairmont Tri *
06/29/08 Rochesterfest Tri -short course- *
07/20/08 Heart of the Lakes Tri -long course- *
08/2008 RASC TT Series (Tuesdays in August)
09/27/08 Treadman Du

Races in red are part of the Midwest Multisport Series
I have already register for races noted with a * symbol

Tri Rochester Spring Time Trials Continue...

TriRochester Spring TT Series continues tonight. Not sure we can actually handle riding in good conditions. It's usually freakishly windy, cold, or both.

Be there (here)

Results from 05/01/08: (click this!)

2008 PEACE COFFEE RACING (PCR)

RAC Athletes: Intro to Multisport

The RAC Intro to Multisport course concluded back on March 29, but their training did not end. They trained all winter long and continued that training for the Winter Be Gone! Duathlon. Of the 12 participants, 10 of them did the du. CONGRATS TO ALL!!! Here are their results:

MEN
Aaron Gill was 3rd overall, 2nd in his age group
Mark Jerde was 12th overall, 5th in his age group
James Luke was 13th overall, 3rd in his age group
Jeremy Ekman was 17th overall, 3rd in his age group
William Hogan was 21st overall, 2nd in his age group
Kelly O'Hara was 57th overall, 2nd in his age group

WOMEN
Patti Ekman was 20th women finisher, 4th in her age group
Margaret Weglinski was 30th women, 4th in her age group
Janelle Rosin was the 34th women, 8th in her age group
Stephanie Sawyer crossed the line as the 41st women, 9th in her age group
complete results: http://onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=2456

Winter Be Gone! Duathlon

So I wake up Sunday, April 27, 2007, and feel pretty good. My resting HR isn't down in the fifties as I would like, but I think I will go to the race and see how it goes.

I get there, set up, then go for a little jog to see how I feel. Every feels ok, except when I look down at my HRM, I'm in the 150's. Usually I can job in the 130's. I have to think that some of that is the flu, but some of that is because it's 'race-day' and my HR is always a little high.

I get back from that long jog, about 8 minutes, and I am pretty wet. Didn't take much to work up a sweat. I proceed to the starting line and decide I'm going to race. If I can make it thru the run, I'll ride. If I can make it thru the ride, I'll run. At about 6am I took just 1 tylenol and a half dose of sudafed--well below the banned amount. The symptoms of the flu are being controlled and there has not been any chest congestion--and I can breathe just fine.

The run starts out and I feel good. I finished the run in the top three with two others at about 14 minutes (2.25 mile makes it around a 6:15 pace--not blazing, but not too slow). I head out on the bike and nearly blow up trying to get as big a lead as possible. I finish the bike, 13 miles, in 35:42 (21.8 av mph). It was a brutal little ride. Rolling hills, one decent climb and six corners on the way out, a cul-de-sac turnaround, and six corners on the way back. I head out on the final run of 2 miles. I get to the 1 mile mark, turn around and head back. About 1/3 mile back, the next guys and I are crossing paths. I knew I had about 2/3 mile lead and would have to cramp up in order to get caught. At that point I slow to a jog so I don't cramp up. I finish in a total time of 1:06:21. Here's the top 5 men:

1. Mario Minelli 1:06:21
2. Mederic Hall 1:10:42
3. Aaron Gill 1:10:52
4. Scott Myren 1:18:03
5. Dan Ryks 1:20:23
(click WBG DU for results)