May 06

IM St George (Utah) Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Ironman Utah on Saturday was one of the prettiest, hardest races I have done to date. For those of you who like a challenge, this is the place to go! The crazy thing is that the conditions were likely about as tame as you can get out there….temps in the 60’s and relatively light winds. In the future, if they get a day of 90 degree temps, with 15-20 mph winds, I think we’ll see just how tough that course can be. Anyhow, here’s my report:

My build up to this race was likely one of my best to date. Given all of the QT2 related work and growth going on over the past 6 months; I scaled back my training volume some, to focus more on restoration. To increase training stress for the lack of volume, I increased my training intensity some…..this approach was the right one, as I raced very well in California, and was ready to hit Utah pretty good. We arrived at our condo on Wednesday for the Saturday race….this worked out great as 10 QT2 athletes shared a couple of units. The race week prep was about as good as you are going to get.

Race morning was a cold one! About 45 degrees…..I just hate the cold. I waited in transition with Coach Pat to hit the water….55 degree water that is! I was not looking forward to getting in there, and with that, waited until the very last moment. I got in the water with 2 minutes to go before the gun, and made a mad dash for the front…..well, I didn’t make it! The gun went off as I was swimming to the front. Luckily I was only 2-3 rows back, so it actually worked out quite well. This was not a fun swim. I spent most of it wishing it would end! The cold more or less shut of my left arm, so I felt like I had no swim stroke. When I came out in 1:01 I was actually surprised it was that fast, even though this was my slowest IM swim to date (with a wetsuit)! This had me out of the water in 110 place OA. Onward!

I spent over 6 minutes in transition trying to make my hands (claws) work….this was no easy task; particularly trying to get on the long sleeve shirt I planned to wear during the ride. Once onto the bike, I executed my pacing and fueling plans to the letter. At 40 miles I was averaging 17.8 mph, which gives you a sense of just how hilly this course was…almost nonstop hills all the way through. The first loop was pretty calm, but by the time we hit the 2nd, the winds picked up significantly, grinding many people to a walk on the climbs! I rolled into T2, a bit slower than I would have liked, but certainly felt like I was fresh to run a marathon. Total time: 5:41, now in 73 place OA.

After a tough marathon in Cozumel, I eased my ride up a bit to prepare for this ridiculously hilly run course. It’s literally never flat. I somehow managed to leave my Garmin on my bike, so headed out to run with no timing or pacing devices….this was going to get done by perceived exertion (the initial plan was to average a heart rate of 10 beats higher than that of the bike)! I came out of T2 with Pat, which was great to help pace me through the first few miles…..all uphill miles that is! I knew right away that I would have a pretty solid marathon based on how I felt. Given where I was in the field at that point, I knew I had no choice but to run through a lot of athletes. Luckily, that’s exactly what Pat and I planned to do, and did! It was a fun run to run strong, because the course was SO tough, and most other athletes were going backwards. Pat out ran me by a few minutes which I knew he would…..he had a flawless day and his hard work is paying off in a big way. I was also very pleased with Cait’s 3rd place Pro result. The other QT2 athletes we had racing had solid results as well, with a few mishaps to go around.

My final time was 10:04:xx with a 3:14 marathon, which sat me at 28th OA. I had a Kona slot if I needed it, so that was nice to know. Given the difficulty of this course, I was happy with the results. Also, given the way the winds picked up throughout the day, this course really favored the fast swim-bikers which I am not.

The next big race for me will be IM lake placid where I won’t be racing, but coaching! I’m really looking forward to that with 4-5 of my athletes racing….all looking for Kona slots. The next IM that I plan to race will be Kona, and then likely CDA in 2011.

Thanks for listening to another race report!

-Jesse

Apr 05

Oceanside 70.3 Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Last weekend I did Oceanside 70.3 in California. This was my second go at this race (2008) so I had a good idea of what I was in for. It’s an honest course with an unbelievably stacked race field. Outside of IM Hawaii, I bet this race was one of the top 2 in terms of competition this year.

The week leading into the race went well. I traveled out to Oceanside with Coach Pat, which was great and gave us a good opportunity to talk shop for 8+ hours in each direction (lucky him). It was great to get out there with 14 other QT2 athletes, and get away from the New England weather. We had a big house one block from the beach.

Race morning snuck up as usual and after speaking with the athletes we had racing and another that morning who was racing in Australia at an ITU race (Ethan Brown), suddenly I was at the starting line just barley realizing I actually had to race too! My wave was second to last (wave 19) and over an hour back from the male pros! This meant there would be a lot of passing to do over the whole day, and no room to lose concentration. The water wasn’t too bad this year in terms of temperature, so I didn’t get the claw I described two years ago HERE. The swim went very well for me going 28:xx, about a minute faster than 2 years ago, and 16th in my AG of 247.

Based on my performance metrics, and body weight, I had a sub 2:30 ride predicted. I’m now riding a new Specialized s-works transition from Fast:Splits Multisport, which is absolutely awesome. I like this bike a lot. The ride went great, even through some pretty darn nasty wind sections, and the hills. Its a great bike course. I came off the bike in 2:29:xx and still in 16th in my AG (6 min faster than 2 years ago). For me, that’s striking distance in half and full IM, since most folks have not prepared themselves to run off of the bike. Here’s the garmin file for the ride (note the HR avg for the 1st and 2nd half): HERE

My run has been solid in training, so I had hoped to match my run from a couple of years ago when I had ridden a bit more conservatively. The plan was to head out at 5:55 pace and hold on as long as possible. I did just that, and slid back to 6:25 pace for my slowest miles. For half IM, this is exactly how we like to execute them……with a 30 second slide from the first to last mile. Given the cardiac drift in an event like this, it’s typical to find that although the pace slides throughout, the HR stays pretty steady. This left me with a 6:13 avg pace on my garmin, and a 1:21:xx run which was about 20 seconds slower than a couple of years ago. It also pushed me to 4th in my AG, and a podium finish (they go 5 deep here). Here’s the garmin file (note the mile splits and HR): HERE

The total time was 4:25 which was almost 7 minutes faster than 2 years ago. This finish puts me in a great spot going into this season. QT2 athletes again executed the day with some serious discipline! We produced 6 sub 5:00 finish times, which is no easy task 0n that course.

My outcome related goal for this season is now to get a bowl in Hawaii (top ten AG finish). I think I’ll need a sub 9:30 there to do it (I went 9:43 in 2008), but based on where my fitness is, this should be doable if I continue my current path of training, restoration, and execution. Looking forward to it!!

-Jesse

Mar 02

Hyannis Half Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Sunday I did the Hyannis Half Marathon. This was my fourth year in a row doing this event! One difference this year: because I did IM Cozumel during late 2009, my training and body comp were about 4 weeks behind where they typically are coming into Hyannis. Having said that, my performance indicators have been pretty solid this year along with my nutrition and sleep. Having done zero anaerobic work to date and not having run faster than 6:45/mile for at least 4 months, I gave it a go. Based on my recent Z1 paces I estimated a 5:45 pace average for the day. With that, the plan was to go out the first 3 miles at 5:42 pace since there is a slight downhill early on.

There we were again, standing at the starting line in the cape in late February…..20+ QT2 athletes ready to rock and roll…..”let’s see what all of this aerobic training over the winter is worth”….is likely what most of them were thinking. Armed with that aerobic base, a pacing and fueling plan, suddenly we were off the line! I came through mile 1 in 5:45, and by mile 3 I was averaging 5:42…..right on the button. The pace felt quick (too quick) but I trusted the pacing plan and just hung onto the numbers the garmin was spitting out at me. It was a rough go, but I managed to finish strong and keep my HR stimulated all the way to the finish line, ending up with a 5:45 pace average on my garmin……another PR for this event. Here are my times for the past 4 years:
1:16:18 (2010)
1:16:24 (2009)
1:17:04 (2008)
1:17:10 (2007)

For those data junkies, here’s the Garmin file from the race: HERE

For those who know me, every day training and coaching for me is about long term progress…..not short term gratitude. Results like this are the reason why I continue to do this sport. Anyone, with the right set of tools and knowledge can continue to improve, year, after year IF they are willing to make the sacrifices it takes to do that. This year had a silver lining for me as I had 4 weeks less fitness than typical, and was about 2 pounds heavier than usual.

QT2 athletes dominated this race mostly because they have the quality I just mentioned. We put seven athletes inside the top 20 including a men’s second place, and a woman’s win. We also put another 8 athletes inside the top 100. All of this at a race with over 2700 athletes racing. Full results HERE.

4 weeks to Oceanside! Looking forward to giving that course another shot after my last go in 2008 HERE.

-Jesse

Feb 15

CRASH-B Indoor Worlds Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Yesterday I did something quite a bit different than what I am used to. It was the indoor rowing world championships in Boston. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s a timed 2,000 meter row on a Concept2 rowing ergonometer. Folks come from around the world each year to compete at this event in Boston. I signed up for it a few weeks ago so decided it would likely be a good idea to get on one of these things once or twice in the preceding weeks. I did two rows per week over the last two weeks for 30 aerobic minutes as warm-ups to my strength sessions….that was the extent of my “training”.

Unfortunately, I got to the event a bit late so they wouldn’t let me weigh in (under 165 is light weight), so they ended up sticking me in the heavy weight division. Suddenly I was sitting on one of these machines in the Agganis arena in Boston about to get my tail whipped by some folks that actually knew what they were doing! The guy next to me flew in from Germany the night before, and looked pretty darn serious. Not having done any sport specific training or anaerobic work, I went in armed with only my aerobic engine to help me through the 7 minute effort.

The gun went off and I settled into a 1:38/500 pace….I was in 3rd place! After a minute I pretty quickly realized that this was a tad too fast. By the halfway point I was rowing at about 1:42 pace and sitting in 5th place (out of about 20 in my heat). The last 3.5 minutes, were nasty as far as whole body fatigue goes, but I survived it, and held my 5th place position for a 6:52.

Having not been on one of these things more than 3 hours in my entire life, and not having done any anaerobic work for about 4 months, I was pretty darn happy with the result! It shows the value of building a very robust aerobic engine. I like this example since it was a very anaerobic, non sport specific event, where a solid performance was still obtained…even against athletes of high caliber who have done plenty of anaerobic work. Obviously had this been my goal race of the season, I’d have been primed with anaerobic activity as well, and I’m sure would have done much better. However, it’s just amazing how far aerobic efficiency can get you. For context, at this distance, it was likely about 50 percent aerobic and 50 percent anaerobic in terms of energy production. Given this example, image the value of a big aerobic engine for an event that’s 10 or more hours where 99 percent of the energy production comes from aerobic means.

-Jesse

Nov 30

IM Cozumel Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Well, it turns out the course wasn’t as advertised (not fast at all)! Here’s the summary:

Swim (51:XX): Leading into race day this was the biggest area of uncertainty as the days before race day were unbelievably chopping and current filled. I thought race day could easily bring a 1:10 swim for me if the conditions were tough as they were all week. As it turns out, this was the nicest part of the day! With a shift in the wind direction, race brought calm conditions with current in our favor. I’d say the swim was about 8 minutes fast.

Prior to the swim start we were treated to a dolphin show (which was awesome). Once the gun went off it was the cleanest IM swim I have done to date, with almost no contact at all, crystal clear waters, and a current at your back for the 1.2+ mile leg of the rectangle (that was one long single leg!). When I came out in 51:XX, I thought, this is going to be one fast day!

Bike (5:14:XX): This course is flat, flat, flat! The days leading into the race had some windy conditions (12-20 mph) which definitely make this course challenging, however, the forecast for race day had 4-8 mph predicted so we thought it would be a super fast bike day…..boy were we wrong! I had thought, given the conditions, that a sub 5:00 day would be in the cards for me. This bike course has 4 distinct legs: from the start to the beach (typically a tail wind), along the beach (typically a stiff head wind), back to town (typically about neutral), and lastly through town (typically a tail wind). The first loop went as planned averaging 22.3mph, the second loop suddenly had shifted winds and when we came to the leg along the beach, was a 15+ mph head wind….just brutal to go 16-17mph for 1 hour plus for each loop. The only other place I have experienced that is Hawaii. By the third loop, the conditions were horrendous and the carnage on that bike course was more than I have ever witnessed. Overall, given the conditions, I was very happy with my ride.

Run (3:31:XX): This is a flat run course (notice I didn’t say fast). Some combinations of the windy bike course, concrete running surface, and heat, make this run course much, much tougher than it appears. Going into the race, I thoughts of a sub 3:05 marathon. I headed out the first few miles at 6:45 which felt pretty comfortable. I slowly drifted to the 7:00 range through 9 miles which was sustainable. Around 7 miles into the race though I began to feel a bit of knee pain….I thought would just pass. By mile 9 I knew I was in trouble….it was some serious IT band friction which just came out of the blue. I had a bit of trouble with this in February but really nothing at all since then so it wasn’t even on my radar of potential limiters for race day. By mile 12 it was the full IT band lock up….I knew I was in trouble. I began stopping every ½ mile to try and stretch it but it was no use. This slowed me down to the 8+ minute mile range pretty quickly given all of the stops. I finally got some Advil around mile 16 which helped a bit. Even given the knee pain and stops though, I’m not sure I’d have run much faster than 3:20 on this day. Scratching my head now trying to figure out where the IT stuff came from….I’m thinking the 5 hours in the aero bars combined with the concrete run surface, did the trick. No problems, Utah is around the corner for me to lay down a redeeming run!

Total (9:43:XX): Overall, this is a fantastic IM to do. The people were unbelievably nice down here, the race is well run, the spectators made lake placid’s look like a bowling match audience, and the island is beautiful. I’d come to do it again in a heartbeat, although I’m not sure I want subject myself to those brutal conditions again! I said it yesterday, but that race was easily as tough as the Hawaii on a stiff day.

Thanks as usual to all the QT2 athletes who inspire me on a daily basis, and my wife Chrissie who puts up with more than any spouse should have to. 🙂

-Jesse

Oct 23

Keeping The Streak Alive….

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Yup, this is a race report! I haven’t done one in a while. Having said that, I did the baystate half marathon this past Sunday and thought I’d post about it. This is a flat fast course for the most part.

The day before wasn’t the best in terms of preparation as I decided to rip a hole in the house and install sliding doors to the back yard. On race day, the gun went off and I dialed into my goal race pace based on my recent aerobic training metrics (QT2 Z1 pace). This had been predetermined before the start to be 5:39 on the garmin. I held onto this through mile 3 where the pace started to slide a bit due to a stiff head wind. The weather was 38 degrees, windy and rainy…..just nasty…..typical new england. By mile 6 my average pace was 5:42 on the garmin (after the 3 miles of head wind). Following that, I ran pretty steady through 12 and had a 5:43 pace on the garmin. The last mile I was able to pick it up and crossed the line with a 5:42 average pace. I had a distance of 13.18……so ended up with a 5:45 pace recorded in the results……1:15:13…another PR at the half distance!

This is my 6th open half marathon (ever) and my 6th PR….keeping the streak alive! To reiterate just how aerobic our sport is, I’ll point out that the last time I ran faster than 6:30 pace in training was back in June on this day: HERE. Again, for those geeks out there or for those with too much time on their hands, here’s my garmin file from the race: HERE. Average HR was about 4 beats above threshold HR, which is about right (we typically figure 5 beats at half marathon). I’ll note, HR becomes a great metric to pace your day when hit with heavy winds, hills, or heat like this race. You’ll notice how consistent I tried to keep HR throughout the day once calibrated by expected pace through the first few miles.

I’m getting ready for IM Cozumel (in 5 weeks), and things are going quite nicely…..

In other news, I’m viciously preparing season plans and setting athlete meetings in preparation for next season. Its going to be another great one……

-Jesse

Jul 29

IM Lake Placid Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Wow. I’m once again very, very pleased with QT2 athlete performances this past weekend at IM lake placid. We had 14 athletes race with each of them having a projected race outcome based on their training indicators and resulting targets for race day. Based on those, reasonable pacing/execution strategies were developed. The result? A 2% average error on race time for the entire group of 14. I’d even say that half of that error was due to some stiff head winds on the bike during the second loop which caused almost everyone to be a bit slower than expected. Of the group, I have to call out Andy Salmon who was the loan athlete that actually went faster than the outcomes we had predicted by about 2 minutes…..great, great race Andy (10:14)!

I’ll also call out my wife Chrissie for her first IM and an outstanding 11:16 finish (7th AG).

We had a great day overall and I couldn’t be happier. 6 Kona qualifying performances, multiple age group wins and PRs along with some of the fastest run splits of the day across the pro and amateur fields.

I believe, the consistent results we produce show the value of understanding your limits before you toe the starting line, and then executing to those predetermined potentials on race day. Reverse goal setting typically sets up athletes for unreasonable pacing strategies and disappointing results (explained HERE and HERE). Even at the pro level, it’s disappointing to see so, so many athletes making this BIG mistake.

Onward we go!!!

-Jesse

PS: How was my day? Fantastic! I got to watch the above unfold from the best view point available…the race course. Again, I love this game.

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Jun 08

Mooseman Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

What can I say……this past weekend lived up to what I had hoped it would. This report is a race report; not about my race but about the QT2 triathlon team, as their performances take precedence over my own in my book. I’ve thought of myself as a coach first, and athlete second for about the past 3 years. This day was no different.

The past few weeks have been very busy/stressful for me given all of the athletes we had racing mooseman. This meant sacrificing sleep/recovery on my part to meet the needs of our athletes and/or get my own training in. At the end of the day, this approach paid off in a big way this past weekend with 7 of the top ten overall men and woman being athletes that I coach. As I headed out on the first loop of the run course, it was an amazing feeling to see the top 4 males be the athletes I coach at such a competitive race. Its one thing to have an athlete win a major IM race in the states, which it was, and will again be an amazing feeling, but its another to produce the breadth we did this weekend with such a broad showing on both the men’s and women’s sides…humbling. These top placings including the following:

Men
1st – Chris Martin
3rd – Chris Casey (new bike course record!)
4th – Tim Snow
5th – Tim Tapply

Women
5th – Molly Zahr (fastest bike split of the day!)
7th – Michelle Joaquin (fastest run split of the day!)
9th – Chrissie (my wife!)

It should also be noted, Pam Roasch finished 10th OA under the direction of coach Tim and the QT2 protocol. After 10+ years in the sport, to see her make the progress she has is unbelievable.

12 other QT2 athletes raced and all produced outstanding performances with most of them finishing under 5:00…….all while having a blast and feeling a huge sense of accomplishment.

When finishes like these unfold under the system you have created, it’s humbling, and makes this coach wonder if he should be spending more and more time working with his athletes versus pursuing his own performance…….

I love this game.

-Jesse

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May 06

St. Croix 70.3 Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Well, I’ve fallen a bit behind with my blog posts over the last month so hope to catch up with a few over the next few weeks….stay tuned. I definitely have a bunch of coaching thoughts to share that have been bouncing around. However, this post is meant to address St Croix 70.3 in which 10 QT2 athletes raced this past weekend!

This is one of those races that when you mention it, everyone knows what you are talking about and everyone knows its a tough race. I’ve confirmed that assumption this weekend for sure!

After arriving on the island on friday afternoon, we (all 10 QT2 athletes) began our carb load with a pasta dinner. Saturday was then the typical large breakfast where QT2 hosted a breakfast at the beautiful Divi Carina Bay Resort (ocean front). The rest of the day was the typical lay around the hotel room and eat grains, go over race pacing and nutrition plans with the athletes, and get rev’d up for a tough race.

I have to say, this race is MUCH different than your normal 70.3. Arriving at transition is more like arriving at your local sprint triathlon with an open transition area, minimal security, and unfair transition entrance/exit. Kind of nice to see the laid back atmosphere at a race that’s STACKED with top pros and age groupers. It seemed to me right away that this year’s race had really attracted some top athletes on both the amateur side and pro side. This is always good news and a good challenge for our athletes.

The race start was pretty calm but quickly became a rough open water swim with no wet suit and some seriously salty water. I felt great in the water and really THOUGHT I had a great swim. However, coming into T1 I found I was 15th in my age group! Well, that was a surprise but nothing to get hung up on. Later on I found that I had likely one of my worst swims in about 3 years……I must have been all over the place out there on the course! With that, I was about 3 minutes slower than typical relative to other folks I was racing with (it happens, again nothing to get hung up on).

Heading out on the bike, I began executing my fueling plan which was critical for a day like that forecasted (85-90 degrees). Like most competitive, hot tough races, dozens of people went out too hard on the bike and I very quickly fell back to 20-30th in my age group before 25 miles into the ride. The “beast” came which is advertised as a terrifying climb but really wasn’t too bad when controlled with a capped power number/perceived exertion which helped “flatten out the course”. Following that climb, the field really seemed to take a hit, and I wasn’t passed again on the bike for the remainder of the ride. The last 10 miles I passed at least 10-15 people that had passed me earlier in the day. And boy, it was getting hot!!

Going into the race, I thought I’d catch Cait Snow right at the end of the bike ride since she started with a 4 minute lead over me, which proved to be true as we rolled into transition together. The run started off very well, finding a rhythm of 6:15 pace through 3 miles. Cait began to pull away from me as I wasn’t able to (or planning to) match her pace. Now, everyone knows the bike course in st croix and the “beast”, but heck, this was likely the toughest half iron run course I’ve seen! The hills and heat really hit home when combined with the hills and heat of the bike course that precede it. Having said that, I was able to keep a steady and strong pace throughout the run. About half way through, I saw all of our other athletes on the course, which was a relief after a dangerous bike course. Everyone looked fantastic, and of course were ripping through the field in the typical QT2 fashion on the run. I finished the second loop with a total run pace of about 6:30 on my garmin and having passed a whole bunch of folks in my age group. Having said that, I really had no clue where I placed. Later I found that I had come in 3rd in my AG about 4 minutes back from the two in front of me. Had I wanted a kona slot, I’d have been pretty pissed about my swim, that’s for sure (there were 2 slots up for grabs)!!!

Everyone else who raced (other than Phil who got 2 flats, and ran his bike into T2!), finished dead on expectations which we had calculated prior to the event. What a day! I couldn’t be happier with our athlete progress at this point in the season. The hard work is paying off. Sometimes I think its tough for new athletes to see their progress on very tough, very competitive races like this one, and I must reiterate that they are doing fantastic and push them to see the light and positives of their performance. This is important for a healthy mental cycle in racing. Of note, Tim Snow had a VERY solid day (which was great to see), as well as Cait (his wife) who was dead on our calculated targeted time as usual. Also, my wife Chrissie continues to impress everyone with a 7th place age group finish at her 4th half iron and 6th triathlon ever! She is looking fantastic for Lake Placid and has a very good shot at going sub 11 there in her first IM…..amazing. Then again, she does have a decent coach :). I’m SO proud.

Next up: Mooseman, where 16 QT2 athletes will descend on the Half Iron there and hopefully produce some powerful results. This one will be a blast.

-Jesse

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Apr 09

New Orleans 70.3 Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

New Orleans 70.3 proved to be one tough race! Although that course CAN be very fast, this weekend it was not! We were greeted to a long swim, and Kona like conditions on the bike and run. Luckily I love hot and humid conditions which these were……could have done without the wind though!

Being the first Tri of the season, it’s always exciting to pull a race together and see what the outcome will be. This was no different. Off the starting gun, I was able to go off the front of the pack and then settle into a rhythm. A group of 3 outpaced me immediately and I was then forced to swim alone between that group of 3 and the rest of the pack. It was actually quite nice to swim alone with zero “contact” the whole swim. Having said that, I came out of the water 4th in my wave with a pretty darn good swim time relative to the field. I swam 30:xx which on a day where the fastest times were 24:xx….I’ll take it!

Onto the bike……I began executing my race fueling plan without a hitch. I did notice the heat though and began taking fluid beyond what my plan calls for until I pee’d once on the bike. The bike was very flat, hot and very windy. I knew immediately after the first turn around that the goal outcome of a 2:15 ride wouldn’t be possible so I readjusted and pedaled 90-92 rpm into the wind. I then came off the bike in 2:23:xx which I was happy with given the conditions and early season event.

Onto the run…..again with the heat and wind I knew my goal outcome run time wouldn’t happen so readjusted my pacing plan to go out at 6:18 and hold that as long as possible. I held it very well until about mile 10 where it slid to about 6:35 through the finish. This had me average 6:25 on my Garmin and not a bad run split given the conditions and early season event. Total run was 1:25:xx. What a nice finish line area in the French Quarter! Just a huge field of 2500+ made this race an interesting one. I ended up as the 5th amateur in 4:23 being bested by Chris Casey, one of the athletes I coach who had a stellar day finishing 4th. He has a ton of talent and will have a phenomenal season given where his training is now. Other beatings I took by the athletes I coach were Tim Snow as usual, and for the first time (since the late 90s), Cait Snow! This one I couldn’t be happier about since her progress is a reflection that what we are doing, is doing its job. Again, it’s going to be a great season for her since we still have dials left to turn going into the season.

Our other QT2 athletes had fantastic days as well producing multiple PRs even with the tough conditions. A couple of exceptions including a QT2 guy who almost chopped his fingers off by reaching for his speed sensor on the bike, and one other due to the race organization running out of Gatorade/fluid for the second half of the bike and run.

I couldn’t be happier with the race results we had at NOLA, California 70.3, and Lone Star, among others this weekend! Off to a great start……

Next up: St Croix 70.3 where my goal outcome will be 4:35 and a top 3 amateur placing.

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Mar 04

BTT Indoor TT

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Another indoor TT and another ~20 minute bout of pain. This one was at Landry’s Cycling Shop in Boston….a great venue for such an event with plenty of space for warm-ups and spectating.

The day started with my wife Chrissie in an early heat. Our goal for her going in was to hold 240 watts which she started out having no problem with. Unfortunately they had forgotten to enter her weight into the set up program and she was asked to stop the TT about 10 minutes into it which she refused. When she was finished with her heat, her time was too fast due to no weight being entered (although her power was dead on at 242 watts). Due to that, they discounted her time. Her being who she is was not happy with this and after some minimal convincing decided to DO IT AGAIN. Now, for anyone who has done one of these, the thought of having to go twice is absolutely absurd. After a gel, and a few sips of Power Bar Endurance, she was off in the next heat. Going in, I had instructed her to hold just 2-4 watts less than the last round which she was able to do averaging 241 watts (just 1 less than the 1st go!). Having the weight entered correctly the 2nd time, she placed 2nd overall in the woman’s group just 1 second ahead of Cait Snow who also had a spot-on day. Cait’s power was dead in-line with expectations and shows the bike focus we are running is doing its job….going to be a great season for her.

On to me….my bike strength has really come along in the past 2-4 weeks due to a slight focus in that area. Going in I had hoped to show a 20 minute power of about 330 watts. This course was not setup the best for me total time wise being a climb from start to finish. Due to that, those riders with superior power/weight ratios clearly had the advantage. Never-the-less, I gave it my all. After correcting the results for what appears as errors, I believe I came in 6th overall with 354 watts (equal to about 336 real world 20-minute watts). This power is about 10 watts beyond my best last year which I can hardly believe since a typical increase from year-to-year is about 7 watts at my level (maybe 10-12 with a bike focus). I was bested by two fellow teammates Chris Casey and Tim snow whom also I coach which is always a good feeling. These guys are getting very strong on the bike and setting themselves up for a solid season (really, really, looking forward to seeing what they can do). Our other QT2 athletes had solid days too with 10-15 athletes racing. A couple of other’s with stand-out strong performances that I haven’t already mentioned were Lauren Scafidi, and Michelle Joaquin….keep up the great work guys.

Next up: New Orleans 70.3 where a flat fast course could mean PR’s for many QT2 athletes. My goal outcome is sub 4:10 which will be dictated by the course

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Feb 24

Hyannis Half Marathon Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Sunday was the Hyannis half marathon. This is typically a great weekend where we run the race and then ride 3-4 hours down in Hyannis where it’s typically a bit warmer. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had different plans this year and a cold rain began following the race ….no ride outside! Of course this didn’t slow us down much, as we rode 3:30 inside on the trainers in a basement.

As for the race itself, this was the first test of the season which proved to be very successful for all of our athletes. Going in my goal was to head out the first mile at 5:43 and then settle into 5:48 and average that through the finish. This pacing was based on output from www.runcalculator.com and my most recent zone 1 paces. It seemed quite fast considering I hadn’t run below 6:50 in over 8 weeks since the 5K I did in December! However, I trusted the calculator and hit the first 2 miles in 5:43 which actually felt VERY comfortable. I ended up holding this pace on the Garmin through mile 10 at which point it began to slide a bit as we hit the hills and head winds. The last 2-3 miles is always a grind and this proved to be no different. I hit the finish line with a 5:48 average on the Garmin which was dead in line with my current performance indicators from training. This was good enough for a PR and 4th place finish and also shows how aerobically driven this sport is (no running even within 1 minute of race pace in training for the last 8 weeks). On a side note, this was my 5th half marathon and 5th PR. I’ve never run a half marathon and not PR’d which is of course always the focus and a good indicator that what you are doing is producing the intended development of the aerobic system. Given the bike and run durability I will have at IMLP, and my current run speed potential, I’m in a good spot this year to run 3:05 off the bike I believe.

On another note, we had many QT2 athletes race who produced multiple PRs and great races overall….it was great to see everyone! The standouts were Tim and Cait with their overall wins, Chrissie and Michelle with 1:30 performances, Pat with a 2 minute PR, and Mark who had a ~20 minute PR. On the elite side, Cait is on track for the season goals we have set with a sub 1:20 performance as well as Pat. Tim had a slower day than last year which was expected and shows he’s finally becoming cyclist given the need he has in that area, and the focus we have devoted to it.

Next Up: BTT Indoor TT next weekend!

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Feb 17

Team Psycho Indoor TT

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

I know this writing is a bit late……but better late than never. Two Sunday’s ago was the first decent test of the season on the bike at the annual Team Psycho indoor time trial. This event has become a popular staple in the New England area and is held at the team QT2 sponsoring shop of Fast:Splits multisport in Newton, MA.

The course is a heart pumping 15k which for anyone who has never done one of these is very, very hard. Somehow it’s more painful than a 5k road race if that’s possible. Going into the event I figured I was bit stronger than last year (by about 3-4 watts based on recent training indicators for a 317W 20 min power) which proved to be correct as I rode a few seconds faster. My wife Chrissie was the real story though as she finally rode to her potential and came in 4th overall in the woman’s field just 22 seconds behind Karen Smyers. She is very strong on the bike and has been training hard so it’s nice to see her take care of the mental aspect and perform to her potential given her current fitness level (which has been proved in training).

Another great story was Pat Wheeler who we worked hard with over the winter to gain strength and some muscle through diet and focused weight routines in the gym. The good news is that the hard work paid off and he rode a few seconds faster than I did which last year would have been impossible.

We had many other QT2 athletes’ race who showed they have been working hard over the winter and are busting at the seams to get outdoors. Time for some of the sacrifices made over the winter to pay off!

It’s shaping up to be a great season again……

-Jesse

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Dec 08

Jolly Jaunt 5K Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Sunday was the first test of the season…the Jolly Jaunt 5K in Boston. This was a really nice event run out of the Boston Common (~1,000 racers). Race day was a crisp 25 degrees with clear skies. Definitely not the 90+ degree humidity I had dealt with the last time I raced 8 weeks prior in Kona. For sure, not the same body I raced with back then either. About 14 pounds to the heavier and just two weeks of real training under my belt guaranteed it wouldn’t be my fastest day but rather a day to use as a benchmark going forward from, a comparison to previous years, and an assessment of aerobic fitness (after correcting for the major weight difference). The goal going in was 17:45-18:00. I went 17:45 so was pleased with results overall.

All of the other QT2 folks (Pat, Molly, Chrissie, Tim, Cait, and Keith) had good days also considering where they are in training which always makes me happier than my own results alone. Lots of work to do looking forward for everyone!

Next Up: The Wicked Frosty 4-miler on New Year’s Day where the goal will be sub 22:45. 3 pounds lighter and a bit more aerobic fitness should do the trick!

-Jesse

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Oct 14

Ironman Hawaii Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Kona is one very tough Ironman. I heard an athlete say it best at Lava Java on Sunday: “There is racing Ironman, and then there is racing Kona…it’s a totally different ballpark…almost a different sport”. I tend to agree; if you don’t come into this race 100% prepared physically, mechanically, and nutritionally, its going to be a very long day. This race just wears you down from start to finish with a swim that’s rough, salty, and wetsuit free; a bike that’s VERY hot and windy with some good climbs; and a run that’s HOT, hilly and desolate. Those with higher sweat rates have a particularly tough challenge to overcome even with the best nutrition plans. I routinely heard athletes that I have done fueling plans for say they drank 12 bottles on the bike and didn’t pee once…not good when the goal is to pee at least twice on the bike. Luckily I am a light sweater with good body composition so I tend to do well in the heat. Here’s my report on a hot, windy day in Kona:

Kona pre race morning is nothing short of amazing…very, very well organized and full of hype. The pro area is surrounded by cameras taking film of the best Ironman athletes in the world while the rest of the transition is filled with the world’s best age groupers and some amazing equipment. When I first arrived in transition I prepped my bike, turned on my Garmin, and got suited up with my Blue Seventy speed suit. At that point, I had about 30 minutes to the swim start so I just sat in transition until I heard the pro cannon go off and then got up and headed for the swim start. In Kona, the swim start is about 1-200 yards off the beach so it’s a deep water start. With 15 minutes you really have to time when you head out there. Too early and you waist energy treading water. Too late and you end up starting at the back of the pack. I waited until about 7 minutes to go and then headed out and got a spot about 3 rows back. I thought this was a good spot given a 1:03-1:04 goal. With no warning the gun went off and the spot I chose proved to be pretty good. After about 5 minutes I was in good swimming water and in line with the buoys. I personally feel that it is worth sighting often at this race in order to stay on course, which is worth more than any time lost due to sighting. I got to the turnaround boat fairly quick and headed back to the Kona Pier with a huge group of athletes. Total Swim ~1:04

After a quick fresh water shower and a slow transition where I had to change into my tri kit (it doesn’t fit under my speed suit), I was off on the bike. I went out at a best sustainable effort for the 112 mile ride. This feels VERY easy when done correctly in an IM. The first 10 miles I probably had about 200 athletes pass me…just unbelievable how hard people go out especially when you consider the fueling challenges on a course like Kona. Through about 40 miles I was averaging about 23 mph which was very fast considering my effort so I knew there must have been a fairly strong tail wind. Then, out of no where, a stiff head wind kicked up and by the time I made the right turn up to Hawi, my average speed was 22.1. Through the wind to that point, I focused on keeping the cadence up and power steady…it’s a long day out there which so many people just don’t seem to realize. As the climb up to Hawi wore on, the winds continued to get worse to the point of 7 mph climbs and 18 mph down hills while working pretty hard. The cross winds were also extremely dangerous. Following the turn around in Hawi, the speed on the descent was very fast and by the time I got to the bottom of the decent, I was averaging 21.6 so I had lost about 0.5 mph on the climb/decent which wasn’t too bad. After having literally hundreds of athletes pass me on the way out to Hawi, I didn’t have a single athlete pass me on the way back and I was passing people every 20-30 seconds after their pacing and nutrition mistakes began to sink in at mile 80. I finished the last 10 miles very strong riding faster than I had all day. Total Bike ~5:20

After a quicker T2 than T1, I was off on the run course munching on a banana. The plan was to head out at 6:45-6:50 pace (30 seconds faster than goal pace). This actually felt easy the first 5 miles and took some serious holding back. I think it’s pretty easy to go out way too fast on this run course (like the bike) with all of the excitement in town. Reality actually sets in a little after mile 10 when you climb Palani and end up lonely in the lava fields with nothing but sun. I was able to hold the goal pace which was to start at 6:45-6:50 and never slide below 7:45-7:50 pace for a 7:15-7:20 pace average. The toughest section was the climb out of the energy lab which is a hot tough climb at mile 19ish. Following that, the finish line is getting closer and the terrain isn’t too bad. I was able to pick it up the last 3 miles for a strong finish…what a feeling! Total Run ~3:11

Great to be cruising down that finish shoot for a 2nd year in a row with a total time of ~9:43 on a tough day of heat and wind.

Next year I’ll be doing the Cozumel IM in November so no IM Hawaii even if I qualify at Placid. The next visit will likely be 2010 with a goal of sub 9:15. Already looking forward to it!

-Jesse

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Oct 13

Done.

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Well, what can I say…the goal was to go 20-30 minutes faster than last year under similar conditions. I think the conditions were about 2-3 minutes slower this year and I was still 21 minutes faster than last year…goal accomplished! Tim had an okay day and Cait had another perfectly executed day which met (and slightly exceeded by 1 minute) the best case scenario goals we had set. This had Cait come in 12th overall woman pro. The other pro I work with (on nutrition only); Dede Griesbauer came in 10th overall…what a day! I’ll have a full race report up this week. Thanks to all of you for you support throughout the season!!!

-Jesse

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Sep 08

Pumpkinman Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Yesterday was the Pumpkinman Half Iron triathlon in Maine. This was the first running of the race and actually the first ever half iron in the state of Maine. We decided to do this race early in the summer as a great half in preparation for Kona…about 5 weeks out. The race director (Kat Donatello) was nice enough to let us stay at her house for the race which was absolutely great given its just 15 minutes from the race site. We drove up to the race on Saturday afternoon, got registered and went to the pasta dinner. Let me just say this was probably the nicest pre race dinner I have ever seen with plenty of food alternatives, real silverware, and drinks all under a very large tent adjacent to the finish line area. On Saturday I was already getting pretty fired up at the dinner for a great race after seeing the venue….wide open space, beautiful lake, and a clean paved transition area.

The hurricane came through Saturday night and dumped a pretty significant amount of rain but then cleared out for a beautiful day on Sunday. Sunday began with the typical half iron breakfast and then off to the race site. Things were already a lot easier than a lot of the New England area races upon arrival….plenty of parking for more than what was required. Next step was the dreaded porta-poddy wait which had NO LINE. Before I knew it, transition was set up and we were standing at the water’s edge for the start of the race. I had a good start to the swim staying on Tim and Cait’s feet through half of the first loop. Soon after, I lost there feet due to some wiggly swimming on my part and finished the rest of the swim alone. It was a great swim for me though and I came out (after 2 loops) just a minute down on Tim and Cait. I’ve always liked two loop swims. In this case, you actually had to get out of the water and round a fence at the beach.

I took the bike out pretty hard to try and catch Tim early which workout well since I was able to see him ahead after about 10 miles. I soon thereafter caught him as he had some mechanical trouble on the side of the road. This was a great course with rolling hills and two loops. The roads were smooth and the volunteers were great. Every intersection was clearly called out which always helps for a safe ride. Following my pass of Tim, I spent the remainder ride alone with the lead vehicle.

I came into transition with just a 10 second lead on Chris Casey who I hadn’t realized was riding very well and taking time out of me throughout the ride. We headed out onto the run together with me realizing he had actually started 1 minute behind so was one minute ahead of me in total race time. I hit the first mile in about 5:52 which was right where I wanted to be. Based on my recent performance indicators, I thought I’d run in the 6:10-6:15 pace range. Based on that, I headed out the first miles 15 seconds faster than goal pace. Chris dropped back pretty quick and I stayed in the lead until about mile 6 when inevitably Tim caught me. I figured this would happen as I left transition with only about 2-3 minutes on him and figured I needed about 5-6 to beat him to the finish line. Following that pass, I kept it on cruise control for a second place finish behind Tim with an average pace of 6:15 on the Garmin. The best part about this race was that we (QT2) had the top 5 finishers across the line: Tim Snow, Me, Tim Tapply, Chris Casey, and Cait Snow. Cait won the female race by about 15 minutes and another one of our athletes Michelle Joaquin came in 3rd overall. My wife Chrissie came in 1st in her age group in just her 2nd half iron ever. What a day!

After doing a race like this (just 1 hour from Boston), I wonder why so many of the races we do are in population dense areas. It’s just so much nicer to have plenty of room to get around the venue with ample parking. Given this great experience, I plan to go back next year and will encourage our QT2 athletes to do the same. This is just a top notch race overall. The icing on the cake was an unbelievable Turkey dinner for all athletes following the race. And when I say turkey dinner, I mean all the fixings!

-Jesse

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Aug 19

Timberman Sprint and Pemi Loop Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

Wow, what a weekend! First it was the Timberman Sprint on Saturday followed by the Pemi Loop on Monday (ultra day hike).

Timberman:

Timberman sprint was a blast! This was the first time I did the sprint there as I’m usually racing the half on Sunday. Given the fact that I did Placid 4 weeks ago, the half would be a bit too much to perform well. It was really nice to do a low pressure race on Saturday and then get to watch the half on Sunday. Saturday wasn’t really on the radar for me given other commitments I had last week so the race really snuck up and I had limited rest going into it.

Saturday morning I awoke and headed to the race with Tim, Cait, Pat, and Chrissie. The weather was great and the day looked fast. The swim was really fast and comfortable with my typical spot next to Pat in the water. This time, instead of trying to out swim him, I chose to sit on his feet and then out sprint him in the final 100 yards :-). Thanks Pat!

I planned to ride hard as I knew I needed at least a 30-40 second lead going out on the run if I wanted to beat Tim. I got out and into second place within the fist 6 miles. The guy in front was riding a bit too fast for me to catch him and I came into T2 about 50 seconds down with Tim about 5-10 seconds back (not enough). Tim proceeded to pass me and the guy in front of me on the run for the overall win as I just hung in and took 3rd.

Cait won, Pat had a solid top 10 finish and Chrissie came in 6th overall woman in her 3rd triathlon….not too shabby!

Next Up: Pumpkinman Half Iron where I hear we will have a fast course and some good competition!

Pemi Loop:

Sunday was a nice day to relax, watch the half iron, and carb load for Monday’s hike. The hike is one that I’ve wanted to do for a while: The Pemi Loop in New Hampshire; 31.5 miles and about 10,000 feet of elevation gain through the southern White Mountains. Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love ultra day hikes and is what got me into endurance sports in the first place. I also believe that long day hikes are a great way to build strength and durability for ironman athletes. The ironman run is more like a long day hike than a run in most cases. It’s an exercise in peripheral system toughness (mental and physical). Based on that, I had planned this day into our season plans over 10 months ago.

This day was going to be great! It was a great group of Tim, Cait, Pat, Chrissie and myself. Chrissie and I have pretty solid hiking experience. Tim has one experience last year with me doing the Presidential Traverse (a 24+ mile day with 10,000 feet vertical). This was his first and last hike but nonetheless experience. Pat and Cait had almost no hiking experience going in but obviously have great fitness after doing IMLP a month ago. Given this wide range of experience levels, it was going to be an interesting day!

The weather looked great so I hoped we could beat book time by at least 4 hours and finish in 16 hours (book time of about 20:30). Given a trailhead start time of 5:00am, this would have us out of the woods by 9:00pm.

Right off the bat we set a solid pace up to the Bonds and we were well ahead of book time. As the day wore on it looked like we would finish in the 13-15 hour range which proved to be correct. We hit the final summit at Mt. Flume at about 12:30 with about 2:00 left to the hike. Around this point is when everyone started to get a bit delirious with the fact that we had just hiked about 26 miles. Below is a picture at that point:

We ended up finishing in 14:38 which was about 6 hours ahead of book time and with no major injuries. What a great day to get in good aerobic and strength work in the Whites. I’d love to hit this one again with the objective of breaking 10 hours which I think is doable for me. The record for this is about 8:30 which is blazing fast.

-Jesse

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Aug 04

Wild Cat Sprint Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

I think this was the first time I’ve done a race on such short notice. At 24 hours before the start, I literally had no idea I was going to race. I’m the type of guy that tends to plan things months in advance. In the end, it was actually a perfect weekend for me to race and I was disappointed in myself for not thinking and planning for it sooner.

The swim was a heart pumping 400 yards…I think I nearly blew a gasket by the first buoy. What a shock to the system after an IM 14 days earlier. I came out of the water in 4th place.

Onto the bike I was concerned my legs wouldn’t be there given the IM a couple of weeks early but they seemed to respond well and I was able to average a little over 26 mph for the 10 mile course which was flat and super fast obviously. I came into T2 in 1st place about 1 minute ahead of Pat Wheeler and with the fastest bike split of the day.

The run is where I most felt the IM and had no real clue of what pace I was running other than the fact that I was redlined from start to finish. This was good enough for the 2nd fastest run of the day and about 5:45 pace. Overall I ended up in 1st place by about 1.5 minutes on Pat. What a fun unexpected day where I felt good and got in a dry run for the Timberman Sprint in 2 weeks!

-Jesse

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Jul 22

Ironman Lake Placid Race Report

Written by Jesse. Posted in Race Reports

The 2008 Ironman Lake Placid will go down as one of the most memorable weeks of my coaching and racing career to date. It all started on Friday with Tim and Cait’s surprise wedding which was totally unexpected. This set the backdrop for the race on Sunday, where 14 QT2 athletes were set to race including Coaches Tim, Cait, Pat, and myself as well as many first timers. Going into the weekend, we had set race goals and pacing strategies for all of the athletes with the hopes that the majority would execute that plan as well as the nutrition plan, and reach the goals we had set. Given those race goals, I knew we had 5-6 athletes with the potential for Kona qualification. In the end, only two athletes missed the race goals we had set, and we walked away with three Kona slots (Pat missed by about 1:30!!). For me personally, the goal was sub 9:40 and a Kona slot…..I went 9:40:33 and got the slot…mission accomplished. Tim, Cait, and Pat all executed their race plans to the letter and literally hit their race goals dead in the middle of the 15 minute ranges we had set. Fortunately, this was good enough for a win for Cait (1 hour PR from last year on the same course), and a tenth place finish Tim (40 min PR from 2 years ago on the same course). It also resulted in a 10:02 day for Pat in his IM debut at 23 years old…he will undoubtedly be an IM figure down the road as his potential is developed through his focus on the training protocol and work ethic. Cait will continue to make progress as well and race at a top level given her age, tremendous capacity to make sacrifices, and execute a race plan. Overall, there was no magic on race day, but rather unrelenting implementation of race plans based on the training they have carried out, race fueling they have practiced, and optimization of body composition in preparation for the race over the past 36 weeks. There were no surprises in performance, just surprises in the peripheral benefit of their performance on race ranking versus others. I’m SO happy to see things come together for them. In addition to these elite athletes, our 10 other athletes who raced, most of whom were first timers, were inspired enough to race the distance again I think…mission accomplished.

I think our performances in such a big race solidify the relevance of a detailed training and nutrition approach on racing consistency and predictability. If it’s good enough for 1st place finishes and Kona slots, than so be it….the goal is always on individual performance and race execution with the other benefits being peripheral in nature.

Sorry to go on such a ramble but I’ve had so many things racing through my head over the past three days…my personal race report is below:

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The race day forecast was for scattered showers. This already made me nervous given the fact that I HATE racing in cold, wet conditions. I’ll take 85+ and humidity over 60 and rainy any day. If I had known we were in for a monsoon on race day, I would have been a bit more nervous going in…probably better off I didn’t know given how things turned out weather wise!

Pre Race: Breakfast at 3:30 went down well with the typical large dose of unsweetened apple sauce and other treats. Got to transition, got set up, and was in the water before I knew it. Before the gun went off, I looked around and wondered how the heck I expected to finish at the top of this huge amateur group.

Swim (1:00): My training suggested that a :58 swim was in store so I set up about 1/3 of the way off the dock in the front row and went out hard to avoid being trapped in a slower pack. This workout well and I came around the first loop in about 29:30. The second loop I swam on the line and ended up being a bit slower with a time of about 30:30. A bit slower than I would have liked but the variability in IM swims is something you can’t let affect your day, so I moved on without modifying any of the other race plans. I then zipped through transition as quickly as possible knowing that it could make the difference between a trip to Hawaii in the fall or a late season marathon.

Bike (5:26): The bike started in the typical fashion with literally hundreds of age groupers going out WAY to hard and blowing their day in the first 10 miles. Sometimes I wonder what goes through their heads out there. Do they realize that Ironman ends with a marathon? It’s a 26.2 mile run for god sakes, take it easy! The bike was supper wet and cold all the way through which was tough for me but I just kept hanging in there and praying for hill climbs to warm up. The bike was for sure a bit slow given these conditions but was the same for everyone so I have no complaints. It’s amazing how tough Ironman athletes can be which is proven by a very low DNF rate despite the brutal conditions. The first loop came around a bit slower than I had hoped for but was much better than seeing it way faster given the long day ahead (always better to be conservative). The second loop I picked it up a bit and finished strong passing about 1 person every minute for the last 20 miles. Overall I finished about 5 minutes slower than I had expected but given the conditions this was probably appropriate.

Run (3:07): I felt great starting the run and had to really hold back to stay at 6:50 pace the first 6 miles. My goal was to run 6:50 as long as possible with the expectation to see it drift back to a maximum of 7:50 pace by the last mile for a 7:20 pace average. This had my goal set at 3:12. As it turned out, the slightly conservative bike (5 min slow) set me up for a very strong run where I got back the 5 minutes I had lost with a 3:07 marathon at 7:09 pace. The Garmin was fantastic for helping pace the run. I had no clue where I sat in my age group but did know I passed a whole lot of people on that run course. I ended up with a 9:40:33 and 18th overall including the pros. This put me at 2nd place in my age group…two minutes faster and I’d have won it. Results HERE.

I was ecstatic about my race, and run in particular which is the absolute key to a solid IM. I’m very strongly considering LP again next year where my goal will be a 2%-2.5% improvement (9:25-9:30) given the space I have for speed potential, durability, and body composition improvements. Next IM stop: Kona in 12 weeks!

Next Up:Timberman Sprint where for the first time I will do the sprint race instead of the Half…should be a blast as Keith’s races are always top notch.

-Jesse

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