Slam the Dam Open Water Swim (8k + 1.2 mile)

Went to Las Vegas to do an open water swim in Lake Mead. This event had a few different swims to enter that included 1.2 mile, 2.4 mile, 8k, the Super Slam (2.4 + 1.2 races), or the Grand Slam (8k + 1.2 races).

I went for the Grand Slam which was a 8k point to point swim then the 1.2 swim. I was able to take 3rd place over all with a combined race time if 2:47. I have done many 5k swims but never an 8k. Looking at all the times I think the course might have been a bit long considering the swimmers that showed up. I know that I went a bit long on the 8k as the navigation was difficult in this very large lake and would not have been possible without the help of Susie my wife and Sadie my daughter. They piloted my support kayak. I took one bottle of Spiz and a GU Roketane during the race. I had about 45 minutes recovery between races. When it was time to do the 1.2 mile swim I just went all out and was able to hold it till about the last 300 and slowed a bit. I really want to do this race again as I know that I can improve. Also, I know that I am capable of going even grater distances. For 3rd place I got some cool Elvis glasses. Check out some photos...

Superfrog Triathlon Half Iron Distance

April 11th, 2010 I raced the Superfrog Half Iron Distance triathlon. I have wanted to do this race for quite some time as the course looked excellent. Here is how my race went. Swim was a mass start. I was in wave number one. It was a two loop ocean swim, so that involved getting out of the water and running up the beach and doing a second lap. I came out of the water at 28:49. I think I was about 3th with only two pros ahead of me. The 56 mile bike was four loops on the silver strand. The first two laps were fast then some wind started to kick up on lap 3 and number 4 it was really bad. I got off the bike with a time of 2:35. Next the run. This was the hardest half marathon that I have ever done. This was worse than the Silverman or anything imaginable. Why, because at least 10 of the 13 miles were on the sand. On soft sand and on the sand where the water meets the beach. The course was two loops. My my time for the run was 2:22, wow about 20 slower than it should have been. I guess I am not a sand runner. However, I was able to PR with a time of 5:40 and get 3rd place in the Clydesdale division. Overall a fantastic race and one to do again.




However, I have one gripe and that is with the host hotel Lowes Coronado Resort and that is they absolutely suck. My room was not ready until 6:00 pm on Friday and they had a 10:00 am check out time on Saturday. However, they did offer a late check out at 2:00 pm for an extra $80!!! No thanks. I will never ever stay at a Lowes Hotel anywhere they are totally unaccommodating and were not friendly to the racers. Stay elsewhere.

Team Odawalla & GU Ambasador

For the 2010 race season I have been selected for Team Odawalla and will be proudly wearing their colors in my events this year.



Additionally for the third year I have been selected as a GU Ambassador.

It's going to be a great year thanks to the support from both GU and Odawalla!

Calico 30k

Well it was another go at the Calico Trail Run. This was the 4th year in a row that I have done the race. By far this has to be my all time favourite race. Again I did the 30k version. There is also a 50k that someday I hope to run. They promote this race as being more than a run, it is an adventure. That is true. Look through my previous years posts on this blog for the mile by mile details. This year I went 3:29 which was faster by 17 minutes than last year. It looks like I moved about a minute a mile faster. having done this race four times now it seems to get faster and faster, especially in the 30-39 age group where I will race one more time.

Claremont 5k Turkey Trot

On November 26th I did the 2nd Annual Turkey Trot in Claremont. This run was basically a reverse run of the Firecracker 5000 that is held on the 4th of July. It was a 5k that had just over 1000 runners. My only plan was to run as fast as I could and I did with a PR of 22:33. I actually got 10th in my age group also.

LA County Half Marathon @ Fairplex

I decided to do this race because it was so close to home, about 3 miles. The race started at the center of the Fairplex in Pomona. We ran to the NHRA drag strip and half way down it and hung a right. Then the course went to Bonellie Park where we ran around the lake. There were a few zig-zags and some up and downs. After Bonellie the course returned to the Fairplex grounds. I really liked this run because it had such variety in it. Never a dull moment. By no means is it an easy half-marathon especially with the steep hill in mile 12. Since it was the first year for this race it was not that big. However, next year I will draw a larger field of runners for sure. My race went well and I achieved my goal of making 1:49:51. My was to go under 1:50:00. I would like to thank my fellow SoCalDayBreaker runners Buzz, Erin, and Dr. Phil for pushing me to make my time goal. I hope to do this race in 2010.

Nevada Silverman Race Report

On Sunday I did the Silverman Half-Iron distance triathlon. Here is my report...

My family and I arrived late Friday night. I went to the expo to pick up my packet Saturday morning. Now, for this race I had registered in the Clydesdale under 39 division for which six months ago that would have been no problem. However, as many of you have seen I have lost some weight and have been bouncing around in the mid 190's. So when I was ready to step on the scale at the wight in I was prepared to be booted from the division. However, the scale came in at 202! Fantastic, it is amazing what a big breakfast can do. Next it was to Lake Mead to drop off the bike and gear bags. That evening I went to a Vegas buffet and fueled up with meat and vegetables and got to bed early. The next morning was at the race venue at 7:20 for the 8:30 start.

The swim course was a 1.2 mile loop with a in the water mass start of about 400 people. I got my position right up front. The horn sounded and we were off. I was able to get out in front quickly and follow the lead kayak for about the first half mile. I was in a small pack of about 6 or 7 swimmers. Rounding the first buoy I got dunked by a relay swimmer for not yielding left. I thought, what the hell. At the second buoy the pack got more spread out and the kayak went faster. The lead guy just took off. Coming into the swim finish I was in 5th place overall at 26 minutes. I was pumped as that was my time goal. I did a quick transition and it was on the bike.

I did not quite know what to expect on the 56 mile bike leg. I was worried about wind more than the hills. For about the first ten miles I was moving along well. Then for the next ten miles lots of cyclists started blowing by me. I think this is where I lost some focus. At the turnaround at mile 25 or so, I put it back together. At mile 35 I was feeling good and eating and hydrating as scheduled. At mile 38 I got to meet the "Three Sisters". They are a series of three hills that are a few hundred yards long but with an 18 degree incline. I really did not think they were all that bad. The bad part was next. At about mile 40 or so there was an incline that seemed to go on forever. It was at a point in the race where you start to question why you are out there. From there to about mile 50 was a big mental challenge. I could not get my bike moving faster than 16 mph no matter what, it was frustrating and I know I was not bonking because I was not being passed and was able to keep up with cyclists around me. Even the last few miles had hills. I was looking forward to the run. The bike course was just never ending and brutal. It required a lot of concentration going both up and down hills. I came in to T2 with a bike leg with 3:30. If I had to do the bike over I think I would have not had a HED3 on the
front as it was difficult for me to handle on downhills with crosswind.
I did not feel stable so I took some descents slow.

I spent a few minutes in the changing tent. For this event I put on the compression socks. I know they look goofy but I think they worked. On the run and I felt fantastic. One thing that I immediately noticed was that I was passing people and was able to do so the whole way. I did the "walk run" where I did a speed walk though each aid station. I took lots of water, one over my head and a big drink. I think I was in the low 80's on the run. My strategy worked well. The run course was a real challenge with lots of uphill the worst being from about mile 4-7 being all up. I just kept moving along until about mile 12.5 where I had some crazy muscle pain in my right leg. Ouch, it really hurt but I walked it off for about a minute and ran to the finish. My half marathon time was a 2:12.

The finish line was fantastic it was like a party! I finished in 6:16. I was 126th overall and got 3rd place in the Under 39 year Clydesdale division. For this race I had my best swim time in a half iron distance, best half marathon time in a half iron distance, and my 2nd best time overall for a half iron distance.

Some nutritional notes. One of the things that has really held me back on previous races was not eating enough food before the race and on the bike. However, I was able to overcome it this time. I had a good dinner the night before and good breakfast that morning. Before the swim 2 GU. On the bike 9 GU, 1 uncrustable bbj, 1 banana, about 40 oz GU2o, and lots of water. On the run it was 3 GU, 1 banana, some chips, and lots of water with some diluted gator aid. In past races I had fallen apart and run out of energy but not this time.

Overall, the Silverman is a fantastic event. Well organized and really athlete focused. It is challenging and it absolutely 100% lives up to its claim to being the worlds toughest half and full iron distance races. I will do it again.

Next up for 2010 the Superfrog Half in Coronado and IM AZ.....