I've finished the Full Vineman triathlon, the second of my three events for this year and my first full Ironman-distance triathlon. Nearly 550 participants completed the race, which is billed as the oldest Ironman-distance race in the continental United States. Surprisingly, it turned out as expected: I'd projected a 14-hour race, and I did it in 13:54. I wasn't too concerned about doing the distance. My training had gone well, I was injury-free before the race, and I felt no soreness after it. My greatest concern was nutrition and hydration, which did take its toll by mile 10 of the run. More on that later, but it did make the run—typically my strongest event—very tough. But before getting into the details, I'd like to thank my wife Julie for all her support during the training and for cheering me on at these races. It means a lot to me to have her there! And to my friend Doug Bloyd, who trained and raced with me. What a great guy! And finally to my brother Chris and my sister Maria, also endurance athletes who have encouraged me over the years.
I just finished the first of my three events for this year, the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. Just over 1,600 participants completed the race, representing over 40 countries. There were the thousands of spectators cheering us on, which is a great motivation to give it your best. Other great motivations were the beautiful day, and the world class field of elite triathletes, including Andy Potts (Olympian), Becky Lavelle (international star and Los Gatos resident) Victor Plata (Olympian and Santa Cruz resident), Leanda Cave (from Britain), and Michellie Jones (Australian Olympian, and a particular favorite since meeting her at the Big Kahuna 1/2 Ironman a couple of years ago).
I've finished the Full Vineman triathlon, the second of my three events for this year and my first full Ironman-distance triathlon. Nearly 550 participants completed the race, which is billed as the oldest Ironman-distance race in the continental United States. Surprisingly, it turned out as expected: I'd projected a 14-hour race, and I did it in 13:54. I wasn't too concerned about doing the distance. My training had gone well, I was injury-free before the race, and I felt no soreness after it. My greatest concern was nutrition and hydration, which did take its toll by mile 10 of the run. More on that later, but it did make the run—typically my strongest event—very tough. But before getting into the details, I'd like to thank my wife Julie for all her support during the training and for cheering me on at these races. It means a lot to me to have her there! And to my friend Doug Bloyd, who trained and raced with me. What a great guy! And finally to my brother Chris and my sister Maria, also endurance athletes who have encouraged me over the years.
I just finished the first of my three events for this year, the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. Just over 1,600 participants completed the race, representing over 40 countries. There were the thousands of spectators cheering us on, which is a great motivation to give it your best. Other great motivations were the beautiful day, and the world class field of elite triathletes, including Andy Potts (Olympian), Becky Lavelle (international star and Los Gatos resident) Victor Plata (Olympian and Santa Cruz resident), Leanda Cave (from Britain), and Michellie Jones (Australian Olympian, and a particular favorite since meeting her at the Big Kahuna 1/2 Ironman a couple of years ago).