Naperville Triathlon Race Report

I can start by saying this was easily one of the happiest days of my triathlon career. I love the Naperville triathlon and I have competed there four years in a row.  It always pulls some good local talent and usually turns out a pretty competitive field. I had raced the two weekends before this race but my body still felt pretty strong. I did not taper off for it as I would for a larger race because I did not want to jeopardize any training for the Hy-Vee national championship just a few weeks away. We made our way out to Naperville the day before to pick up the packets and stop by Endure It, the shop where I bought my Cervelo. We walked in and my sister fell in love with a Felt road bike.  Dad pulled the trigger and now Jillian is a full blown triathlete. Team Metzler is taking some good form!

The race is a sprint distance with a flat and fast course. It starts off with a 400m swim but offers some challenge because it is shaped like a W. In only 400m you have to make full turns around buoys 3 times. The race is started by a self-seeded system and you choose where you start. Athletes are sent off in a time trial format, going 4 at a time every 5 seconds. I chose to go in the third group so I could get some draft off the faster swimmers. The plan worked great as I was able to save some energy in the middle 200m by catching on the back of one of the second groups collegiate level swimmers. With all the turns the swim was a bit slower than I had expected but I was in a good position coming out of the water with a time of 6:19.

There is a little run to the transition area that is very hectic. There were over 1200 participants in the race and we were jammed packed into the racks. Fortunately there was a flag right next to my row so I was able to identify my position easily and got to my gear with no problems. The goggles flew off and the helmet went on, I was off for a the 22k in 1:41.

The bike course is two 11k loops on nicely paved roads.  There was a very strong tail wind on the way out that I noticed early and decided to hammer, realizing that it would be a bit tougher on the way back.  At the start of the bike I was in third place behind the 2nd fastest swimmer and the fastest swimmer who I passed early.  I was soon in 2nd place with the lead motorcycle not far ahead. I realized that it would not be smart to attack the lead all at once so I worked on just improving my pace consistently and trying to knock off some of his lead.  Nearing the end of the bike, I was just 20 or 30 seconds down off the leader and I realized that with a good run, I could take him for the win. My bike time was not as fast as I had planned but the wind was strong and it had affected everyone out there.  With a time of 33:37 averaging 24.4 mph I was into transition 2.

This transition was flawless and I was on the run course in 0:54.

Now my plan for the run was to stay strong and consistent for the first mile, work the second mile and then suffer for the rest. It is only 5k and there is no time to waste. As I made the turn out onto the run course, the leader took off.  For most of the run I could see the lead motorcycle but he was pulling away. His lead was too much and I had to focus on holding my 2nd place as I could see a group of runners charging behind me. The first mile was smooth and I felt good with a time of 6:12.  I started to work and came through the 2 mile in 12:17.  At this point I had 1 mile to go and I saw that I had distanced myself from the group of runners behind. I had some confidence and my cadence picked up.  I put myself in some hurt in the last mile and finished the run in 18:12.  One of my fastest 5k's ever, triathlon or road race. I was ecstatic with the run but even more excited to finish 2nd over in a race of 1200 people.  In addition I had won my age group.  I finished the race with a time of 1:00:42.  As you can see in the picture I was pretty stoked to make the podium. My second overall podium finish in three weeks.

I leave for the University of Iowa this week and I am very excited to start the next chapter in my life. I can not wait to meet some new friends and training partners. I will be sure to keep everyone updated with my collegiate triathlon experiences. I am doing the Hy-Vee 5150 national championship on September 4th and then any of the University of Iowa triathlon races that the team needs me to compete in.  I really can't wait.

Tri Indy or Don't Tri Indy? Race Report

Well, Saturday morning I woke up, did my pre race shake up workout, got my things organized and we hit the road for Indianapolis, Indiana for the 5th race of the season.  It is an Olympic distance triathlon consisting of a 1500 meter swim, 40 kilometers bike and 10 kilometers run. The swim takes place in the Indianapolis canal, a very interesting and exciting venue.  The bike and run courses are flat which were expected to prove some fast times and some high scores in the USAT rankings. I was focused and ready to perform and hopefully get an Olympic distance personal best time.

After making the 3.5 hour drive, my parents and I made it to the hotel that was 20 min outside Indianapolis.  When I signed up for the race all of the hotels right next to the race site were booked.  When we got there we realized it was for a GEN CON convention that was staying for 4 days. This proved to make some interesting company while in Indy.  Still, no problems and we got back to the room to get settled in before heading off to dinner.  My parents even hit the JACKPOT by scoring the room with some extra space, a hot tub and get this, an electric fireplace.  I hit the remote on that thing and instantly things got real romantic up in there. 

Hilarious! 

I quickly headed back to my room to get some rest before the 5AM wake up call and left them to the kick-ass fireplace.  I rolled out of bed and had my customary chocolate chip Clif Bar and a banana. My body and mind were in the right place and my dad was not racing, he was there to support me and cheer me on.  It felt good to have both of my parents there as part of the race team.  We headed down to the transition area and I started to get my things together. As I laid out my Giro Advantage 2 aero helmet on top of my handle bars, the regional USAT lead official came over to inspect the helmet. I thought this was odd but he was checking most of the aero helmets for the top 20 starters and I brushed it off.  I continued on with my business until the official informed me that there was no CPSC sticker and if I were to use this helmet, I would be disqualified from the race. 

Where is the sticker?!

I spent the next 20 minutes scrambling around trying to find a helmet that would work. I did not bring my road helmet with me assuming the Giro would be fine as I had used it in 20+ races previously.  But finally we found the T3 Multisport tent and they offered to let me borrow the owners road helmet for the race.  This was a lifesaver! It wasn't an aero helmet but it would get the job done for 40k.  

The only issue is, I spent so much time worrying about the helmet that I did not give myself enough time to scope out the transition area and know exactly where the run/ bike in's and run/ bike out's are.  I warmed up at 6:45 and transition closed at 7AM. I ran for 10 min and then rushed back to the transition area before grabbing my goggles and heading out for the 1500 meter walk down to the swim start. 

When I got down there they were announcing on the loud speaker that if you considered yourself and Elite level triathlete, you were eligible for starting in the elite wave that started all together right at 7:30.  I went right in there and was set up perfectly, I got into a pace and hit the swim with no problems at all.  It was not as fast as I would have liked, but I spent a lot of time early on fighting for a good position and I think this lost me some valuable time. I came out of the water in 22:48. I actually think the swim was a little long, that was the 11th best swim and the winner of the swim did not even break 20:00.

T1 was flawless, even with fussing with the helmet. A time of 0:52 seconds.

Sweet helmet. 

Now I was onto the bike. I stayed to my plan and kept the first 1/3 under control. I settled into my pace and then got comfortable. This was the point that I took my gel and started to work.  I really wanted to hammer and I was feeling great. The course was very bumpy and technical but I have been working on my bike a lot in the last few weeks and I felt confident. I came in with my fastest 40k time ever, 59:52. Breaking one of my season goals with breaking 1 hour for 40k.

Now with the problems that I had before the race I did not get the chance to scope out the transition area like I normally would. I came into t2 and started running the opposite way of my gear.  Thanks to my dad, I heard him shouting at me to turn around.  I only lost a few seconds but it was still pretty annoying.  Transition 2 was still fast, and after 1:20 I was out onto the run.

The first 5k I just worked on clicking off the miles.  I was right on pace to break my goal of 40:00. My first 5k was 19:45.  I headed out to the second loop with my parents cheering me on.  I was feeling good and even with some of the mishaps, I was on pace to break my goal.  As I made the turn to go onto my second loop, I saw the finish line and then saw the guy in front of me stop and turn around.  I was confused but kept going.  I passed that guy and realized that I had been mistaken for a duathlete and the actual race director pointed me in the way of the finish line and past the turn towards the second loop.  I had lost 2-3 min running out of the way and getting back on course.  This happened to 5 out of the top 10 Olympic distance racers. After all that had happened I was pretty upset but tried to keep it under control.  I was a bit demoralized when I realized that I was not going to reach my goal because some guy pointed me in the wrong direction.  Still, there was nothing that I could do.  I looked at it as a learning experience and I was happy that these problems happened at a small race like this rather than a more important race later in the season. I finished the run with a time of 43:51.

My finish time was 2:08:44.  I was 9th overall out of a field of almost 500 and I was 1st in my division 18-20.  I think it will score highly and raise my USAT rankings which was one of my main goals going into the race.

Although it was good to learn a few things and gain some experience, I do not think I will be going back to Tri Indy in the upcoming years.

Next up is Naperville sprint triathlon next weekend. This is my fourth year in a row racing in Naperville and I am very excited to have a great race. 

Glenview Triathlon Review

Hello everyone! I first have to apologize for my lack of posts lately.  Everything has been getting a bit hectic on my end with college starting in two weeks, training being in full swing and the summer wrapping up.  It's safe to say I am one busy guy!

After a speedy recovery from Racine 70.3, I was right back at it training for the next line up of races.  First was the local Glenview triathlon that I compete in every year mostly for fun.  I was very excited to do this race because a lot of people from my town are there to see it. Also, it was my sisters first triathlon ever and I was excited to cheer her across the finish line.

The day started with a not so bad 4:30 AM wake up and a Clif Bar to get me going.  I was happy to not have to worry about overpacking, nutrition plans and extreme organizing.  I did not taper or cut back on training for this race and it was treated as a hard workout.  This in turn made it a no stress race and made it very enjoyable. It was important for me to get really warmed up and prepare for the intensity of a sprint, so I ended up riding 5 miles over to the race site, getting transition put together, running 10 minutes and then swimming 500 or 600 yards. By 6:30 AM, I was ready to go!

The swim is done in a pool and it is only 300 yards.  When registering for the race, the directors ask people to put down their projected swim time and you are seeded by that time.  I put down 3:30 and was seeded 7th.  I got in the water and had a solid swim, 3:39.

Transition 1 was flawless, no problems at all. I was out on the bike after :45 seconds.

Now the bike is a whole different game when it is only 10 miles. You do not have the luxury of settling into a pace or waiting to attack. It is GO right from the start.  You have to push yourself and put yourself in the hurt box right from the start.  Coming off a half ironman, I was not necessarily used to this, but I know I had some good speed training on the bike and that I could hammer and hang on. After putting my head down and crushing the ride to the best of my ability, I came into t2 with a bike time of 23:33, averaging 25.47 mph.

Transition 2 was perfect.  Out onto the run in :40 seconds.

The run is 5k and it is pretty flat with one hill you have to go over twice.  Again, it is not a half marathon, it is not even 10k, there is no time to waste.  You have to hurt for 3 miles.  My legs did not feel fresh or explosive but that was to be expected after doing a 3 hour double bike/ run brick the day before. I felt consistent across the whole 5k and was pleased with my time of 19:23, a 6:15 min/mi pace.

I finished with a time of 47:58.  PR'ing at this race by nearly 5 minutes.  Training has paid off and I was happy with a 3rd place overall. It was a big step for me, podiuming overall at a race.  It felt good and I was happy.  I feel great and am setting up nicely for my next three races; Indianapolis, Naperville and Hy-Vee. Wish me luck!